When hunting for the perfect date night perfume you’ll often find fragrances loaded with vanilla notes. Why? Somewhere along the way, vanilla became synonymous with well… its opposite.
This beauty common knowledge was confirmed when we interviewed Angela White, one of the most famous porn stars in the world, earlier this year. As beauty lovers, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to find out what one of the sexiest women in the world, well, smells like (we’re beauty professionals, not creeps).
ELLE’s Edit Of The Best Vanilla Fragrances
- Best Universal: Tom Ford, Tobacco Vanille, $299
- Best Affordable: Ariana Grande, Cloud, $59
- Best Fruity: Killian, Apple Brandy, $370
- Best Floral: Mancera, Roses Vanille, $299
White was quick with her response. “My classic scent that people know me for is Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille,” she said. White explained that fragrance is integral to setting the mood for both her and her scene partner. “When it comes to perfume choice, there are performers I work with again and again, so I’ve honed in on what they like,” she explained. “I’ll always try and choose something I know they’ll love, and if I’ve never worked with them before, I’ll try to guess their vibe.”
But her fail-safe is Tom Ford’s infamously dirty interpretation of vanilla. “It does tend to get most guys going,” she said, adding, “It’s a classic for a reason.”
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is a sultry classic from the master of sleazy sex appeal. Rich notes of vanilla, cocoa, and tonka bean are roughed up with Tobacco blossom and wood notes and then sweetened with dry fruits. A very modern vanilla, it’s sweet without being sticky and sexy while still feeling cool.
“It does tend to get most guys going — it’s a classic for a reason.”
Angela White on Tom Ford, Tobacco Vanille
Whether you want something that whispers sophistication or screams sex appeal, these vanilla fragrances are guaranteed to have you covered.
This amber-oriental fragrance unfurls with a smoky, spiced embrace of tobacco leaf and ginger. At its heart, luxurious tonka bean, creamy cocoa, and dried fruit accord emerge, enveloping you in a gourmand-rich sweetness. The base lingers in an opulent haze of sweet wood sap and sensuous vanilla—comforting yet commanding.
Key Notes: Tobacco leaf, vanilla, cacao, tonka bean, dry fruits.
Sizes: 10ml, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml, 250ml.
Before she was queen of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna famously wore this sweet scent by Kilian Paris. The eau de parfum envelops you in a fluffy burst of sweet marshmallow and candy thanks to sweet notes like caramel, vanilla, musk, sugar and actual marshmallow. But, once it dries down you’re left with traces of honeysuckle, orange blossom and bulgarian rose on a base of civet, pink pepper and coriander. A layered, sweet scent you’ll want to sink your teeth into.
Key Notes: Neroli, orange blossom, marshmallow.
Sizes: 7.5ml, 50ml.
This fragrance is vanilla like you’ve never smelled it before—elegant, soft, and unexpectedly airy. Vanilla Powder reimagines a classic note through a lens of modern minimalism and luminous refinement. The deep sensuality of dark vanilla absolute is lifted by pale Palo Santo wood, giving structure and verticality. Coconut powder adds an addictive creamy sweetness, while white musks and heliotrope weave a delicate, powdery mist over the composition.
Key Notes: Palo Santo oil, vanilla absolute, white musk.
Sizes: 6ml, 50ml, 100ml.
Gloriously luxe this vanilla bourbon fragrance melts into the skin where smooth vanilla intertwines with a bitter twist of grapefruit and a creamy whisper of cardamom. As the fragrance settles, vanilla bourbon envelops everything in a creamy, enveloping warmth—rich yet refined. This comforting sweetness doesn’t overpower; instead, it deepens the composition with luxurious softness.
Key Notes: Cardamom, vetiver bourbon, vanilla bourbon.
Sizes: 50ml, 100ml.
If you love the bitter citrus smell of orange chocolate deserts you’ll adore this grown up gourmand from Christian Dior. With rum, orange, patchouli and cocoa its a elevated vanilla that still smells totally edible.
Key Notes: Orange, rum, cacao, bourbon vanilla, sandalwood.
