13 gourmand fragrances to satisfy your hunger (that aren't sweet)
Swap out the sugar for something more savoury
By 
THE BIGGEST TREND in fragrances right now is arguably gourmands. The phrase ‘good enough to eat’ is a rare instance of a saying that, while a cliché, is at least built on a measurable idea of something factual. Most edible food smells good. Ergo, to smell edible is to smell good and now every brand, from designer to niche, has at least one creation that overdoses the wearer in something sweet and edible.
But what makes for a great gourmand fragrance? Controversially, I’d argue that too many brands rely on an overdose of sweetness – those huge wafts of caramel or vanilla – to get them over the line. And lots of it. But just because something smells strong, doesn’t mean it smells good. Which is another story entirely.
One of the more interesting sub-categories of gourmand is savoury – pastry, bread-y like accords made from combinations of heliotropin and woods, almond notes and even rice notes that have a drier, almost musky profile. And there’s also boozier notes of rum, bourbon or whiskey.
What I’m saying is that you no longer need to smell like a tooth ache to smell good.
Here the best gourmand fragrances for men to buy right now
Or du Sorail by Naomi Goodsir
Mango, tobacco, rum, honey, coconut, apple – there’s a lot happening here on paper but on the nose it’s the most incredible experience.
Gris Charnel by BDK Perfumes
One of the most popular from the BDK line, Gris Charnel blends fig and cardamom notes with sandalwood.
The finished result has a pastry-like accord that balances out the sweetness with warm woods.
South by Mendittorosa
There is a particular loaf of bread a local artisanal bakery near my house makes (yes, I’m aware of how that sounds) that people will wait in line all morning for.
This, with its hazelnuts and basil, iris-like carrot seeds and actual notes of bread smells better.
Korrigan by Lubin
A relatively unknown gem. There’s a traditional gourmand sweetness, courtesy of caramel and cognac, but it’s tempered by barley, whiskey and leather over the top of cedar and juniper that bring an incredible incense-like dry down.
Havana Gold by Dries Van Noten
This was created by the brilliant Jordi Fernandez, whose speciality seems to be the kind of smoky, leather-laden fragrances that are huge hits in the Middle East. For Dries Van Noten, he’s married those signatures with sweet licorice, anise and tobacco. It’s chewy, it lasts forever, it’s delicious.
Fat Electrician by Etat Libre d’Orange
First and foremost a vetiver, the earthy, sweet wood sort. Overlapping this are whipped cream and marron glace notes that make the whole thing smell like those delicious roasted kestane stands you find all through Istanbul.
One Million Night Parfum Elixir by Rabanne
My one concession to the cavity-level sweetness of current gourmands is the latest One Million Night Parfum Elixir. Mandarin gives all the sugar-y warmth of maple syrup that opens the new Rabanne a more tart profile, while the drydown homes in on the vanilla base.
Last Birthday Cake by Toskovat
Birthday cake, with frosting yes, but also the smell of smoke from candles being blown out wafting in and out. Wonderfully complex, hard to pin down, and good fun.
Seattle Chocolate by Olympic Orchids
Olympic Orchids is a Seattle-based, independent perfumer operated by neurobiologist Dr Ellen Covey. Seattle Chocolate is exactly what it sounds like, a chocolate accord but one wrapped up in aromatic notes of silver fir, oakmoss and bitter poplar – scents of Seattle woodlands. If you imagine chocolate growing on a tree, this is what it would smell like.
Dirty Rice by BORNTOSTANDOUT
When BTSO founder Jun Lim was in Australia recently, he explained to me that when he created Dirty Rice, he was inspired by the wafts of rice from rice cookers. Not the sweet sort, but the bready, starchy musky aroma that comes from being overcooked. Fascinating, subtle, yet it carries a punch.
Miami Split by Abel Fragrances
The latest fragrance to come from New Zealand brand Abel, who use entirely all-natural ingredients.
Miami Split plays on the creamy sweetness of banana. Add plenty of labdanum and notes of burnt caramel over white oud (which is less intense than the traditional variety) and you have something that smells like eating a banana brûlée with a touch of barnyard in the base.
1725 by Histoires de Parfums
Pastries. Lots of pastries with lots of almond, star anise and lavender guaranteed to not just get you compliments but actually get them leaning in for a better smell.
Midnight Scented Dream by Atkinsons
Ignore the description on Fragrantica. This is all almonds and flour, thanks to good dose of heliotrope. There’s some jasmine and bergamot in there, too, but not enough to take it out of edible territory.
Related:
The Creed fragrance that redefined the way a man should smell
How Mecca and Comme des Garçons taught Australia to smell differently
