The Sweet-Meets-Savory Fragrances That Smell Unlike Anything Else

Two decades ago, the mere mention of a gourmand perfume — with edible, dessert-like notes — was enough to conjure memories of Victoria's Secret body spray and the candy-striped interiors of your local store (a time when a tutti-frutti body mist was the marker of peak social status). Thankfully, for any Zilennials like me, our olfactory tastes have grown up with us. Fast forward to the present, and the modern gourmand has become the blueprint for evoking scent memory and nostalgia, albeit all grown up, characterized by approachable yet complex profiles. In a world that often feels chaotic, the popularity of sweeter, gourmand scents speaks to our collective craving for a little indulgence and a lot of familiarity. But if you’re a fragrance fence-sitter like me, the latest wave of gourmand releases pairs decadent sweet notes with unexpected savory elements, making these scents more intriguing and distinctive than ever before. From velvety butternut to tomato-infused sprays