By Tara
Do you have a love of gourmand fragrances? If so, why?
Do you prefer gourmands that smell just like food or the more non-edible variety?
Can you name your Top 3 favourite gourmand perfumes?
Are gourmand perfumes just too sweet for your tastes?
My Answer:
I like gourmand fragrances more in theory than in practice. The idea of something sweet and comforting is very appealing but in reality most gourmands are just too cloying or simplistic. My preferred gourmands have a non-edible element to them and some complexity. Parfumerie Generale excells at this, so it’s no surprise that two of my three come from this line. I also love the brandied fruit and sweet spices of the Ambre Narguile by Hermes, but only in small doses during cold weather. So my list of Top 3 gourmand fragrances right now looks like this:
Brulure de Rose by Parfumerie Generale
Ambre Narguile Hermessence by Hermes
Aomassai by Parfumerie Generale
I’d like to expand my knowledge and love of gourmand fragrances, so please share your favourites.
Olfactoria's Travels 
I have just been bowled over by Hippie Holidaze (pancakes, maple syrup, cinnamon dusting) and Reindeer Games (Christmas pudding, custard, freshly cut wood) by Smell Bent. So real you want to eat yourself up. YUM!
Portia xx
Hi Portia,
I must admit I haven’t tried any Smell Bent fragrances but those two sound great, with fun names too!
Brulure de Rose and Aomassai are great choices, and probably in my top five, though I realise we can only have three…
I like gourmands with a creamy, comforting vibe in particular, rather then the stewed fruit and booze variety. And I like a good rice note. LTBL, L’Eau d’Hiver, DSH Cimabue, the drydown of Bombay Bling in particular, Balenciaga Cristobal, Sira des Indes…
But in terms of one more pick, I will have to think on. ; – )
I love a good rice note too. No doubt someone will mention Safran Troublant or Fils de Dieu which both have a great rice note. I’m also wearing Equistrius today which has rice powder and chocolate but not sure it qualifies as a gourmand because it’s really mostly iris.
Choosing three… hmm, hard to do…
Gourmand Coquin by Guerlain is a must for me.
PG’s Tonkamande and
Safran Troublant by L’Artisan.
I’m glad you managed to narrow it down to 3! I think PGs and Guerlains will make a lot of appearances today. I really need to try Safran Troublant again. At the time it was such a realistic scent of saffron rice for me so I felt strange wearing it as perfume but it’s so original and comforting I need to re-try.
I do like gourmands, especially in winter even though I usually wear orientals then.
My top 3 would be L de Lolita Lempicka, Conaffeto by Hilde Soliani and Un Bois Vanille by SL.
Yes, gourmands work particularly well in the winter because they are so cosy and warming. I have been tempted to make an unsniffed purchase of L de Lolita Lempicks for the looongest time.
The three, that come first to mind are, my longtime favourite gourmand amber Cafe Noir by DSH, followed by Gourmand Coquin and Mona di Orio’s Vanille.
Cheers
Safran
Hi Safran, gourmand ambers are my favourite.
That’s a second vote already for Gourmand Coquin and nice to see a mention for Mona’s Vanille, which I liked a lot.
Ohhh I love gourmands! Still always on the prowl for more 🙂 mine are: Loukhoum – all 3 of keiko mecheri & montale – sweet oriental dream. I’m dying to try PGs Brûlée Rose.
Hi Rose,
There’s always room for one more 🙂
Brulure de Rose is a gorgeous carmelised rose, I highly recommend it. Hope you get to try it soon!
I really love Gourmands and have a few in my collection, if I had to narrow it down to 3 mine would be:
Iris Ganache
Gourmand Coquin
Tonkamande
Ask me tomorrow and that list will have changed. 🙂
I struggled to come up with 3 but I know for you gourmand lovers this is going to be hard!
I know it all depends on how you’re feeling on the day but 2 Guerlains and a PG are pretty solid choices.
Some of my favourite Gourmands are:
Kiki edp – Vero Profumo
Aqua Santa – Linari
Anima Dulcis – Arquiste
Mamluk – Xerjoff Oud Star
Some high end gourmands there. I never thought of Kiki in that way, though it is a caramelised lavender.
A random pick of three of the numerous gourmand fragrances to grace my shelves, because choosing is cruel ^_^ :
Angel
Amour de Cacao
Vanille Absolument
Ha! I’ll happily accept 3 random picks. I like Vanille Absolument because it’s a vanilla based perfume that’s not overly sweet. Like it or loathe it, Angel is a ground-breaking classic.
