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In 20 years, if you asked me what the 2020s smelled like, I’d have one short, easy answer for you: vanilla.

The ‘90s were all about light, unisex aquatic scents. The 2000s were flashy and fun, with sparkling white florals like Juicy Couture and Britney Spears’ Curious, juicy and tropical Escada concoctions, and Tom Ford’s heavy, intoxicating Black Orchid ruling the shelves. The 2010s embraced ouds and sandalwood, but the 2020s? All vanilla everything, baby.  

But lately it feels like every new scent smells like a cake, a pastry, or a baked good, and frankly? I’m bored. There’s a time and place for smelling like a cupcake, but I don’t want it to be my only option. Take a scroll through Sephora’s bestselling fragrances; how many of them are classified as gourmands? I’d go ahead and say pretty much all of them. Gourmand and gourmand-adjacent scents are all over TikTok, crowding the shelves and perfume counters at your favorite retailers, and even taking over body care and hair care.

Everyone smells good enough to eat… but I’m starting to feel a little queasy from all that sugary sweetness.

Maybe it’s just me who’s had enough. We’re halfway through the 2020s and these scents show zero signs of slowing down. “Gourmand fragrances tend to evoke warmth, comfort, and nostalgia—they remind people of familiar, feel-good experiences,” says Autumne West, national beauty director at Nordstrom. “They’re generally sweet, approachable, and easy to understand, which makes them universally appealing. I think the continued dominance of gourmand scents also speaks to how people don’t just care about smelling good, but also feeling good.”

Is there a vanilla backlash on the horizon, or will it continue to be the hero ingredient of  mainstream perfumery well into the 2030s? Let’s go back in time to track the high points of the gourmand fragrance boom—and predict where perfume is going next. (Somewhere less sweet, I can only hope.)

The History of Vanilla Fragrances

Like rose and jasmine, vanilla is often included in a fragrance build, so to speak, but that doesn’t mean every scent with vanilla in it smells like pure, delicious sweetness; while many perfumes of the past contained vanilla, they weren’t the gourmand-y scents you’d expect. 

One of the first major fragrances to feature vanilla was Guerlain’s Jicky, which was created alllll the way back in 1889 and is still made today, blending vanilla with lavender and citrus notes. The brand also incorporated a hefty dose of vanilla into their legendary Shalimar. (And now, to celebrate Shalimar’s impending 100th birthday, they’ve added even more with the new L’Essence Eau de Parfum, formulated with what Guerlain describes as an “overdose of vanilla.”)

The gourmand trend as we know it really got its start with the birth of Mugler Angel in 1992, a bombastic blend of cotton candy, berries, caramel, chocolate, and vanilla. Angel paved the way for many more vanilla-centric scents, like the drugstore fave Coty Vanilla Fields from 1993, Aquolina’s Pink Sugar, and Prada’s sticky-sweet Candy.  

In the 2020s, sweet, craveable vanilla and gourmand fragrances have dominated the perfume trend cycle, ignited by viral scents like Sol de Janeiro’s ubiquitous Bum Bum Cream, Kayali’s lickable Vanilla 28 and Yum Pistachio Gelato 33, and Burberry Goddess, which blends vanilla with herbal lavender. And we’d be remiss not to mention Maison Francis Kurkdijan’s reigning champ, Baccarat Rouge 540, which took the gourmand obsession to new heights with its airy, candy-coated fragrance profile of saffron, ambergris, sugar, and ambroxan. Vanilla is definitely the queen of the gourmands—just ask Vanilla Skin, Vanilla Sex, Plush Vanilla, Mod Vanilla, Vanilla Velvet, Vanilla Era, Vanilla Sky… you name it.

The popularity of gourmand scents in this time frame makes sense; consider them in the context of the pandemic and near-constant political and social turmoil. It’s natural to crave the familiar comfort of a vanilla-based fragrance when the world outside your door feels scary and uncertain. “Fragrance can be a small act of grounding when everything else feels in motion,” says Tanya Gonzalez, co-founder of the fragrance brand Eauso Vert. “We’re also seeing a broader shift toward self-soothing rituals and inward reflection when it comes to wellness, so the pull toward something cozy and cocooning makes complete sense.” Phway Su Aye, co-founder of perfume line Gabar, agrees. “There’s something about gourmand perfumes that evokes extreme comfort–whether through memories of home or the kitchen or familiar foods or feelings of pleasure and satisfaction–most of us associate certain foods with pleasurable moments.”

The other thing is, well, these scents are great! They’re well-composed, easy to wear, and made to be enjoyed, and at the end of the day, perfume should be fun, not intimidating or exclusionary. But it’s natural to feel fatigued from too much of a certain scent; remember how Santal 33 became the avocado toast of fragrance? I’m starting to feel the same way about every vanilla and caramel that crosses my nose.

What’s Next in the Fragrance World

Vanilla and gourmand scents may not be going away anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean they’re not evolving. According to West, Nordstrom customers are looking for scents that are “sweet yet balanced with something fresh or spicy,” an evolution from the more syrupy-sweet scents of the earlier half of the decade. She notes that customers are “curious” about niche brands, limited editions, and layerable options like body mists and hair mists. Some of the most popular scents at Nordstrom include Yves Saint Laurent Libre Vanille Couture, Fugazzi Vanilla Haze, Boy Smells Coco Cream, and Byredo Alto Astral.

You can’t always predict what will catch fire and go viral, but if I know anything about trends, it’s that you can’t get too comfortable for too long, because things will change. Maybe we’ll be heading back to the aquatic fruity florals like Clinique Happy, or swapping out the vanilla for big romantic rose scents—something I would like to see sooner rather than later. Gonzalez predicts fragrances will move toward “deeper, moodier profiles,” like ouds, “dark edibles,” and sensual textures. “It’s less about being fluffy or overtly sweet and more about richness, intimacy, and depth.” Su Aye is hoping for “more daringness and originality,” including gourmands that break the mold and push the genre.

If you love vanilla-based fragrances but are looking to expand your palette, Gonzalez recommends notes like toasted rice, sesame, and cardamom, which “carry that same warmth and familiarity but with a more textured, nuanced edge” that doesn’t feel as sugary. Susan Wai Hnin, co-founder of Gabar, suggests beverage-related notes like milk, coffee, and tea. “These offer a similar sense of comfort, as people tend to associate these drinks with moments of relaxation and wind-down,” she explains. She also suggests looking outside of traditionally Western gourmand notes, like sesame and condensed milk; Gabar’s fragrance Balu includes gourmand-y notes like date, molasses, cocoa, and tonka bean in addition to condensed milk.

As for me, I’ve gone in a completely different fragrance direction lately and re-embraced the big white floral, notably DS & Durga’s creamy, enchanting Durga, Frederic Malle’s legendary icy green tuberose Carnal Flower, and Aerin’s ladylike Tuberose Gardenia. I may not want to smell like a baked good, but there’s nothing wrong with smelling delicious.