Sizes: 50ml, 100ml, 200ml.
Byredo perfumer Ben Gorman wanted to create a scent that was the ultimate expression of vanilla, in its most complex form. The result is a deep, resinous vanilla that will get your engine roaring. The parfum opens with soft notes of freesia and plum before unveiling its heart of vanilla bourbon, cistus oil, cashmere wood and musk. An extrait, it has unparalleled longevity and intensity thanks to its higher concentration of perume oils, which provides a sweetener for the price point.
Key Notes: Freesia, plum, amber, cashmere woods.
Sizes: 50ml.
This scent from Ariana Grande is often favourably compared to Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarate Rouge 540. It’s missing several of the floral notes, including jasmine, that make Baccarat unique. But, it switches them for hits from the confectionery aisle like praline, coconut and pear that make it a sweet playful scent that stands on its own. A light, fresh and slightly fizzy pick me up, like Glinda in Wicked Cloud is the ultimate crowd pleaser.
Key Notes: Lavender, pear, whipped cream, coconut, vanilla orchid.
Sizes: 100ml.
Like being in the back of a taxi after a long night that’s about to get longer, Absolute Aphrodisiac is an animalic vanilla that holds you close. Inspired by obsessive lust the scent profile combines deep, warm and enveloping notes of amber and vanilla with dry leather, musk and the barest trace of white florals. Its rich, slightly dirty and very intimate.
Key Notes: White flowers, amber, vanilla, musk.
Sizes: 90ml.
Kayali Vanilla | 28 is huge on TikTok and often sold out. Its a classic vanilla that is light, wearable and sweet while still having enough distinctive notes, like brown sugar, tonka bean and amber, to stop short of feeling basic. Instead its creamy, comforting and just a little bit spicy. Perfect for winter.
Key Notes: Jasmine, Madagascan vanilla orchid, musk, amber, patchouli.
Sizes: 10ml, 50ml, 100ml.
If you’re looking for warmth without sweetness, Replica is where its at. Vanilla bean is paired with smoky tobacco and smooth rum and zesty lemon and pink pepper for a perfume that smells like curling up by the fire with an Old Fashioned.
Key Notes: Pink pepper, neroli oil, tobacco leaf absolute, vanilla bean.
Sizes: 10ml, 30ml, 100ml, 100ml Refill.
BDK’s interpretation of vanilla is a little like a top shelf cognac, sweet, complex, and heady. It opens with sparkling notes of violet, pink pepper and orange blossom layered over creamy Egyptian Tuberose, buttery leather and, of course, vanilla. Benzoin and oak give this parfum its spicy, unisex appeal making it perfect for a his and hers moment.
Key Notes: Violet, pepper, jasmine, orange blossom, vanilla.
Sizes: 100ml.
A very French buttermilk vanilla, Un Bois Vanille is popular with traditionalists. Dry and airy the vial contains notes of coconut milk, bitter almond and gentle sandalwood. A gently cocooning scent perfect for winter.
Key Notes: Mexican black vanilla, sandalwood, liquorice.
Sizes: 50ml.
And now for something completely different. A very modern, very viral creation Sol de Janeiro, Cheirosa 62 is for those who want gourmands they can gorge themselves on. With pistachio and almond, salted caramel, creamy heliotrope, salt, caramel and vanilla Cheirosa is as delightfully moreish as ice cream. Expect compliments.
Key Notes: Salted caramel, pistachio, jasmine petals, vanilla.
Sizes: 8ml, 50ml.
If you’re looking for a virtuous vanilla you’re in luck. This scent is crafted using a blend of natural, organic and fair trade essential oils and sales from the brand go to supporting nations and families undergoing reconstruction following outbreaks of conflict. The scent itself is delicious marrying tart pear with delicious vanilla and caramel and uplifting amber. Somehow sweet, warm and fresh its a perfectly balanced fragrance.
Key Notes: Madagascan vanilla, caramel, amber, pear.
Sizes: 10ml, 50ml.
