19 Best Vanilla Scented Perfume Examples of 2025, According to Shopping Editors

It actually reminds me of a headier version of Bath & Body Works Warm Sugar Vanilla. If you weren't aware, a lot of folks go for that sort of thing, according to Bettina O'Neill, Senior Vice President of Business Development, Mechandising, & Wholesale of Scentbird, the perfume subscription company. "Vanilla is highly recognizable in a scent, as it's sweet, warm and rich and is usually used as a base note in a vanilla scented perfume," O'Neill said. It has a sexiness to it that smells like you might have just been in an Uber with a boyfriend whose scent subtly rubbed off on you

When Allure tests a product, our editors look at it from every angle in an effort to best serve you. We review vanilla scented perfume ingredients, scrutinize brand claims, and, when necessary, examine peer-reviewed scientific and medical studies. All products featured on Allure are independently selected by our editors. "Top notes, also known as head notes, are the first impression of a scent when you first apply it to your skin, this generally lasts anywhere from five to 15 minutes. Middle notes, also known as the heart of the fragrance, makes up most of the scent's ingredients, can last anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

I've tried some of the most popular vanilla scented perfume gourmand fragrances out there, and have built up quite the collection of vanilla-based scents over the years. I feel like there's a common misconception that vanilla fragrances are overly sweet and not very sophisticated, but as a beauty editor, I'm here to tell you that that's simply not the case. In fact, some of my most sophisticated and expensive-smelling perfumes are centered around vanilla, as this note can add an incredibly warm, seductive edge to a wide range of scents.

I've found the offering less unique, as well, and you know how I feel about wearing a scent every other person owns. It's the opposite of young, so if you go for scents like Pacifica's Island Vanilla or Aquolina's Pink Sugar, this may have too much bite for your olfactory senses. Now, having said this, if you like luxe perfumes with that unique, designer feel, give it a try. It also layers very well with BohoBoco Vanilla Black Pepper, if you want things a touch sweeter. Of all the beauty products in the world, fragrance is my favorite — especially those containing a strong note of vanilla. Inarguably Phlur's most talked-about perfume, Missing Person went viral for its nostalgic, your-skin-but-better scent that you can't quite put your finger on, but feels undeniably familiar.

It's the creamiest scent in my collection and an absolute team player. Combined with other scents, Amazing Grace subtly plays in the background, but its bergamot and lily of the valley notes sparkle through without being too overpowering. I have just about every Good Girl perfume in the Caroline Herrera range, but its newest iteration made me question the stars in my starting lineup. However, Herrera offers a grown-up version that marries vanilla's sweetness with the creamy ylang-ylang and mandarin for a warm, inviting floral.

Sabrina Carpenter Caramel Dream EDP 30ml

Synthetic vanilla does a good job of capturing the sweetness of vanilla, but it definitely doesn't have the same sophistication as a natural vanilla,' reveals Michelle Feeney, founder of Floral Street. Each product in Lili Bermuda’s collection is a nod to the beautiful island it’s named after. My favorite is easily the Island Rose perfume, which smells like walking under swaying trees bearing delectable fruits like raspberry and orange.

If you've found previous vanilla scents too cloying and heavy, this one will hit your sweet spot. It's unexpectedly light and fresh, thanks to citrus notes of orange blossom and bergamot. Whilst there are plenty of vanilla fragrances out there, you'll really be able to smell the difference if natural vanilla has been used rather than synthetic. 'Natural vanilla has a much more complex, layered scent profile so you're likely to pick up deeper, richer tones with hints of floral undertones.

Its creamy vanilla bean base note perfectly contrasts with intoxicating orangeflower, jasmine, and spicy cardamom, resulting in a floral, woody, and sweet fragrance. As a vanilla loyalist with over 80 different bottles that contain the note in my collection (yes, I've counted), I'll be the first to tell you hardly any two vanilla scents are the same. So, I made it my mission to find the best vanilla perfumes on the market. Ahead, you'll find reviews of a few of my all-time favorite scents, plus a few selects from experts and fellow Marie Claire editors.

Donna, the OG feminine eau de parfum, is lauded for its warm floral notes of sambac jasmine, cashmeran, and vanilla. Meanwhile, Uomo, the classic masculine version, can be described as woody and fresh, with a touch of florals—unexpected, yet addicting, boasting key notes of violet leaf, sage, and vetiver. For many years my signature scent was Dior Addict, which has bourbon vanilla absolute. I loved it because it wasn’t sugary but warm, spicy and with a touch of sweetness.

Well-hydrated skin holds scent longer, allowing even modest perfumes to develop their full character. Consider adding peptide-rich products that improve skin texture while creating the perfect canvas for fragrance. French perfumery techniques have long dominated the luxury market, but many affordable brands now employ similar methods. French-inspired fragrances often deliver that je ne sais quoi that reads as expensive. Look for terms like “eau de parfum” rather than “eau de toilette” for better concentration and longevity. Then I’ll recommend Anthropologie’s top rated Outremer Eau De Toilette’s Vanille.