While I am without doubt an Orientals type girl, over the past year it appears gourmand fragrances have been stealthily creeping up behind. My current 3 favourites (they will probably change again by tomorrow) are:
Mona di Orio’s Vanille (I just love deep, warm non-edible vanillas)
PdN Kiss Me Tender (my happy summer heliotrope)
LAP Bois Farine (it really does smell of flour, and that’s a good thing!)
Oh but does the dry down of Mohur count? Because I absolutely adore the milky dessert feel? (humm that appears to make 4…)
3 (4!) nice varied choices you have there, Alexandra. Vanille is another non-edible vanilla – my favourite kind – and Bois Farine does smell of flour (and peanuts IMO).
1. another vote for Gourmande Coquin
2. Iris Ganache
3. L’Heure Defendue
I love the dark chocolate of L’Heure Defendue! I’ve only tried it once though and I wish it wasn’t so spendy. Gourmand Coquin is taking the lead so far.
My top 3 are: Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum, Serge Luten’s Rahat Loukhoum, and a great chocolate fragrance-Serendipitous by Serendipity 3
Ah, another loukhoum fan.
Chocolate fragrances are tricky to get right, thanks for your recommendation. PG’s Musc Maori, Cartier’s L’Heure Defendue and Tokyo Milk Dark Bittersweet are good ones.
Very difficult, I’d say easily Vanille by Mdo but it’s not a gourmand scent for me, but a woody spicy earthy gem so…….
I’d say:
– Brûlure de Rose: caramelized rosewood,
– Cadjmere: santalwood and coconut milk so gourmand………
– Musc by MdO which is so almondy on me…….
-And Gourmand Coquin………………. guerlain
I agree, Vanille is not very gourmand for a vanilla scent, I think that’s why I like it but I prefer your other choice, Musc, which is my favourite MdO. Glad to see another vote for Brulure de Rose and Cadjmere is very well done.
I love gourmand scents,my fav are Gourmand Coquin (bottle on its way) Aomassai and Kilian Love.:-)
Ah, our first vote for Kilian’s Love. I’m a big fan of the toasted hazelnuts of Aomassai. A great autumn/fall fragrance.
I do love my gourmands! I fell for Gourmand Coquin recently (must order that bottle), and love Mon Precieux Nectar and Mona di Orio Vanilla. Even on a cool summer evening, they are cozy and comforting.
I love the comforting aspect of gourmands too, Sandra. I wonder if we can now safely say that Gourmand Coquin is the favourite gourmand of OT readers. Vanille may well come in at second place.
Mmm, I should seek out some Brulure de Rose, too. Mine are:
– pc02. Almost too candy floss sweet, but the lavender saves it.
– Amaranthine. (I know it’s supposed to be a racy floral but to me it’s about as corrupted as the skin on a rice pudding! It reminds me of banana milkshake and I love it for helping me destress after I get home from work).
– Ombré Fauve. Someone on basenotes described this as a baby fox covered in baby powder. I love that! Not edible perhaps, but soft and sweet.
P.s. no one agree with Luca Turin that L’Heure Bleue smells like giandujar? I don’t get it personally, though it does have a comforting effect.
Emma, it’s true that a non-edible note like lavender can save a perfume from tipping over into candy floss. I get more bananan milkshake than racy floral from Amaranthine too but not in a good way, sadly. I have a sample of Ombre Fauve. Can’t wait to get to know the baby fox covered in baby powder!
Hope you like it!
Thanks Emma, me too!
My #1 favorite gourmand right now is Jeux De Peau. It literally sets my mouth watering! It smells like all of the delicious things one would find in a coffeehouse. And celery! I get a very distinct celery note and I love it. Go figure!
#2 – Bois Farine. I can’t eat wheat, so I satisfy myself with perfume!
#3 – Un Bois Vanille. Coconut & vanilla! Yum!
Thanks for mentioning Jeux De Peau, Amy Bella. I’d forgotten all about that one. I’m glad you can get your wheat fix from Bois Farine!
Big gourmand lover here too! Right now I’d have to say my three favorites are L de Lolita Lempicka, Rose Praline, and Belle en Rykiel. But I also love Angel, DSH Mahjoun and many others.
Elisa, you are among many gourmand lovers today! I shall have to try very hard to resist an unsniffed purchase of L de Lempicka. You can find it for a very tempting price. ..
Why resist? Buy it! If you don’t like it, let me know — I can buy it from you, because I need a backup bottle!!
Thanks, Elisa! I’m worried it will be too sweet for me but we’ll see…
Oh yes, I’m totally a gourmand-head, but definitely more in the cooler months.
