The new language of post-gourmand fragrances Sweet, yes, but with an olfactory pleasure that reinvents itself

Cakes, creams, cookies, caramel, whipped cream, cocoa… for years we searched for scents that would protect us from the world, that would place us in a sugary bubble where everything was easy, soft, and immediate. A beautiful universe, yes, but also predictable and indulgent. But things change. So do aesthetics and desires. The world moves faster. It’s no longer soft. And neither are we. It’s only natural, then, that even sweetness changes its tone, that it stops infantilizing us and starts accompanying us. Like us, it becomes more complex, more nuanced, more muscular, more grounded in contemporary reality. The result is post-gourmand, a more mature heir to gourmand perfumes that, from vanilla ice cream transformed into eau de parfum, chai lattes trending on TikTok, to pistachios dressed as niche fragrances, dominate searches, feeds, and shelves. The new olfactory territory is made of warm nuances, elegant roasts, salty touches, luminous ambers, intelligent fruits, and vegetal accents that seem to come straight from a city market. Welcome to the season of sweet grown-up.

What are post-gourmand perfumes really?

Imagine a dessert sitting at the same table as a peaty whisky. Or a Chantilly cream flirting with Sichuan pepper. Imagine a vanilla that no longer wants to be confused with a cupcake, a pistachio abandoning spreadable cream for a tailored suit, a milk accord that doesn’t just comfort but creates architecture. Post-gourmand perfumes are all of this and more. They convey a non-one-dimensional sweetness. This genre arises from the sugar overload of recent years and our desire for something that pampers, yes, but without saccharinity. It’s the grown-up gourmand. And why is it exploding now? Because in a world marked by economic complexity, wellness aesthetics, controlled diets, and a craving for indulgence, these perfumes offer the perfect compromise: a sugar peak without sugar.

Vanilla becomes adult and texturized

Vanilla has undergone one of the greatest olfactory glow-ups in recent years. Long the queen of sweet perfumes: present, reassuring, a bit predictable. It has been cleansed, rewritten, reshaped. Today, it no longer evokes carnival cotton candy, but increasingly resembles a texture, like warm velvet sliding over the skin, a fabric that absorbs light, an emotional fiber that holds warmth without turning into cloying syrup. Modern formulas pair it with milky woods, lively spices, and smoky notes that make it three-dimensional. The result? The new vanilla lives in accords of dry spices, airy musks, creamy woods, silky ambers. Proof that even the world’s most popular ingredient can become sophisticated if viewed from a new angle. A sprayable example? Rare Eau de Parfum by Rare Beauty, a gourmand with a spicy touch balancing rich vanilla with caramel, pistachio, earthy sandalwood, and pungent ginger. Also try Libre Vanille Couture by Yves Saint Laurent, an ambered, gourmand reinterpretation of the iconic floral Libre. A sweet fragrance combining Bourbon vanilla and rum absolute with notes of lavender and orange blossom accord.

Nutty gourmands, the crunch we needed

The nutty notes, once confined to pastry, now rewrite a new aromatic code. Here, sweetness becomes roasting, crunch, a salty hint breaking softness and adding unexpected complexity. Pistachio, almond, and hazelnut now fully bloom, becoming roasted, woody, sometimes even salty. Pistachio is no longer ice cream; it has minerality, body, an almost urban side. Almond gourmand accords are no longer cotton candy; they are freshly baked bread, crust, warm butter. Hazelnut is no longer cream; it is aromatic wood. This new gastronomic-olfactory aesthetic produces intriguing, enveloping fragrances, but not cloying. They are warm without being sticky, creamy without being childish. Perfect for those seeking a grown-up, gender-neutral gourmand that is impossible to forget. An example? Pistachio Voodoo Child by Iggywoo, “a soft mist of nutty pistachio and a generous dose of creamy sandalwood”, with heart notes of lily, praline, and jasmine.

Amber light as a gentle breeze

For years, amber was considered too much. Too heavy, too warm, too enveloping. It immediately evoked coats, winter nights, slowly melting candles. Not anymore. Amber has become satin-like, caressing, luminous. It is the perfect bridge between warm sweetness and soft freshness. Contemporary houses dilute, lighten, and air it using citrus, musks, and dry spices. The result is an amber that doesn’t wrap you like a blanket, but like a curtain that moves with the breeze. A daytime amber, one that radiates light and can be worn in summer without feeling suffocated by a winter cloak. Like a spray of Afterglow by Phlur, “an explosion of citrus and apricot awakens the senses, ambrette and lavender milk sweeten the moment, and warm cashmere woods leave a magnetic, lasting glow”.

