17 Best Vanilla Perfumes With a Sweet (but Elevated) Scent

Grown-up takes on gourmand, according to an editor who has tried hundreds.

Collage of vanilla perfumes by the 7 virtues, henry rose, kayali, and nest overlaid a yellow gradient background
(Image credit: Future)

Fragrance is incredibly personal; I don't expect my list of the best perfumes to be the same as yours. For instance, many of my favorite scents make me smell like a freshly baked cookie personified. I'm partial to the best gourmand perfumes, but thankfully, 2024’s roster of the best vanilla scents is more grown up than the overwhelmingly sugary body sprays from middle school.

The warm and comforting smell is commonly blended with other, more sophisticated notes—not just sweet ones. These scents have matured. "Vanilla is an incredibly versatile ingredient, and there are so many fragrance compositions that can be made with it to give it a unique personality," explains Faye Harris, Co-Founder and CMO of the eco-conscious luxury fragrance brand Eauso Vert.

This unique personality is part of the reason vanilla fragrances have gained popularity online over the last few years. Fragrance influencer Olivia VanDerMillen, a.k.a. @oliviaolfactory on Instagram, agrees. "It can be creamy, fresh, smoky, floral, even earthy like a mushroom at times," she tells Marie Claire. "I believe there’s a vanilla for everyone." Case in point: some of the options on this list are refreshingly lightweight scents that can be worn daily. Others are long-lasting perfumes perfect for the office, not just date night.

As a vanilla perfume fan, 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. Whether you're looking for a floral fragrance for summer or a warm perfume for winter, it's all here.

The Best Vanilla Perfumes

Hand with pale yellow nail polish holding up kayali vanilla 28 perfume in dark brown bottle with gold and clear jewel-shaped cap on grey and white marble background

Kayali's Vanilla 28 works for any occasion in any season.

(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)

Tom ford tobacco vanille perfume in dark brown bottle on yellow fuzzy background

Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanilla is nothing short of luxurious.

(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)

Bottle of Billie Eilish Eilish Perfume on white table in front of black tv screen

Eilish has earned a permanent spot on my dresser.

(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)

the 7 Virtues vanilla woods in rectangular bottle with large white and pink floral label on wooden background

The woodiness of this perfume gives it a calming effect.

(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)

Henry rose torn perfume with large black circular cap on white desk against a grey wall

Henry Rose perfumes are EWG verified and 100 percent ingredient transparent.

(Image credit: Brooke Knappenberger)

Hand with red nail polish holding up jo malone london vetiver and golden vanilla cologne intense dark brown rectangular perfume bottle against beige stone wall

One spray of Jo Malone's Vetiver & Golden Vanilla will have the compliments rolling in.

(Image credit: Clara Pafundi)

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What to Look For in Vanilla Perfume

  • Complementary Fragrance Notes

Long gone are the days when vanilla fragrances were confectionary overloads. Nowadays, Harris explains that vanilla is often paired with woodsy, citrus, or spicy notes to help balance the sweetness of vanilla while still letting it shine through. Consider a vanilla fragrance that combines other favored notes for a more sophisticated take on the gourmand scent. "Citrus can add a freshness while spicy and woody notes can particularly enhance the warming and comforting aspects of vanilla," adds Harris. "Soft florals and musks can enhance the creaminess and sensuality, creating an incredibly smooth, lactonic effect."

  • Ingredients

All perfumes mainly contain water, alcohol, and perfume oils. As I'm sure you could guess, the combination of perfume oils is what makes a fragrance unique, and the types of oils can play a huge role in the outcome of a perfume. When it comes to vanilla in fragrances, Harris explains that it can either have natural or synthetic origins depending on the fragrance's desired character. "Synthetics tend to be used to give a more sweet, addictive quality, while the natural extract brings a more animal, leathery, or spicy dimension," she says. The ingredient list can shed light on its overall sense when shopping for a vanilla perfume.

  • Concentration of Fragrance

Not all perfumes are made equal, and that's a good thing! On fragrance labels, you may run across different names, such as eau de toilette, eau de parfum, or perfume oil. The difference here is the percentage of perfume oil and its concentration, which can affect the longevity and character of the fragrance. Choosing between the three is a matter of personal preference and skin and nose sensitivity. Here, Harris breaks down the pros and cons of each type of fragrance.

Types of Fragrance

  • Eau de toilettes (EDTs) typically contain five to 15 percent perfume oil and are often much lighter than eau de parfums. Harris says that since EDTS tend to be less potent and clingy on the skin, they give you the flexibility to reapply when necessary without sticking to the same scent all day.
  • Eau de parfum (EDPs) have a much higher concentration of perfume oil than EDts, at around 15 to 20 percent. "They are perfect for those seeking to express their taste in scent more outwardly, as these formulas are more concentrated and will have more longevity than an EDT," says Harris.
  • Perfume oils are also made of a high concentration of oils and natural extracts, except they don't contain alcohol and typically come in rollerball form rather than a spray. Harris says these are a great option for those sensitive to alcohol but still want to enjoy a fragrance.

Meet the Experts

Faye Harris, Co-founder and CMO of Eauso Vert headshot
Faye Harris

After meeting during their 10+ years working in beauty marketing, Faye connected with Eauso Vert Co-Founder Tanya Gonzalez over their love of the simple pleasures and beautiful complexities of life: culture, connection, and the subtle art of doing more with less. Together, they created a brand new 5-fragrance collection rooted in the idea of celebrating sensuous experiences through the power of sustainable scent.

Olivia VanDerMillen fragrance content creator wearing pink dress spraying large pink perfume bottle standing in front of mirrored background
Olivia VanDerMillen

Olivia, who goes by Olivia Olfactory across social media, is a content creator specializing in fragrance reviews. She reviews everything from budget-friendly gems to luxurious niche perfumes and has a following of over 400k on Instagram and 240k on Tiktok.

Brooke Knappenberger
Associate Commerce Editor

Brooke Knappenberger is the Associate Commerce Editor at Marie Claire, where she specializes in crafting shopping stories—from sales content to buying guides that span every vertical on the site. She also oversees holiday coverage with an emphasis on gifting guides as well as Power Pick, our monthly column on the items that power the lives of MC’s editors. She also tackled shopping content as Marie Claire's Editorial Fellow prior to her role as Associate Commerce Editor.

She has over three years of experience writing on fashion, beauty, and entertainment and her work has appeared on Looper, NickiSwift, The Sun US, and Vox Magazine of Columbia, Missouri. Brooke obtained her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism with an emphasis on Magazine Editing and has a minor in Textile and Apparel Management.