Perfume for the sweet tooth: what attracts us to gourmand fragrances?

Chocolate, caramel, coffee, vanilla, honey and pralines – perfume compositions for the sweet tooth remain at the peak of popularity. What is the secret of their success, experts say.

Vanilla Dolce Vita, Dior, liquorice Lolita Lempicka, caramel Candy, Prada, cherry La Petite Robe Noire, Guerlain… At various times these dessert fragrances have become bestsellers, and judging by the abundance of sweet novelties, interest in them does not think to disappear. Angel, Thierry Mugler, produced in 1992, is considered to be the founder of gourmet fashion in perfumery. Gourmand scents have been made before. So, Jean Patou created the strawberry-apricot Amor Amor back in 1925. But the spirits of Thierry Mugler ushered in an era of real obsession with perfumery sweets.

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Thierry Mugler Angel Eau Sucrée Eau De Toilette. The confectionery base of the legendary composition is enhanced by notes of berry sorbet and caramel meringue.

“In 1969, scientists synthesized ethyl maltol, a caramel-scented molecule. In those days, fresh scents were in vogue. And the “noses” did not pay attention to her for a long time, until in 1992 Olivier Cresp beat her in Angel. There is not just caramel, but a real Christmas tree with gingerbread, chocolate, gifts and fragrant pine needles. It was a very radical and incredibly successful composition,” says perfume critic Galina Anni. Her passion for perfume began in 1994 with Angel.

Why are we so attracted to gourmand compositions? “A delicious smell takes you back to childhood, to dreams of desserts that parents allowed little sweet teeth in doses,” says psychologist Stephen Snyder. – Therefore, on the one hand, confectionery aromas are familiar and understandable to us. On the other hand, in our minds they carry a shade of something forbidden, which makes them even more desirable.

“Desserts have been a privilege of the nobility since ancient times, one of the symbols of pleasure and bliss. That’s why we want to smell like sweets, not chicken or potatoes,” adds psychotherapist Gerard Apfeldorfer.

Galina Anni does not agree with him. “Gourmet fragrances are not limited to notes of chocolate, vanilla and other sweets,” she says. “It can be any smell that stimulates our taste buds.” For example, birch resin smells like smoked meats, almonds are clearly heard in tonka beans, gallica rose reminds of jam, and allspice reminds of pickles. And if so, then gourmand flavors have a chance to fall in love not only with a sweet tooth …

Touch the magic

Since recently, Galina Anni has been holding perfume workshops on weekends. Their participants make compositions from natural aromatic components. The next meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 23rd. It will be dedicated to the creation of chypre. More information on Galina’s Facebook page (facebook.com/galina.anni).

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