The best vanilla colognes are generally a bold choice. Vanilla has definitely become shorthand for can’t-fail baseline appeal. Everyone loves vanilla, even if their favorite flavor is different. For this reason, the word has now taken on a new, less positive meaning: plain, boring, safe, milky.
But funny enough, so is vanilla anything But it’s safe in the world of perfume: some people hate any perfume that smells like vanilla. (It usually extends to anything that has an edible scent—”gourmand” in parlance.) But the best perfumers understand the powers of vanilla, and its ability to play well with heavier notes like patchouli, musk, amber, and wood. Even when they use vanilla as a focal note, it’s tied neatly into these supporting players, so that it settles seamlessly into the senses – rather than smelling like an ice cream.
If you’re a fan of gourmand fragrances, or if you want to know where the true baseline in vanilla perfumery lies, take a look at the best vanilla colognes.
The best vanilla colognes, at a glance:
Best vanilla cologne overall: Tom Ford Tobacco Vanilla
A real heavy winter pick, it’s an authentic gourmand vanilla that complements the tobacco smoke perfectly with the cocoa. It’s surrounded by spicy ginger and sweet fruit notes, offering dimension and richness like a top-shelf Scotch.
Best affordable vanilla cologne: Snif Vanilla Vice
Everything Snif makes, from laundry detergent to candles, smells good. Everything is meant to evoke a familiar scent, whether it’s candy or a walk through the woods. Snif’s Vanilla Vice is the sweetest of the bunch, coming close to smelling like a scoop of vanilla ice cream on a waffle cone (a very important distinction). It may be a bit too sweet for someone more accustomed to smoky or woody scents, but it complements the sweet vanilla sugar notes with an underlying touch of musk – just to keep things balanced.
Best Delicious Vanilla Cologne: DS & Durga Deep Dark Vanilla
Vanilla doesn’t have to be related to sweets and sweets. The deep vanilla scent of DS & Durga introduces heavier hints like patchouli, pepper, and leather into the blend that help bring out the delicious vanilla notes. It’s like you’re spritzing yourself with some good rum, without the booze smell.
Best Crisp Vanilla Cologne: Diptyque Eau Duelle EDT
For something a little fresher and refreshing, Diptyque’s Eau Duelle (duel in French) offers another dimension to vanilla that doesn’t necessarily highlight its sweet sides. We love this because it has a clean, cottony scent that evokes clean laundry that you may have accidentally dripped some vanilla extract onto. This sounds like a great scent to apply in the morning and leave on all day before moving on to something a little darker and stronger at night.
Best Spicy Vanilla Cologne: Byredo 1996
Peredo knows 1996 was a great year. The Yankees won the World Series, your vanilla cologne mosik was born, and apparently that’s the year Kirsten’s 1996 photo was taken – a photo by photographers Inez and Vinoodh. What this has to do with vanilla is anyone’s guess, but 1996 is absolutely associated with spice. The base of 1996 is pure vanilla, but in the top, you get more spicy and dark notes like leather and juniper berries. As the scent lingers throughout the day, it becomes slightly sweeter, providing a sneak peek into what you’d expect from vanilla without being too sweet.
Best luxury vanilla cologne: Guerlain Spiritueuse Vanille
It takes a certain taste to enjoy an old style, but with one smell He has To be a universally loved scent. This is exactly what Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille smells like, delivering vanilla like a double shot of whisky. The cologne plays up the sweetness of vanilla, but hints of amber and cedar temper the sweetness so you don’t smell like you’re drenched in melted vanilla ice cream.
Best Woody Vanilla Cologne: Killian Angels Share
When it comes to distilled spirits, the “angels’ share” refers to the amount of liquid that evaporates during the aging process. In other words: This is what angels get from allowing the magic of beautiful wine-making to happen. As for Kilian’s Angels’ Share, he points out how this smells exactly like cognac. The vanilla is the star here, but the walnut and wood notes complement it so it’s not too overpowering.
Best vanilla cologne for a night out: Maison Francis Kurkdjian Grand Soir EDP
Grand Soir is as much a nighttime scent as it gets. Just like the soiree you’re about to attend, this scent from Maison Francis Kurkdjian hits all the right bases, from warm baking spice notes to more mysterious and dazzling amber and wood notes. The vanilla is more subdued here, but it’s definitely there if you open your senses (and your nostrils).
