The rise of gourmand fragrances is linked to the revival of diet culture? Our relationship with food is changing, and with it our beauty habits

"Have you ever noticed that perfumes get sweeter every time society becomes more obsessed with thinness?" the creator Amy Nose Scent opens the video with, then adds: "We are immersed in another wave of diet culture. Clean eating is everywhere. The term body checking has entered common language. It’s no surprise that we are in the era of gourmand perfumes." According to her, it happens every time. When appetite decreases, perfumes take inspiration from food. Unsurprisingly, there have been two major eras of gourmand perfumery: one starting in 2000, the other beginning around 2020.

The first wave of super-sweet perfumes: the early 2000s diet culture

We millennials know it well, we remember it, it’s etched into the cells of our brain (and stomach). In the early 2000s, diet culture was everywhere. Extremely restrictive diets with no scientific basis went hand in hand with ruthless fat shaming, heavily endorsed (or even promoted) by magazines, tabloids, and public discourse. Gaining weight, first for public figures and later for us, was seen as a symbol of moral failure. Appetite? To be experienced with guilt. Indulgences? To be punished. In those years, cotton candy and milk, orange and vanilla, chocolate, and birthday cake scents started appearing on store shelves.

The rise of gourmand perfumes in 2020: between Ozempic and the return of pro-ana rhetoric

Here we go again. In fact, connecting the dots makes sense. Only now, along with the resurgence of a certain attitude toward food and the pro-anorexia blog rhetoric, another wild variable appears. We’re talking, of course, about weight-loss drugs. Or more precisely, drugs for managing diabetes symptoms. Their (improper, some would say) use has now entered our vocabulary and lifestyle, a whole new way to suppress appetite and, consequently, stay thin. And here come the sweet, pastry-like perfumes again. Even for Gen Z, apparently reluctant to submit to wellness rules but still seeking a dopamine hit.

Perfumes instead of food?

In short, the creator asks a single, valid question: "Are we suppressing pleasure so much that we use perfumes to satisfy appetite, fooling ourselves into thinking they can replace food?" The idea is that perfumes give a sense of indulgence without breaking any rules, simply because they have no calories and don’t make you gain weight. In fact, some even claim that food scents can help suppress hunger. This was tested by neurologist Alan Hirsch in the 1990s with over 3,000 participants. The result? The olfactory trick worked both for the stomach and the mind, and could be a good method to - guess what - lose weight. So much so that Hirsch later developed a full method based on this research. Another one, just like that.

The beauty industry as a reflection of our desires and aspirations, even when misguided

We tend to think Hirsch is wrong, and we tend to believe Amy Nose Scent has noticed a valid connection. Aside from the individual case, which is open to speculation, what’s interesting is the way - even surprisingly for someone outside the flows of the beauty industry - a perfume, lipstick, or cream reflects who we are, what we do, and what we want at this precise historical moment. They capture the present, the expectations, and the desires of very young girls, yes, but also what it means to be adult women and increasingly, what are the desires of boys and men. As the beauty industry grows and branches out, these connections multiply and remind us - not to forget - that the meaning of beauty is always in motion. It is political, social, and geographic, and should not be accepted as a law carved in stone, but questioned.