Vanilla

What does vanilla smell like in perfume? Vanilla smells creamy, warm and sweet, with smoky, woody and boozy depths. Natural vanilla is far richer than vanillin alone, and it is the most loved base note in perfumery.

What Is Vanilla?

Vanilla comes from the pods of Vanilla planifolia, an orchid. In Madagascar, each flower is pollinated by hand, and the green pods are cured for months to develop their scent. It is one of the most labour-intensive ingredients in the world.

What Does Vanilla Smell Like?

Here is how strongly each facet of vanilla comes through, from our own smelling-strip notes.

How Perfumers Use Vanilla

Vanilla adds warmth, comfort and longevity. It pairs with almost everything: florals, woods, spices, coffee and citrus.

Natural vanilla vs vanillin

Synthetic vanillin captures only vanilla’s main molecule. Natural vanilla contains hundreds of compounds that give it smoky, woody and boozy depth. Read our guide to the best vanilla perfumes.

Smell Vanilla in Prosody London Perfumes

For vanilla at its most expressive, try Mocha Muscari. Vanilla wraps coffee, jasmine and patchouli in a warm, creamy base. You will also find vanilla in Bebop Allure, Jacinth Jonquil, Lantern Reed, Moiré Mimosa, Neroli Nuance, Oud Octavo, Paper Flower Fan, Rose Rondeaux and Santal Foy.

Mocha MuscariNatural Eau de ParfumBebop AllureNatural CologneJacinth JonquilNatural Eau de ParfumLantern ReedNatural Eau de ParfumMoiré MimosaNatural CologneNeroli NuanceNatural Eau de ParfumOud OctavoNatural Eau de ParfumPaper Flower FanNatural CologneRose RondeauxNatural Eau de ParfumSantal FoyNatural Eau de Parfum

What Blends Well With Vanilla?

Questions About Vanilla

Explore all of our natural perfume ingredients.