Spiced gourmands, when sweetness ignites

Spiced perfumes prove that sweetness can coexist with energy without losing identity. Here, gourmand intertwines with saffron, chili, cinnamon, cardamom, and deep oud. It’s not a soft dessert, but a dessert that moves fast. Imagine a night market in Marrakech, full of lights, steam, caramelized fruits, and woods. This is the territory of spiced gourmand: a pulsating, almost vibrant sweetness that doesn’t aim to be dessert-like, but rather lived-life-like. A perfect choice for those who love sensuality and complexity in the same bottle. An example? Drunk Saffron by BORNTOSTANDOUT, a blend of plum and cognac that develops revealing a heart of saffron, leather, coffee, and base notes of Indonesian patchouli, vanilla, and musk.

Musky fruits

Forget the syrupy fruits and sugary fragrances for teenagers of the 2000s. The category of fruity perfumes has been completely reinvented. The new formulas do not focus on caramelization, but rather on luminosity. Fig is creamy and earthy at the same time, pear becomes crisp and savory, plum turns velvety like a dark lipstick, mandarin becomes a sunlit trail over an amber shadow, and red berries stop being syrupy and become chicly acidic. Contemporary fruity fragrances are not tropical: they are urban, elegant, almost couture. Perfect for those who want pop sweetness without sacrificing complexity. Just like Figue Érotique by Tom Ford, an enveloping and sensual fragrance with top notes of bergamot, fig leaves, and pink pepper, heart notes of Kadota fig, ylang-ylang, and sea salt, and base notes of vetiver, cane sugar, licorice, and patchouli.

The green wave: when sweetness becomes vegetal

The real twist in the new olfactory scene is the green gourmand. Here, sweetness does not come from pastries, but from the greenhouse: sharp rhubarb, milky cucumber, fresh basil, velvety carrot, dark beet, crisp aromatic herbs. Steven Ross Glyde, Fragrance Education Lead at MECCA, confirms this trend, noting that perfect spring-summer fragrances show the rise of garden perfumes characterized by greener, vegetal gourmand notes. Their charm lies in combining crunch, juiciness, and cleanliness for very contemporary results, giving the wearer an almost aquatic, juicy perception, similar to breaking a stem or biting into a still-raw vegetable. Examples? Neon Garden by Dries Van Noten, with notes of mint, iris, carrot, ambroxan, and musk; Eau Triple Betterave d’Irak et Rhubarbe d’Égypte by Officine Universelle Buly, made with Iraqi beet and Egyptian rhubarb, with patchouli and musk notes. Another perfume in this category is Infusion de Rhubarbe by Prada, enveloping the skin with notes of rhubarb, rose, musk, and citrus.

Coffee, liqueurs, and olfactory speakeasies

The most adult branch of gourmand is inspired by beverages: coffee and alcoholic perfumes. Here, sweetness is not sugar, but fermentation, roasting, distillation. Coffee blends with lime, cardamom, dark rum, bitter cocoa, and warm spices. The result is nighttime sensuality, elegant, smelling of adult life. Similarly, fragrances blending rum, champagne, whisky, cognac, bourbon with caramel, dark fruits, and smoked vanilla evoke the charm of clandestine bars with a vintage, forbidden, irresistible touch. They conjure glasses clinking, whispered conversations. They have a nocturnal, sensual vibe that speaks of lived life. And while young people drink less, they still love to spray these gourmands on their bodies, like Awake by Akro, which smells of freshly crushed beans with a hint of lemon, or Black Phantom by Kilian, essentially an Irish Coffee where the strong character of rum, dark chocolate, and coffee meets the sweetness of caramel, cane sugar, and almond.

Sweetness, rewritten

Post-gourmand fragrances mark a cultural as well as olfactory shift. They tell us that sweetness no longer needs to comfort us like children, but can accompany us as adults. Less sugar, more structure. Less nostalgia, more intentionality. These perfumes don’t escape reality but interpret it. They are warm yet lucid, indulgent yet intelligent, sensual without excess. In a fast, complex world, post-gourmand perfumes offer a new kind of pleasure: not a sugary refuge, but a sophisticated companion, smelling of who we have become.