“My advice is to be open to discovering a world of gourmands from some of the greatest vanilla scented perfume perfumers in the world, you may be surprised at how nuanced modern gourmand fragrances have become,” encourages Glyde. And if you’re overwhelmed by options, it can also be helpful to think back to meaningful scent memories. It’s highly likely a perfumer has taken the aroma of that comfort food and utilised it in a scent composition that may feel both familiar and surprising! “Most gourmand notes are sweet, but they can also be watery, bitter, powdery or sour, just like food,” explains Glyde, who offers Ellis Brooklyn Salt Eau de Parfum as a savoury staple.

Best TikTok-Viral: Kayali Vanilla 28 Eau de Parfum

There is something slightly sweet, slightly creamy, and oh so delicious in the air. Because if there's one thing we are dousing ourselves in at the moment, it's vanilla perfumes. I’d always stayed well clear of them because traditional gourmand perfumes would smell too sugary and make my teeth ache with just one sniff. Although I like a vanilla-frosted cupcake as much as the next person, I don’t fancy smelling like one.

I’ve also been enjoying Soft Spot by Phlur (from £29 for 10ml edp, Space NK), a very trendy perfume brand that is – whisper it – popular on TikTok. While I love the brand’s fresh, creamy bestseller Missing Person, Soft Spot has a rounded vanilla note that makes it almost impossible to stop at one spritz. Given its new-found legacy, any launch from Phlur is always met with an air of excitement and Vanilla Skin certainly lives up to the buzz.

If you don't know of the niche fragrance house Vilhelm Parfumerie, allow Poets of Berlin, one of its most popular creations, to give you a lasting first impression. While most vanilla perfumes fall in the warm fragrance category, this one smells much more green and fresh, giving it a totally different vibe than what you're used to with vanilla fragrance. Poets of Berlin pairs vanilla with blueberry and a kick of earthiness from orris and vetiver for an elegant and distinct scent. This would make for an excellent spring perfume, and the bottle would look so gorgeous on your vanity. I like to think of this as a grown-up, more nuanced version of the sugary sweet body mists of my childhood.

Other Vanilla Perfumes I Love

There’s Vanille Fatale, which is leathery with a hint of sweet, and Tobacco Vanille, originally on this list. However, after testing Vanilla Sex at a Sephora in Midtown for the best perfumes rreview, I knew it was the ultimate vanilla fragrance for fans of the designer. Packed with notes of pink sugar, this vanilla scent is on the sweeter side but still feels elegant and grown up thanks to notes of tonka bean, cedarwood and amber.

Best Spicy Vanilla: Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum

98% of the vanilla used in fragrance and flavourings is synthetic due to the costly process of harvesting and extracting natural vanilla. However, Jo Malone London scents are an exception, containing the highly prized natural ingredient. 'The 200 plus compounds present in the raw material are what give vanilla its broad odour profile, allowing it’s luxuriant, full-bodied character to develop,' explains Emma South, the brand'sFragrance & Lifestyle Expert. Keep reading to find the best vanilla scents that are anything but beige.

Vanilla fragrances tend to feel warm and cozy, but that doesn't mean that they can't work for summer. This perfume oil from Nest evokes images of palm trees, salty air, and sunshine thanks to its key note of coconut. Additionally, there's a hint of floral with vanilla orchid and spice with Kashmir wood. Blended with baobab oil, this works to soften and scent the skin simultaneously.

Because our body chemistry and personal taste change with time, I’ve been hunting for a new vanilla scented perfume; preferably one infused with the classic note. Whether you’ve been considering purchasing your first Phlur perfume or want to add a seasonal Phlur scent to your rotation, these are the best eight Phlur fragrances I’ve tried. Not in baking, although we are approaching the return of The Great British Bake Off, but in perfumes, where ‘edible’ notes are all the rage. I'm a big fan of this new iteration, in which the scent is amplified with a fourth vanilla wood note. A scent sketched in ink and softened with vanilla, YSL's Muse fragrance is the maison’s most seductive tribute yet.

The power of strategic layering

The vanilla can be detected right away, and it stays into the dry down. What I like best, however, is that the nutmeg starts shining through after a few minutes, and the orange blossom sort of brightens the entire fragrance up. According to Phlur, Perfumer Greg Husar created Solar Power to be inspired by the “diffusive glow of sunlight” by combining golden floral musk and citrus notes like orange flower and bergamot.

Missing Person is one of my favorite day-to-day perfumes for its understated scent that never overwhelms me. To me, a couple spritzes smells less like a perfume, and more like maybe I just naturally smell this good. If I ever pick up a coat or sweater I’ve worn with lingering Missing Person on it, it makes me want to wrap myself in immediately.

