Top 10 Gourmand Notes in Perfumery

Top 10 Gourmand Notes in Perfumery

Rich, sweet, creamy notes are trending in perfumery these days as consumers worldwide purchase more and more fragrances with dessert-like ingredients.

The term gourmand describes a person who is a connoisseur of food, someone who appreciates good food. A gourmand fragrance is one that smells edible. Aroma of homemade sugar cookies or a rich, creamy latté. Freshly dipped caramel apples in autumn. Perfumers describe them as mouth-watering, warm, addictive fragrances.

So just what is a gourmand scent? This is a classification of men’s and women’s fragrances that typically feature sweet aromas such as vanilla, toffee, caramel, honey, tonka bean (which smells like vanilla), cocoa, and even caramelized fruit notes (like candy apple) Perfumers use these notes to create a comforting, cocooning character that work particularly well in winter months. These fragrances have made a huge comeback over the past five years likely because of the popularity of sweet café drinks like vanilla lattés and frappuccinos. Younger men and women in particular like gourmand fragrances.

Often blended with fruits, spices, musk and sandalwood.

Here is a list of the most popular Gourmand notes in modern perfumery:

10 coffee

In perfumery, a coffee aroma is often described by perfumers as rich, warm and slightly sweet, similar to freshly roasted coffee beans. This note can have hints of chocolate, caramel or spice. You’ll find coffee in more and more women’s scents these days as it appeals to GenZ in particular. Coffee notes can also be invigorating and energizing.

9 toffee

Rich, sweet and buttery is the best way to describe the smell of toffee. It can also have facets of vanilla, milk and caramel. This note adds a decadence and richness to any scent composition. It’s comforting.

8 candy floss

The aroma of candy floss is used when perfumers want to bring up emotions of growing up and visiting country fairs, carnivals or circuses with family and friends. It’s a nostalgic note that is sweet and sugary with a hint of vanilla.

7 cocoa

While chocolate is rich, sweet and decadent, cocoa in fragrance has a slightly bitter character with powdery facets. It’s soft and spicy and can create a velvety effect. There is a warmth to cocoa that balances floral notes nicely.

6 caramel

Like toffee notes, caramel is sweet, rich and buttery. What makes it popular with perfumers is that it is more complex than toffee with hints of spices and woods. This multi-faceted ingredient blends beautifully with floral and woody notes. It adds depth and warmth to a fragrance.

5 honey

Perfumers will use honey when they want a warm, sweet aroma with a slightly floral character. It evokes the sweetness of flowers and has a femininity to it. The exact smell of honey can vary depending on the type of honey used and where it was harvested. The flowers around the hives can alter the scent.

4 sweetened milk

Just as bakers will used sweetened milk in a recipe when they want a slightly sweet taste, perfumers will use it to add a creamy, soft, sweet aroma. It’s often paired with chocolate, coffee or vanilla to create a café-style smell.

3 caramelized fruit

This is one of the most popular fragrance notes over the past few years. And it works beautifully. Perfumers are incorporating caramelized fruit accords in the top notes of fragrances for him and her. They love the contrast of tart, fresh fruit with creamy sweet caramel – a contrast of sweet and sour. Most often you find this ingredient with red berries, but we’ve seen apples as well.

2 tonka bean

You may have seen the name ‘tonka bean’ listed in your favourite fragrances lately. It’s massively popular in both men’s and women’s scents. Yet, few people know what it smells like. Perfumers describe it as a complex aroma that smells like vanilla but with facets of spice and tobacco. Think of it as a mix of sweet, spicy, nutty, herbaceous and woody. It’s more complex and nuanced than traditional vanilla. The best part about tonka bean is that it blends well with other notes such as woods, spices, flowers and fruit.

1 vanilla

Vanilla is the superstar ingredient in perfumery right now. It is everywhere and for good reason. This base note has a warm, sweet, creamy aroma with a slightly woody undertone. The very best quality vanilla is harvested in Madagascar, and island off Africa. Premium vanilla is actually quite dry and not-so-sweet. What is exciting about today’s vanilla is perfumers are processing  and reworking the ingredient in new, imaginative ways. They’ll dry it in wooden vats for months. They’ll extract the aroma in different ways. And they’ll blend it with unexpected ingredients. This is one gourmand note that will only continue to grow in popularity.

Here are some Scent Lodge Gourmand Scent recommendations:

Mine Perfume Lab Shamrock

Mine Perfume Lab Shamrock, a warm woody-floral for her or him that blends citrus notes with whiskey, honey, vanilla and smooth sandalwood. “Warm and enveloping, this fragrance becomes the emblem of mellifluous and liqueur scents,” says Max the brand creator. “The notes of honey are adorned by the whiskey give the perfume depth and body, but at the same time, make it caressing and sophisticated. To further articulate the olfactory pyramid, a base of sandalwood, musk and vanilla complement the bitter-sweetness of the top citrus notes.” Think of it as an olfactory homage to the pristine lands of Ireland. It’s also delicious! #scentlodge

BOIS 1920 Classic Paradise

Here is a scent so delicious you might be tempted to eat it. Bois 1920 Classic Paradise is a floral-fruity gourmand scent for her or him created by perfumer Chris Maurice. He begins with a cocktail of wonderful Italian citrus: Seville orange, bergamot and lemon then gently adds cassis, galbanum and rose. Peach adds a velvety character to the lavender, nutmeg and coconut. The base boasts vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, musk and amber. This is a fragrance with character. #scentlodge

Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum

Here is one our all-time favourite women’s fragrances that has a truly addictive toffee note. Jimmy Choo Eau de Parfum is an alluring fruity-chypre fragrance for her created by Master Perfumer Olivier Polge. He blends fresh notes of pear and mandarin orange with orchid and green ingredients. A kick of toffee and patchouli gives it added character.

Atkinsons Pirates’ Grand Reserve

This blend of fragrance notes reads like the recipe for a decadent dessert. Atkinsons Pirates’ Grand Reserve is a warm amber-spicy fragrance for him or her inspired by the adventures of English gentleman pirate Sir Francis Drake. It’s an enticing rum-and-chocolate fueled fragrance with notes of vanilla, Virginia Cedar, clary sage, patchouli and moss. It’s full-bodied, full-blooded and full speed ahead.

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