Best vanilla perfumes for 2024 -

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Byredo Vanille Antique eau de parfum

To avoid being cloying, the sweetness of vanilla is balanced by dry woods and the tanginess of plum so it never feels like a walloping singular note hitting you square on the nose. Quite the opposite in fact – Vanille Antique is so nuzzly and ambrosial, it literally beckons you to come closer.

Prada Les Infusions de Prada Infusion de Vanille eau de parfum

All Les Infusions de Prada have a common signature of musk, iris and citrus that mimics the scent of skin. The new Infusion de Vanille adds luminous bergamot, a jolt of sparkling neroli and wisps of soft, smoky vanilla to the mix for a scent that somehow manages to be both bright and toasty and entirely wearable in summer or winter.

Loewe Paula’s Ibiza Eclectic eau de toilette

The first iteration from this capsule collection, Paula’s Ibiza, smelt like salty skin tinged with sunscreen drying in the heat. Eclectic has a similar aquatic, ambery vibe but with a dose of big-summer energy – like you’ve draped that sun-kissed body in sequins and taken it to a party. Mandarin, orange blossom and night-blooming (this is Ibiza, after all) jasmine are wrapped up in coconut and vanilla for a warm, hazy effect.

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Elie Saab Le Parfum Bridal eau de parfum

Alongside opulent white florals, come-hither vanilla is considered a sensual note to seek in one's wedding day perfume. Combining the two, Elie Saab has curated a creamy symphony in Le Parfum Bridal, which is inspired by a wedding bouquet.

Mugler Angel eau de parfum (refillable)

Credit: Lookfantastic

Probably the most famous (and divisive) gourmand confection of all time, Angel is the '90s antithesis to ‘clean’ fragrances like CK One. In contrast to their splashy, transparent notes, it’s brimming with the type of scents you’d normally find at a children’s birthday party: vanilla, chocolate, cotton candy and berries. Fan or critic, there’s no denying its exuberant punchiness.

Dior La Collection Privée Vanilla Diorama Fragrance

This is the type of scent where the gourmand notes smell so sublime and realistic, you almost want to ask for a spoon. Vanilla Diorama centres around vanilla, rum, cocoa and citrus fruits, all ingredients in Christian Dior’s favourite dessert, so expect an immediate endorphin rush with a sensual, grown-up twist.

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Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Vitae eau de toilette

Inspired by riding his motorcycle at high speed in Ibiza’s summer heat, Aqua Vitae is precisely the type of surprising creation we’ve come to expect from maverick perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. The warmth of vanilla is made fresh and breezy with a spark of mandarin and a hint of bergamot in the base, resulting in a vibrant yet tension-melting scent.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla eau de parfum

A unique salty vanilla scent, Guerlain's latest concoction combines vanilla absolute with a delicate does of driftwood and musk lending it a surprising marine quality that captures the air of a wild Corsican beach.

Tom Ford Private Blend Tobacco Vanille eau de parfum

Anything Tom Ford touches is dripping in sex appeal and Tobacco Vanille is no exception. Unapologetically heady, spicy and fierce, the blend of vanilla, leather, suede and musk has an animalistic edge that appeals to your most basic instincts and draws you in like a moth.

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Aerin Tangier Vanille eau de parfum

Here the heat from the vanilla is unmistakable as it reaches up through sun-drenched florals, including Italian bergamot and rose, to create a heady, exotic scent that’s perfect for sipping sundowners in a desert hideaway.

Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Illicit Green eau de parfum

Black Opium’s latest iteration is a collaboration between Master Perfumer Nathalie Lorson and Parisian mixologist Margot Lecarpentier. This time, the classic pairing of vanilla and coffee is given a liberal helping of juicy green mandarin and creamy fig that’s as aromatic as it is uplifting.

Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille eau de parfum

A love letter to vanilla, the initial impression is more woody and smoky than candied courtesy of intriguing notes such as gaulac wood and liquorice. But the best part is the dry down, which smells just like creme brulee with deliciously warm elements of caramel and coconut milk.

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Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent

Now 19% Off

Credit: Lookfantastic

Within a few seconds, it’s like the beach is within touching distance as vanilla, glowing amber and coconut milk cosy up together to smell like sunscreen on the skin. But Bronze Goddess Eau Fraiche Skinscent is also a fragrance for floral lovers as the whole blend is anchored in a bouquet of exotic blooms including tiare flower.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her eau de toilette

If you think of vanilla as sugary and saccharine, we promise that For Her will change your mind. This supremely soft and feminine scent opens on effervescent osmanthus before the hushed scents of musk, earthy patchouli and creamy vanilla push through and hover close to the skin.

Lancôme Idôle Nectar Eau de Parfum

Credit: Sephora

Playing on the idea of challenging the status quo, Lancome’s perfumers have created a gourmand fragrance so unusual it has a popcorn accord coursing through the middle. An airy trio of roses keeps things light at first spritz, before mellowing down to vanilla and delivering a scent that’s like catnip for those with a sweet tooth.

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Chloé Nomade eau de parfum Naturelle

Sparking your wanderlust is a pretty tall order for a fragrance, let alone changing the fragrance game. But Nomade Eau de Parfum Naturelle has achieved both in a hippy-meets-haute juice with 100 per cent natural-origin ingredients. Formulated with naturally-derived alcohol, sunny sloshes of sustainably harvested jasmine are given depth with vanilla and date that linger beautifully on the skin.

Kilian Love Don't Be Shy eau de parfum

Best-known for being one of Rihanna's favourite perfumes, Love Don’t Be Shy is a young, flirty gourmand that consists of honeysuckle and rose, topped with sugary marshmallows and a glug of vanilla. It’s juicy, slightly syrupy and yet there is something tender underscoring the fragrance at the same time. It’s like first love’s tentative kisses in spray form.

If more of a creamy coconutty vanilla speaks to you, see Kilian's Sunkissed Goddess eau de parfum, which will instantly get you in the mood for summer.

Jo Malone London Myrrh and Tonka Cologne Intense

Resinous myrrh saves the vanilla and almond elements in the base from being the usual sweet confection. The overall effect is earthy and intoxicating with brighter hints of lavender and honey adding to its unisex appeal.

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Perfumer H Musk

Musk-laced scents usually cut one of two ways. They’re either a shadowy note in the background or a thumping animalic scent that has you in a chokehold. By layering zippy mandarin and Sicilian lemon over a soft, spicy landing of vanilla absolute, iris and white musk, perfumer Lyn Harris has created a scent that feels perfect for wearing every day.

Dior Miss Dior eau de parfum

Now 15% Off

Credit: Sephora

Vanilla is said to enhance all sensations of pleasure. So it comes as no surprise to find it nestled in the base of this joyous perfume, where fresh lily of the valley, sweet peony, powdery iris and the honeyed nuances of centifolia rose bloom on the skin.

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