It's a sugary, warm perfume that opens with its signature vanilla cream notes. When it settles, it has subtle hints of brown sugar and caramel, which are then balanced with the sweet and musky smell of jasmine petals. You can’t beat the delicious, warm scent of vanilla for the cold winter months. I’m personally obsessed with delectable fragrance and can’t get enough of it. I already have a number of vanilla perfumes, and I’ll likely add some more to my growing collection before the season’s over. If you have a thing for sweet fragrances, too, I found a bunch of vanilla-scented products that you simply must have.

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It features an exquisite composition of jasmine, patchouli, and rose with a velvety smooth dry down. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Cheirosa '62 reminds me of a warm summer night on a beach vacation—and the beauty community agrees, considering it's a cult favourite. Trading the beach for pilates, Eres steps into activewear for the first time—and we couldn't wait to give it a try. Kith reopens its original Manhattan flagship with a luxury redesign, a Summer 2025 collection, and a new Kith Treats window serving a limited-edition Cronut. Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

Yes, it has a gourmand base that sweetens any layering combo, but it also plays tug of war with its spicier notes. For those who prefer their vanilla wrapped in the warm embrace of tobacco, this Tom Ford creation remains unparalleled. Created by Olivier Gillotin, this fragrance is a masterclass in balance. The opening burst of spicy tobacco leaf and aromatic spices gives way to a heart of creamy tonka bean and vanilla, creating an effect that's both cozy and sophisticated. This undeniably sexy fragrance promises to deliver “the ceaseless sugar high of youth”—and it absolutely does. Decadent notes of chocolate and cardamom layered with waffle cone packaged in a graphic bottle, it’s the kind of scent you want to gatekeep, but you ended up gifting to your nearest and dearest.

If you’re dead set on grabbing a Kayali vanilla perfume but want something slightly less popular, go for the Utopia Vanilla Coco, which is a little softer and has boozy and delicious vanilla bourbon. Soft Spot is another your-skin-but-better scent that’s memorable, but not overbearing. Perfumer Honorine Blanc describes Soft Spot as “an unexpected duality of softness and strength,” according to Phlur, which perfectly encapsulates its unique scent. Soft Spot combines skin-like, musky notes with soft citrus and watery florals for a fragrance that’s inviting and intimate. One of my all-time favorite scents, Phlur’s Vanilla Skin is warm and sweet and totally addicting. According to Phlur, Perfumer Clement Gavarry, who created Vanilla Skin, wanted the fragrance to “play with contrasts” against vanilla.

It smells dark and rich like it belongs to someone who drives a Mercedes-AMG CLE Coup. I’d categorize it as part of the gourmand family, so if you like Sol de Janeiro’s Sol Cheirosa, this may be for you. Its first impression is sweet and salty — sort of like a sexy, salty cake.

Cosmo US beauty editor Beth Gillette is in love with the best-selling Vanilla 28 from Kayali. With all that is on offer, we know it can be hard to fight the right kind of juice to satisfy your vanilla fragrance craving. So we've done the hard work for you and whittled it down to the very best. Very sweet but not cloying, Frangipane al Pistacchio honestly smells like a pistachio confection in an Italian bakery. With a hint of mature sandalwood, it’s warm, nutty, and addictive, just like dessert.

Brooke Knappenberger tests and names Jo Malone London Vetiver & Golden Vanilla as the best vanilla cologne. It’s bold, hedonistic and positively polluted with the signature ingredient. I applied one healthy spritz to my wrists around lunch and it was still clinging to me when I went to bed 12 hours later. Honestly, it was a little too much for me — I know, I can’t believe it either.

The viral perfume, Cloud, from Ariana Grande—which some have deemed the less expensive version of Baccarat Rouge 540—balances its v sweet and sugary notes with bursts of fresh fruit and musk. Now, keep reading for all the sweet perfumes that come in a range of scent profiles and notes for whichever mood you're in. From my personal favorite Kilian Love Don't Be Shy to Prada's iconic Candy to new perfume brands you probably haven't heard of yet, the 16 best sweet (~adult~) perfumes to try now.

Several customers on ScentBird said it was a good date night perfume, as well, and that it was also sexy. A contemporary twist on vanilla, this opens with bright notes of bergamot and delicate Jasmine. A study that tracked the conscious and unconscious responses of 78 Caucasian volunteers aged 20 to 66, found that participants who smelt the ‘active’ fragrance of vanilla, self-reported increased positive feeling. They were also more likely to choose images of ‘well-being’ over those showing stress and neutral feeling. Coco Mademoiselle is a mature scent that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

However, the dry down is where the real magic is, overtime developing into something more musky and grownup-ish. It’s addictive, and something I imagine would bring all the boys (and girls) to the yard. However, it’s definitely not obscure, so if you want something few others own, I’d look elsewhere.