As someone who reaches for floral, citrus, or fresh, green fragrances—basically, anything that’s the opposite of warm scents like vanilla—Allure’s senior beauty editor Paige Stables didn’t expect Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Milk to pique her senses. But at first spritz, she says, the namesake blend of vanilla and milk (plus musk and peony rose) dried down like a second skin, only fancier. It was not overpowering, but still much more sensual and sophisticated than sugary. Stables is one to change her fragrance regularly, but she spritzed it on day after day, over any of the countless other fragrances atop her vanity. If you are looking to ease into vanilla fragrances—or not abandon your signature scent altogether—Bvlgari has made it easy for you with their Allegra Magnifying Vanilla, a vanilla bean scent for sweetening up your usual perfume by layering the two.
“I can’t exactly put my finger on why Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Milk is what changed my mind about vanilla fragrances,” adds Allure content director Kara McGrath of her own similar experience. “Perhaps the floral notes made it feel more sophisticated, or maybe it just launched at a time when vanilla felt trendy—but not too trendy—so I happily hopped on board. But it was definitely my gateway. Before Vanilla Milk, McGrath says, “I would have described myself as only liking herbaceous, musky, spicy scents; after Vanilla Milk, I was calling in every gourmand fragrance that hit my inbox.”
Month after month, brand after brand brought something vanilla to the fragrance counter. In 2023, there was Tom Ford Vanilla Sex, Nette Thé Vanille, and D.S. & Durga Deep Dark Vanilla, to name a few. This year, millions have a sweet tooth, with TikTok views of vanilla perfume hashtags up 382.9% since last year, according to Spate—in fact, vanilla perfume hashtags have received 20.4M views on average per week. (And that’s without smell-o-vision.)
The reality is, “everyone gravitates emotionally toward the same things,” says Johnston. Line up three of your favorite fragrances, and the odds are good that there’s some vanilla in at least one because it’s one of perfumery’s most universally comforting scents. “It’s in foods we’ve associated with treats since childhood, such as ice cream,” says Meabh McCurtin, a perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances. “It’s strongly linked to our memories and a signal for pleasure. It’s hard not to feel happy when you smell it.”