Top 5: Foodie Fragrances

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Perfumers have long been adding fruity, edible notes to their compositions as a means of enhancing the final effect of a fragrance. However, the idea of a 'Gourmand' or 'Edible' scent as a unique fragrance family is a relatively new concept, with most olfactory historians citing Angel by Thierry Mugler, released in 1992, as the birth of the genre. Utilising addictive, compelling notes such as vanilla, peach, or even chocolate and candy, perfumers began to explore the possibilities of creating scents grounded in people’s everyday olfactory experiences rather than abstract, un-relatable aromas. While mainstream perfume brands have been content to coast on the rising tide of popularity for Gourmand scents with the same tried and tested combinations of synthetic aroma chemicals for years, the world of niche perfumery with its lack of commercial restrictions has seen a surge of creativity in the field. Today, the Gourmand fragrance continues to be a genre ripe for experimentation and subversion, and we’ve pulled together our Top 5 examples of niche Gourmand scents to guide you through this unique and exciting style.


Maison des Rêves, or ‘house of dreams’, was created by Loredana Beschi with a unique goal in mind; to produce fragrances where the top, middle, and base notes of the pyramid were easily distinguishable. Drawing on architectural principles of construction, Gourmandise is the olfactory equivalent of a design classic. With its sweet and vibrant blending of fresh juicy blackberry in the top alongside refreshing coconut notes, Gourmandise develops to accentuate warmer, more sumptuous edible notes of vanilla and cinnamon in the base, making for a fragrance with real development that unfolds over time.


2. Talc Gourmand by Farmacia SS. Annunziata


Perfect for fragrance lovers with a sweet tooth, Talc Gourmand is rich with notes of caramel and honey, giving the fragrance a wonderfully golden aroma. A shrewd combination of background notes give body to the scent, with delicate heliotrope adding a stunning floral counterpoint in the heart notes. However, it’s the interplay between chocolate and vanilla at the heart of this scent that will truly captivate the senses, creating an unctuous and irresistible effect with all the sweetness and light of a delicate yet rich Italian dessert.

Taking its inspiration from the unmistakable aroma of a chocolate factory, Bond-T is a heady, full-bodied gourmand that makes use of bitter cocoa to produce a dark yet luxuriously sweet effect. Like all his fragrances, Bond-T is exquisitely handcrafted by the Swiss based Giovanni Sammarco to the utmost level of quality, and he brings his native Italian swagger to bear in each of his stunning compositions.  A dash of patchouli in the top notes and a soupçon of animalic castoreum make Bond-T far from a straightforward edible scent.

4. Aedes de Venustas by Aedes de Venustas
A fixture of Manhattan’s olfactory scene for the last twenty years, Aedes de Venustas have been setting fragrance fans’ hearts a-flutter since the launch of their own highly anticipated range of perfumes in 2012. Working with renowned nose Bertrand Duchaufour, their signature scent eschews the traditional fragrance pyramid for a more unique construction where all the notes begin to mingle and coalesce from the first spray. With notes of rhubarb, tomato, apple, and hazelnut, Aedes de Venustas is a daring signature scent that challenges expectations to reaffirm the creativity scope inherent in the gourmand genre.

Trained in Grasse, the home of French perfumery, Jimmy Boyd’s fragrances are fun, refreshing, and easily wearable. His bold presentation and serious olfactory know-how have seen him enjoy a rising reputation among the fragrance cognoscenti as of late, and after one sniff of this stunning gourmand scent it’s easy to see why. A celebration of the alluring sweetness of vanilla, Sweet Love contains a small number of notes yet is possessed of an undeniable character thanks to its delicate blending of spice and citrus. A refreshing opening of bergamot and lemon yields to a warming heart of clove before coming to rest on the signature vanilla in the base, while a vanilla pod in the bottle adds a splash of visual flair.

To browse our entire range of rare perfumes, head over to our website, here. 

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