A fragrance with Main Character energy, Roses Vanille is rich, sweet and very sexy. Its jammy rose accord is cloaked by milky vanilla and musk. Think of decadent Turkish Delight and you’ll come close to the magic of this moreish scent.
Key Notes: Lemon of Calabria, Turkish delight with rose, cedarwood, intense vanilla, white musk.
Sizes: 120ml.
Burberry Goddess went viral on TikTok when it launched lauded for being, for want of a better word, a “rich girl” scent. The gourmand features a trio of vanilla notes: dry woody vanilla, sweet vanilla caviar and a base of smooth vanilla absolute. It may feature three layers of vanilla but Goddess is never cloying.
Lavender dances throughout as well as traces of ginger which give the scent a feeling of being in a patisserie early in the morning when the breeze is still wafting the fresh scent of flowers off the sidewalk in a picturesque neighbourhood. It won’t move you postcodes, but it is transportative.
Key Notes: Vanilla infusion and lavender, vanilla caviar, vanilla absolute.
Sizes: 10ml, 30ml, 50ml, 100ml.
Korres is a Greek beauty brand and many of their products capture the magic of summer in Europe. Their range of fragrances is no different. This fruity vanilla that balances the freshness of freesia with the warmth of high summer.
Litchi, tea and bergamot open the show and set the stage for sweet peach, soft freesia and jasmine. The fragrance settles down to a blend of vanilla, patchouli and musk that are as warm as the sun on your skin on vacation.
Key Notes: Bergamot, tea, lychee, jasmine, peach, freesia, vanilla, patchouli, musk.
Sizes: 50ml.
Inspired by New York, this particular tipple combines crisp fruit notes of pineapple and apple with rum, brandy cool moss and sweet vanilla. You’ll want to pull up a chair at the bar and drink deep from this one.
Key Notes: Apple brandy, rum, moss, cedarwood, ambroxan.
Sizes: 50ml.
Vanilla can lend even the most complex scents a seductive edge and there’s no better example of this than Chanel No.5.
Heady notes of rose, orris and jasmine burst forth before melting into the skin leaving a comforting blend of vanilla, musk, sandalwood and patchouli behind. With floral, citrus, woody and sweet notes Chanel No.5 is a perfect study in contrasts that has stood the test of time.
Key Notes: May rose, jasmine, aldehydes, vanilla.
Sizes: 35ml, 50ml, 100ml, 200ml.
Flowerbomb is, at first flush a floral (shock). Opening with an avalanche of orchid, freesia, jasmine and rose the fragrance settles down leaving behind the sweet warmth of vanilla and spice of patchouli. A scent many of us took from high school straight into adulthood Flowerbomb is a true classic.
Key Notes: Tea, bergamot, jasmine, freesia, patchouli, vanilla, amber.
Sizes: 30ml, 50ml, 100ml.
While we can all agree that Tom Ford is universally sexy, is there any truth in the assertion vanilla is a natural aphrodisiac? According to experts, yes.
Dr Rachel Herz is a neuroscientist who specialises in how our sense of smell interacts with our brain. She explains that vanilla triggers some of our earliest primal memories of satiation. Our sense of smell is the first to develop and become active in the womb. Vanilla triggers our earliest primal memories of satiation. Just not of sex, of food. Vanilla is a compound found in breast milk so smelling it triggers memories of being nurtured. And then, of course, recollections of everything from our first chocolate to our first (thrilling and formative) first visit to the Messina.
“When we smell vanilla, it activates our taste cortex, so while we’re smelling something sweet, it actually gives us the sensation of tasting something sweet,” Hertz explains. So yes, someone can smell mouthwateringly good. It’s also immediately relaxing because of our instinctive human “feast or famine” mentality. The scent of vanilla tells us that sustenance is near, and we can relax, so while there isn’t hard science between vanilla itself causing arousal, positive memories and relaxation certainly set the mood.
Michael Marzano, national education manager for Agence de Parfum, says this connection goes back to ancient history. “There has been a long connection between the sweet scent of Vanilla and arousal,” he says. It originated in Meso American cultures, where it was offered to newly unified couples and as an initiation beverage to youth who had reached sexual maturity.”
