If you’ve written off gourmands because they’re too sweet, too dense, too overwhelming – try what I like to call a featherlight gourmand, something that still provides that hit of addictive sweetness, but in an airy way, like a fluffy angel food cake. Here are five options.
Marshmallow Musk by Maison IRFÉ is a delightfully whimsical ode to musk. Personally, I find “marshmallow” to be a descriptor of how the musk note is done here, rather than a note itself. Soft, pillowy, evoking the color white, it’s a scent of femininity and romance. Earl grey tea, lavender petals, iris nectar, and vanilla accompany the marshmallow cotton and powdery musk, creating a scent profile that is truly of my dreams. I also love the uniqueness of IRFÉ bottles; they are made to look like vanki-vstanki dolls, Russian toys that right themselves however they are tipped. The brand was founded in Paris in 1924 by Princess Irina Romanova and Prince Felix Yusupov, and later relaunched in 2008.
If you want something sweeter, try Ellis Brooklyn’s new Queens Caramel, a true sensorial treat. Caramel, maple sugar, white chocolate, vanilla bourbon, pink salt, and more harmonize for a creamy dream of scent that envelops you like a cashmere blanket on an autumn day. If this description has you questioning why it’s on this list, don’t worry – this is a light, easy, and soft cloak of sweetness. Rather than sticky or sickly, it’s deliciously comforting. I personally get some similarities to Bianco Latte by Giardini di Toscana from this scent, which is one of my favorite gourmands, but this is slightly easier to wear.
On my hunt for the perfect lactonic perfume, I came across Eau d’Italie’s Morn to Dusk, one of the coziest scents I’ve had the pleasure of smelling. Notes listed are bergamot, lily of the valley, bourbon vanilla, cedarwood, and musk, but in the opening I get a very pronounced milky note, which sets a tone of coziness for the rest of the wear. This is a little gem I like to recommend to people who are in search of their perfect vanilla, but find that everything is either too sugary, too woody, too smoky, or too one-note. This one is gorgeous and elevated, but sweet in its simplicity. I also love the history of this brand: founders Marina Sersale and Sebastián Alvarez Murena, owners of the famous Le Sirenuse hotel on the Amalfi Coast, created Eau d’Italie as the hotel’s signature scent, which then became an entire brand of its own.
If you, like me, have an obsession with rose macarons, you must try Akro’s newest launch immediately. I’ve always loved these little treats due to their unique flavor profile; as someone who doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth and loves roses, they’ve always been one of my favorite desserts. Akro has bottled up their scent with Crush, a swirling of roasted almond, lychee, Bulgarian rose, praline, and vanilla. I can smell the flaky crust of the pastry and the sticky rose paste inside – by some olfactive magic, the scent itself is textured. Because the main note is rose, a fresh, sweet floral, this gourmand never veers into “too sweet” territory.
Finally, an exciting launch that’s available at Sephora 10/10: Buttercream Haze by The 7 Virtues. I had the pleasure of attending the launch for this indulgent delight, guided through the entire collection by the brand’s amazing marketing team. Fun fact: their fragrances are made for layering, in order to create customizable scent profiles tailored to the individual. I tried Buttercream Haze layered with Candied Lychee, Cherry Ambition, and Clementine Dream, each creating an addictive blend with a different vibe. On its own, Buttercream Haze smells like a freshly baked cake, topped with thick icing and maple crème. The sweetest on this list, it still belongs in the featherlight category due to its mousse-like aromatic texture, probably due to whipped vanilla and cashmere musk. There’s also a fluffy pancake accord, which makes me smile every time I remember. What I also love about the brand is that every purchase helps fund Days for Girls in advancing period equity in North America.
