2024 has been the year of vanilla. No, not the ice cream flavour, nor the monotone beauty trend that took our over feeds in 2022. I'm talking about the quintessential gourmand fragrance note that seems to be bottled up in to all the very best perfume launches of the year thus far. And by the looks of what's to come, vanilla is still on the cards. French luxury perfume house Parfums de Marly has just launched Palatine, £245, a powdery floral scent rooted in a base of vanilla, while fragrance legends at the House of Creed (now in its sixth generation) recently looked to Madagascan vanilla to instil zing into its line up with Queen of Silk, £165. Even singer-turned-perfumer Sabrina Carpenter has taken to the note having launched her ode to all things sweet, Caramel Dream, £24.99.
Still not convinced? Look to TikTok, where 45.3K posts have been shared under the hashtag 'vanilla perfume' with countless influencers sharing their best kept vanilla scented secrets. Likewise, 'vanilla scented perfume' is currently enjoying a 100% spike in search over on Google. Another topic beauty buffs are currently searching for on the search engine? Phlur's Vanilla Skin Perfume, £99, which has had 80% rise in search.
There is good reason for all the fuss. Phlur has built up a good reputation for creating fragrances that are 'inspired by memories, moments, experiences & feelings - those that are intimately personal & universally shaped,' according to the words etched into each and every single box that houses a Phlur perfume. Those words ring true for the brand's most popular scent, and arguably the one that put it on the map, Missing Person, £99. Inspired by the real life experience of Chriselle Lim, owner and creative director of Phlur, who bottled up the feeling of heartbreak and longing after separating from her partner, the scent quickly rose to internet stardom after launching in 2022 when it received rave reviews for its alluring juice which conjured such intense emotions it became known as the perfume that made its wearer cry. Unsurprisingly then, it sold out within five hours of hitting the market, prompting a waitlist of more than 200,000 fans and has since amassed a cool 65.5 million posts on TikTok.
Given its new-found legacy, any launch from Phlur is always met with an air of excitement and Vanilla Skin certainly lives up to the buzz. While some vanilla scents get a bad rap for being sickly sweet or cloying, Phlur's latest offering is anything but.
That comes down to the balancing act of olfactive notes. Cleverly curated with bright pink pepper, warm cashmere wood and base of sensual vanilla, sandalwood and agarwood (oud), the scent achieves what many others perhaps set out to do but fall short of: creating a creamy, cosy and alluring experience which is just sweet enough to not go right to your head and still manages to be addictive. It also really does last on the skin, so you (and others around you) will continue to catch wafts of the delightful scent throughout the day. Yum, indeed.
Shop: Phlur Vanilla Skin
If creamy, warm gourmand fragrances are your calling, look no further than Phlur's latest launch. It is laced with bright pink pepper, warm cashmere wood, sensual oud and of course the star of the show cosy vanilla for a lasting scent that is guaranteed to make heads turn.
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia UK's Beauty Writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
