The Magic Ingredient

Vanilla is the key to many fragrances, iconic or not, and adds a touch of magic.  We are working hard to produce quality beans and hope that, one day, Vanilla Paradise Nevis will provide the magic ingredient behind a world brand in the future!  

The perfect perfume ingredient

You will no doubt know that vanilla is a perfume ingredient in many non-edible products, from candles to skin-care and household cleaners, as well as fragrances we can wear.  Many of the world’s best-known perfume brands use vanilla.  Adult fragrances that use vanilla in their base notes are trending now, overtaking perfumes using more floral notes, so let’s take a look at how vanilla has influenced and shaped the little bottles that we love so much.  

A Symphony of Notes

First, what are perfume notes and how do they shape the perfumes we wear? Perfumes are made up of Top Notes, Heart Notes and Base notes.

• Top Notes: think of the Top Notes as the first impression a fragrance makes. They are the notes that you experience as soon as you apply the fragrance. Light and breezy, these Top Notes may be the quickest to fade, but they are a significant part of the overall makeup of the perfume.

• Heart Notes: also known as Middle Notes, Heart Notes lie at the core of the fragrance, forming the foundation of its character. Making up around 40-80% of the final fragrance, they appear just as the Top Notes start to gracefully fade away.

• Base Notes: emerging once the Top Notes have evaporated completely, they provide the final and enduring experience of a fragrance. Though they constitute a smaller percentage, around 10-25% of the final scent, they play a crucial role in enhancing the complexity of the fragrance. This is where we typically find vanilla, along with cedarwood, sandalwood, patchouli, and musk.
  

Which iconic fragrances use vanilla?

Chanel N°5 (1921): Perhaps the most well-known fragrance of all times, this timeless icon combines delicate vanilla and floral base notes and was created by Coco Chanel to celebrate the liberated spirit of femininity in the 1920s. If you are wondering why Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel named it “N°5”, in her own words: “I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck – therefore, I will name it 'Nº 5”.

Guerlain Shalimar (1925): A true enduring masterpiece, Shalimar combines vanilla with opulent oriental accords, as its creator, Jacques Guerlain, was inspired by Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Shah Jahan, Mughal emperor of India, and for whom the Taj Mahal in Agra and the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore were built. In 2013 Guerlain launched a limited-edition version called “Shalimar Ode à la Vanille - Sur la route du Mexique” that has Mexican vanilla top notes (rather than, as is more usual, a base note). Let’s not forget that Vanilla originated in Mexico.

Dior Poison (1998): Vanilla takes centre stage in this provocative scent, created by Dior after testing over 800 scents and in direct competition to “Opium” by Yves Saint Laurent. Poison paved the way for up to 19 versions by the brand, of which 10 are still in production today.

Thierry Mugler Angel (1992): Angel, was the first modern gourmand perfume (having “edible” top notes such as honey, chocolate and vanilla, with notes of patchouli, praline, red berries, and vanilla, mixed with non-edible base notes like musk or patchouli).

Lancôme La Vie Est Belle (2012): Vanilla is a base note found in this modern classic.

Jo Malone Vanilla Anise Cologne: (2009) Described by the brand as “A modern story of vanilla”, this cologne uses purple vanilla as a Heart Note and Bourbon vanilla as the base. In 2020 Jo Malone launched Vetiver & Golden Vanilla Cologne, also using Bourbon vanilla as the base note. Both perfumes can be worn by men and women.

Vanilla features in fragrances that may not be as known, yet, but may become icons in their turn: Laura Mercier’s Vanilla and Ambre Vanilla, Lalique’s Le Parfum, and Diptyque’s Eau Duelle, as well as the youngest, Zara’s Vanilla Violet Orchid.

Have we missed out your favourite fragrance and does it contain vanilla? Drop us a line and we will find out for you: contact