The ‘neo-gourmand’ trend: the latest in perfumery
The language of fragrance is changing. Alongside classic bouquets, ‘neo-gourmand’ fragrances are emerging – a new generation of scents that reinterpret sweetness in a more sophisticated, evolved and modern way. No longer opulent, sugary desserts, but creamy, milky, toasty or fruity accords that intertwine with floral notes, making the compositions more enveloping, tactile and addictive. It is the dawn of a new sensuality – softer and more nuanced – where floral notes and gourmand accords learn to coexist.
Complex trails
This is not simply a matter of ‘sweet’ fragrances, but of a deeper transformation: the entry of the language of taste – sugar, vanilla, caramel, edible notes – into a realm traditionally separate from that of smell. ‘Perfume never belongs solely to the sense of smell: it is a form of sensory narrative that traverses memory, taste and imagination, transforming an invisible substance into a cultural experience,’ explains Samuele Briatore, a researcher in the Sociology of Cultural and Communicative Processes at Sapienza University of Rome and author of *Profumo. Sociology of Smell (published by Marsilio). “In contemporary gourmand perfumery, sweetness is no longer merely sugary seduction, but becomes a complex language of desire: an intimate, bodily and narrative code through which the individual recognises and constructs their own identity. From this perspective, the ‘gourmand’ is not merely an olfactory family, but a cultural device: it translates scent into an almost edible experience, bridging the gap between the body and consumption, between seduction and appetite.”
The Versatility of Vanilla
One of the most iconic ingredients in perfumery, vanilla continues to hold a special allure thanks to its extraordinary olfactory versatility. It can come across as soft and gourmand, intense and amber-like, or drier, spicier and woodier, lending fragrances a warm, enveloping and highly sensual trail. We find it in Kayali’s Eden Sweet Peach |35, where it is creamy and playful. In Legato by Miller Harris, it is an intense and sensual gourmand vanilla, inspired by the magnetic atmosphere of London nights. It takes on a powdery and elegant quality in Oro e Miele by Giardini di Toscana, whilst in Lucrethia V Canto by Tiziana Terenzi it becomes dark and sensual. In Mathilde by Maison Rancé 1795, we find the most classic and refined vanilla.
