When I was little, I was known for having a sweet tooth. There was nothing I loved more than saving up my allowance and riding my bike to the mini-mart with my friends to pick out our favorite sweet treats. These days I’m less likely to crave a sugary lollipop or powdery sugar treat such as Fun Dip and more apt to wear my sugar, so to speak, in the form of a fun gourmand fragrance.
Gourmands are a subcategory in the oriental fragrance family and just as it sounds, a gourmand fragrance is one that has the essence of something you’d typically want to eat. Most often it is a sweet scent but with the ‘anything goes’ attitude of the present day, gourmands can mimic literally anything edible. There was even an April Fool’s hamburger perfume at one point! I wouldn’t want to smell like burgers, personally, but I’ll give them points for having a sense of humor about the whole thing!
Gourmand perfumes often mimic chocolate, coffee, honey, caramel, cake, or candy. Today I want to spotlight the candy category. Here are a handful of candy-focused gourmands I’m currently loving:
Selectiva/Aquolina Pink Sugar
- Top Notes: bergamot, Sicilian orange, raspberry, fig leaves
- Middle Notes: mughetto (lily of the valley), licorice flowers, powdered sugar, red fruits
- Base Notes: vanilla, caramel, tonka, musk, sandalwood
- Other Notes Perceived: cotton candy, strawberry
I’m going to start off with the classic sweet scent, Pink Sugar. This scent was launched in 2003 by Italian company Selectiva. It is safe to say this baby falls squarely into the love it or hate it category for most and I’m firmly in the ‘love it’ camp! I’m not ashamed to declare my love for this cotton-candyish mix of sugary goodness, haters be darned! To me this nostalgic scent will always smell like the best parts of childhood.
To me, it smells like a cotton candy and licorice lovechild and I am SO here for it! I know this perfume is not going to be for everyone and some will insist it is strictly a young person’s scent but I am not one to follow any such rules. If I love a fragrance, I’m going in full steam ahead! Bonus: this already inexpensive scent is often on sale at Nordstrom Rack and other retailers.
Find it here:
Pink Sugar – entire line (at Pink Sugar’s Amazon store)
Pink Sugar – entire line (at Nordstrom Rack)
Prada Candy
- Top Note: white musks
- Middle Note: benzoin resin
- Base Note: caramel accord
- Other Notes Perceived: powdery notes, vanilla
A decidedly more grown-up sweet fragrance is Prada’s famous Candy. Launched in 2011, it was an instant hit and is still popular and beloved by many. It has spawned several also-successful flankers (an off-shoot perfume created to share notes or the feeling of an existing fragrance but with a twist): Candy Sugar Pop, Candy Gloss, Candy Night, Candy Kiss, and Candy Florale.
Candy’s stand out note is its yummy caramel and combined with delicate iris, it creates a more mature gourmand. The other main notes are white musk and a wonderful Laotian benzoin that adds a kiss of honey to the whole concoction. To my nose, this is a lighter scent that would be appropriate for office wear. It sits closer to the skin so the sillage is not out of control or offensive (for more info on what sillage is and other perfume 101, check out my beginner’s guide to perfume here).
This is another scent that can sometimes be found for a special price at Nordstrom Rack. It’s definitely worth looking there first if you are thinking of purchasing this yummy scent. Sometimes it can be found for a great deal in travel-size.
Find it here:
Candy 20ml, 50ml, 80ml (at Amazon)
Candy 10ml travel, 50ml, 80ml (at Nordstrom)
Valentino Voce Viva
- Top Notes: Calabrian bergamot, Italian mandarin, ginger
- Middle Notes: orange blossom absolute, golden gardenia, Indian jasmine grandiflorum
- Base Notes: crystal moss accord, sandalwood, vanilla absolute
- Other Notes Perceived: tonka bean, musk
The best way I can think of to describe Valentino’s bewitching Voce Viva is ‘sophisticated Froot Loops,’ haha! Ok hear me out: the initial scent as I spray it on is of very sweet, sugared lemons (yum) and then as it dries down, the other notes of orange blossom and bergamot come into play and the combo is very sweet and fruity and quite reminiscent of a bowl of Froot Loops. Notes of crystal moss accord and ginger add a sophistication to the whole that creates a posh and addictive aroma.
Voce Viva translates as ‘the living voice’ and Valentino chose the perfect living voice to promote this fabulous fragrance: the ultra-talented Lady Gaga. A fairly new scent, the maison released Voce Viva just last year (September 2020). The extremely cool bottle is a work of art in itself. It was designed to reflect sunlight in the shape of an ‘V’ and features the iconic Valentino studs.
Find it here:
Voce Viva 50ml, 100ml (at Macy’s)
Voce Viva 30ml, 50ml, 100ml (at Ulta)
Voce Viva 9ml travel-spray (at Ulta)
Voce Viva 30ml, 50ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)
by Kilian Love, don’t be shy
- Top Note: neroli
- Middle Notes: honeysuckle, orange blossom, rose
- Base Notes: marshmallow, amber
- Other Notes Perceived: bergamot, pink pepper, coriander, jasmine, iris, sugar, vanilla, caramel, musk, civet, labdanum
If Voce Viva is sophisticated Froot Loops, then Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy is sophisticated pink bubblegum! This super yummy and highly addictive scent has become an absolute favorite of mine for everyday wear. When wearing it, I simply cannot stop smelling my own wrist! It’s just such a happy scent.
The official notes are neroli, orange blossom, marshmallow, honeysuckle, rose, and amber. At first spray, my nose gets a whiff of sweet vanilla with a touch of ‘mintiness,’ very similar to pink bubblegum. It’s very fresh and clean while still being sweet. The marshmallow accord truly makes this potion a gourmand-lover’s dream.
Love, Don’t Be Shy was released back in 2007 and has gained some fame for being said to be Rihanna’s favorite perfume.
Find it here:
Love, don’t by shy 50ml (at Bergdorf Goodman)
Love, don’t be shy 50ml (at Bloomingdale’s)
Love, don’t be shy 50ml (at Nordstrom)
Byredo Sundazed
- Top Notes: lemon, mandarin
- Middle Notes: neroli, jasmine sambac
- Base Note: musks
- Other Note Perceived: cotton candy
Possibly the ultimate summer scent, Sundazed by Byredo is a delicious kaleidoscope of cotton candy-spun fun. This is a very sweet scent for Byredo, who, as a perfume house, creates unisex scents that often lean towards the masculine a bit, in my opinion. That being said, this is no ‘girly’ Pink Sugar, either! It’s quite interesting with a slight woodsy/mossy vibe probably owed to the musk base note.
The top notes are the usual gourmand suspects: lemon and mandarin. Heart notes are neroli and jasmine sambac (aka Arabian jasmine) and the base is a combo of cotton candy and musk. This addicting treat is next on my to-buy list!
Sundazed is a somewhat newer scent for the Swedish perfume house, having been launched in 2019.
Find it here:
Sundazed 50ml, 100ml (at ZGO Perfumery)
Sundazed 50ml, 100ml (at Bloomingdale’s)
Do you love a good gourmand fragrance? If you have a favorite sweet scent, I’d love to hear about it in the comments! 🍭
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