I couldn’t pick just three so I picked four :D:
Vanille Absolument
Traversée du Bosphore
Alien Le Goût du Parfum
Angel Le Goût du Parfum
You can have 4, only because it’s you 🙂
I keep meaning to get to know those Le Gout du Parfum versions. I recall they were really well received. Another vote for Vanille Absolument then and a first for Traversee du Bosphore.
Yay! Can I add a fifth? Or would that be cheeky? If I was allowed I’d add Musc Ravageur, it’s so delicious! 😛
I have all four Le Goût du Parfums, because I have a Mugler-problem (for which I refuse to seek help) and I’m happy to give you some samples.
Thanks, T! I’d love to try some samples, in which case you are absolutely allowed Musc Ravageur as a fifth choice 🙂
R .ahat Loukom is my favourite.I wish that Serge sold perfume strength
Hi Angie, SL’s and Keiko Mecheri’s Loukhoum perfumes have proved popular today. A lot of loukhoum lovers out there!
Gourmands are not my favorites generally, becuse many turn way too sweet on my skin (Iris Ganache and Angelique Noire I’m looking at you!)
Two I really like though is Ambre Narguile and Mona di Orio Vanille (which makes me think of Treasure Island and rum-drinking pirates of all things!)
I’ve not tried anything from PG yet, mayby I’ll find some gourmands there!
I think you and I have similar tastes when it comes to gourmands, Eva. Iris Genache is way too sweet on me too. You really do need to try some PGs. You’re pretty much guaranteed to find at least one to love in that range.
Love gourmands! Three favorites? Hmmm…. Safran Troublant (saffron-infused custard laced w/ rose syrup)… Un Bois Vanille (an entire coffee shop in one perfume)… and because cheap ‘n’ trashy can sometimes be great fun, I have a soft spot for Tumulte by Lacroix (super-jammy raspberry rose).
Hi Meg,
Safran Troublant and Un Bois Vanille are popular choices but I’m now intrigued by your cheap ‘n’ trashy Lacroix!
My top three: Traversée du Bosphore, Vanille Insensée, and Brûlure de Rose. Although Praliné de Santal and Un Bois Vanille are up there as well, for winter, and Un Jardin sur le Nil when the weather is hot…
Yeah scratch that, Un Bois Vanille tops Brûlure de Rose for me. (Yes, it’s very important that I be very specific!)
No problem, Alnysie, we all take our perfume picks very seriously!
Vanillas have been very popular in the comments but it’s nice to see more unusual gourmands like Traversée du Bosphore getting some love too. I’m surprised more people haven’t mentioned Praline de Santal.
1. Angel/Angel Taste of Fragrance by Thierry Mugler
2. Sweet Milk by Jo Malone
3. Jeux de Peau by Serge Lutens
And I could name at least a couple more – I’m surprised, I didn’t think I was a gourmand perfumes fan.
I’m glad you’ve learnt something new about your perfume taste, Undina. With all your record keeping that can’t happen very often! I must say I struggled to come up with 3 but PG perfumes made it a lot easier.
I know Angel and Jeux de Peau are favourites of yours. I haven’t tried Sweet Milk but it sounds very comforting.
My taste in gourmands is not terribly sophisticated, but I think they’re fun. I tend to go through phases with them – most recently Herba Fresca (herbal lemonade), Cinema (lemon-vanilla cookies), and Eau Sauvage (oregano salad). Now that it’s suffocatingly hot, I go for anything refreshing, i.e. Esc. a Portofino, BBW Citrus Splash.
Axum, I love your off-beat gourmand choices and seeing what you associate them with. A lot of gourmands aren’t terribly sophisticated but that can be part of their appeal.
I wish we had a bit of your suffocating heat in the UK. Escale a Portofino and Citrus Splash sound like great picks.
I am not a real fan of gourmand scents, but I own to fragrances that are rather sweet/sugary: Ambre Gris and Traversee du Bosphore.
Philipp, I’m not a big fan of gourmands either because I often find them too sweet or flat. Funnily enough Traversee du Bosphere was rather dry on me but I know I’m in the minority there.
I was reading this post this morning. Then was put in the mood for a bit of shopping. I went into the store open minded and willing to be steered by a very knowledgeable sales girl. I walked out an hour later with a bottle of Traversee du Bosphore. I trialled and sniffed maybe a dozen perfumes but this one has a lovely unusual scent which I couldn’t walk past. I recommend this delicious fragrance!
TdB is gorgeous! Congratulations on your new perfume, Lexi! Enjoy!