What does Vanilla smell like?
Natural vanilla is far more complex than the sugar it is associated with: it smells of cream and caramel, but also of dry wood, tobacco, leather and a smoky or rum-like touch. Synthetic vanillin is sweeter and more linear. On skin vanilla settles in the base, rounds out with body heat and can last for many hours, leaving an intimate, softly glowing aura close to the skin.
Origin and production
Vanilla comes from the pods of Vanilla planifolia, an orchid native to Mexico and now grown mainly in Madagascar, Réunion, Indonesia and Uganda. Tahiti produces the more floral Vanilla tahitensis. The hand-pollinated pods undergo a long curing process before being extracted as an absolute or CO2 extract. Vanillin, first synthesised in 1874, made the note widely accessible, and Guerlain's Shalimar turned it into an icon in 1925.
How perfumers use it
Vanilla sits in the base, where it rounds, softens and fixes a composition. It pairs with tonka bean, benzoin, tobacco, patchouli, rose, orris and spices. Shalimar sets it against opoponax in a legendary amber, Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille blends it with tobacco and cacao, and Lancôme's La Vie Est Belle marries it to praline and orris. Few notes are as versatile.
How to wear it
Best in autumn and winter, vanilla suits people who love soft, sensual and comforting fragrances.
