Longing for sweetness

Vanilla, rum, almond, candied fruit: 5 niche perfumery trends

If the sense of smell is the most instinctive of the senses, the gourmand trend is one of the strongest to emerge from the latest edition of Pitti Fragranze. The five most interesting novelties.

22 September 2025

2' min read

As the Pitti Fragranze edition, with its 258 brands, has just closed, it is possible to take stock of the olfactory macro trends and novelties in niche perfumery, which, in reality, is less and less of a niche and is conquering a growing number of admirers, even among the young.

Among the phenomena to be recorded is the growing role of Korea, which, after having been crucial in the skincare segment, is now also playing a leading role in alcohol.

Five perfume novelties illustrate the new directions of creativity well.

The non-conformist Born To Stand Out and the Eau Intimité collection: five powerful and paradoxical eau de toilettes. Founder Jun Lim tells us: "Fragrances capable of evoking childhood memories, especially if gourmand, are the most engaging. Personally, I love notes of milk, sugar, sweet fruits, but in unexpected combinations'. Candy Dust, in its evolution, after the more sugary notes, has an interesting base of tonka bean, musk and Orcanox, a molecule synthesised by Mane that gives it an amber and delicately woody connotation.

Candy Dust di Born To Stand Out

The debut of Negative Review well represents Made in Italy creativity and is the brainchild of Cristian Cavagna. Presented in a Huile Absolue version (100% perfume) with a roll-on format, La Mora is interesting from the point of view of the choice of raw materials: it contains natural fruit isolates to render in a realistic and vivid way the scent of blackberries in full ripeness, and an almost imperceptible touch of Reggio Calabria liquorice tincture.

La Mora di Recensione Negativa

Speaking of raw materials, vanilla not only knows no crisis, but is the great protagonist of the gourmand trend with ever richer and more original interpretations. Novae Vanilla from the refined French maison Atelier Des Ors, among the 24-carat gold particles, employs Madagascar and Bourbon vanilla varieties together with the exclusive Blue Vanilla NaturePrint®. An intense combination, introduced by a mineral accord that gives the fragrance a decidedly contemporary connotation.

Novae Vanilla di Atelier Des Ors

It plays the gourmand card in an adult declination Linéam by Laurent Mazzone, an Extrait de Parfum that focuses on rum, candied fruit, popcorn and Bourbon vanilla. It is the evolution of sugary, childlike sweetness into sensual, rounded elegance.

Linéam di Laurent Mazzone

An interesting novelty comes from India with the brand Sasva, which means wonderful in Sanskrit. The perfume Saaqi (a term of Persian origin meaning 'the one who pours the wine, cupbearer') has red wine in its top notes, together with black pepper and almond. In the heart, tobacco smoke and cedarwood. The base melts into a gourmand, decadent richness: oud and caramel, velvety vanilla, benzoin and musk. It is a fragrance that caresses with harmonious contrasts: smoke and sweetness, strength and languor.