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There was a time in the late ’90s when you couldn’t walk into a mall or high school without being consumed by a cloud of vanilla perfume and body spray. So, it’s no surprise, with our current penchant for Y2K nostalgia (and mom jeans, biker shorts, ballet slippers, and headbands), we’ve “created the perfect environment for the resurgence of vanilla as a perfume note,” says Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of Spate NYC, an A.I.-based platform that uses data science to predict beauty trends.
Google searches that include vanilla now average 138.6K a month according to Spate, with a growth of 22.1 percent year over year (the most significant positive change for any fragrance note)—and the hashtag #vanillaperfume on TikTok is garnering 4.4M average weekly views.
But today’s take on vanilla is more elevated than most over-the-top-sweet versions we sniffed in the ’90s. “Unlike the vanilla scents from that past era, which were seen as a bit low-brow,” says Horwitz, “today’s brands are iterating on vanilla in a new way.”
The first batch of new, modern vanilla fragrances to gain attention were creamy, soft blends, like Skylar Vanilla Sky, Kayali Vanilla 28, By Rosie Jane Dulce, and Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Milk. These scents largely paid homage to the gourmand, almost edible elements of vanilla we re familiar with—but enriched the note with warmer additions like cinnamon and sandalwood, for a sensual, skin-scent-like effect.
“Vanillas now are very grown up, sophisticated, and even challenging,” says Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn. “It s a pivot in direction that I personally celebrate as I love polished, sensual fragrances that also take a risk.”
Along with vanilla’s growing popularity, “searches for gourmand fragrances have been on the rise,” says Horwitz, “and, while gourmand does not have to be sweet, for many consumers it translates into a scent that is pretty, sweet, and edible.” This movement likely explains the growing popularity of other edible notes too, says Horwitz, including caramel, bourbon, and nuts (see: D.S. Durga’s wildly-popular Pistachio Eau de Parfum and Sol de Janerio’s best-selling Brazilian Crush mists).
In addition to evoking nostalgia, vanilla may also be resonating in this moment because of its wide appeal—and, in a world that’s becoming increasingly polarized, it’s one thing most of us agree on: Vanilla smells good.
“We are getting lots of interest in vanilla from our clients,” says Frank Voelkl, a principal perfumer for Firmenich, creator of fragrances for brands including Gucci, Saint Laurent, Ellis Brooklyn, and Burberry. “And I think one reason for its comeback—and we ve confirmed this in a study we did with consumers—is that it elicits very positive, comforting feelings.”
Science bears out Voekl’s assertion as well: In a study published last year in Current Biology, vanillin (the main component of vanilla extract) was ranked as the world’s most pleasant odor.
A second crop of vanilla blends launching this fall, however, is playing it far less safe than its softer, subtler predecessors. While they too use vanilla as a star, these scents would be better described as intoxicating than comforting. They also seem to draw more inspiration (consciously or not) from older, bolder, ambery vanilla fragrances, like Guerlain’s iconic Shalimar or Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, than they do from Y2K body sprays.
“I think it speaks to the versatility of vanilla that people are now exploring ways to use it,” says Horwitz. “And with all the new interest we ve seen in fragrance over the last couple of years, consumers are also opening themselves up more to the idea of a less traditional vanilla.”
These new more intense takes on vanilla, adds Horwitz, may also be the result of an ongoing desire for more powerful, long-lasting scents. “During the height of the pandemic, we saw people taking a greater interest in strong fragrances, like Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 and Ariana Grande Cloud,” says Horwitz, who suggests this was probably due in part to the fact that Covid left many people with a (temporarily) diminished sense of smell. But the demand for stronger scents (much like the fragrances themselves) has staying power, says Horwitz.
The new class of bolder blends includes Parfums de Marly Althaïr and Tom Ford Myrrhe Mystère, which both mix vanilla with a generous dose of woody amber for results that are reminiscent of Baccarat Rouge 540 in that they’re strong and rich.
Deep Dark Vanilla, from the brand that broke through earlier this year with the aforementioned Pistachio Eau de Parfum, is also unapologetic in its intensity. Vanilla absolute and vanilla leaves are blended alongside pink pepper, orchid, cabreuva, vines, cypress root, dark patchouli, and hay—the scent is indeed deep and dark. “I wanted to create a perfume that was based on the material of vanilla absolute in all its rich smoky depth,” explains D.S. Durga founder David Moltz. “Often we sniff vanilla perfumes that are more dessert-like, but real vanilla beans have a dank, fermented quality that I find more interesting.”
Boy Smells co-founder Matthew Herman wanted to “avoids the clichés of sugary sweet vanilla,” in his new Vanilla Era, so he used also used vanilla absolute, which was sourced from Madagascar, and blended with sexy black amber, coffee absolute, smoldering frankincense incense, black peppercorn absolute, papyrus absolute, iso-e super, royal white tulip, and saffron.
“I’ve always had a ’90’s, early ’00’s nostalgia for vanilla, but it wasn’t something I felt was cool or modern,” says Herman. “So, while I love that era’s current influence on fashion, music, and culture, I wanted to redefine that nostalgia for vanilla by infusing it with newfound dimensions and a modern identity.”
Finally, Burberry Goddess takes vanilla to new extremes with three different vanilla notes: a bright, woody vanilla infusion; a sweet almost-animalistic vanilla caviar (known as Firgood, a new extract that is exclusive to Burberry); and a dark, rich vanilla absolute. To complement the vanilla trio in Goddess, perfumer Amandine Clerc Marie also used bright lavender diva essence from Provence and cocoa and ginger roots.
“In Goddess, vanilla is the main actor,” says Clerc Marie. “I chose vanilla because it is the most sensual ingredient. It s multifaceted; it s soft, strong, comfortable, enigmatic. It really represents the scent of a woman because she too is so multi-faceted.”
Vanilla is not just for women, of course. Clerc Marie calls it a “universal addiction” in all of its iterations, from soft gourmand to bold amber. “It is one of those rare notes that everyone has a positive response to,” she says. “And I’ve heard it is in breast milk, so maybe we are unconsciously conditioned to like it from birth.”
