Top Picks | Gourmand

Toothsome, light and fun, Serendipitous is the kind of wonderful chocolate scent that will make you feel like a kid again. Tahitian vanilla and a delicate blood orange tartness add depth, but the star of the show is the pillowy, fluffy, sweet chocolate- we just can’t get enough.

Hilde Soliani’s delightful, playful gourmands never fail to thrill us, and Fraaagola, with its addictive blend of super sweet strawberry and just the right amount of salt for contrast, is yet another winner. Like a strawberry candy without a hint of artificiality, Fraaagola Saalaaata is perfect for the strawberry lover in all of us.

Paris*LA distinguishes itself by nailing a note- Coca Cola- rarely attempted in perfumery. But here, it’s excellent- fizzy, perfectly spiced, sweet, and refreshing. A wonderfully sugary macaron note picks up where the soda leaves off, ensuring that Paris is just as well represented as LA.

If the smell of a bakery makes you weak in the knees, this is a fragrance not to miss. Featuring sweet hazelnut and creamy sandalwood, the whole composition comes together with a pinch of salt to end up as a mouthwatering dead ringer for a buttery, salty soft pretzel. Delicious.

Salt Caramel is exactly like one of the creamy, delectable candy treats that you might remember from grandparents’ homes everywhere. Sweet, rich and well salted, with a light fruity touch in the top notes.

Plenty of fragrances are described as “mouthwatering,” but few deliver so fully on that promise as the warm, sweet, sugary Madera, a butterscotch and caramel that truly delights. If you love the way department store gourmands open but dread the plastic, artificial mess that they often dry down to, discover the difference that quality small-batch ingredients makes- Madera stays lusciously sweet all the way through.

We have chocolate scents that explore deep, challenging aspects of the precious foodstuff- and then there’s Chocolate Greedy, which you might accuse of being straightforward if it weren’t so unbelievably tasty. Like a fresh baked chocolate cookie, this is all sweet, indulgent chocolate and creamy vanilla- and it’s good enough to eat.

There’s no mystery as to why Silk, Lace & Chocolate was originally a Valentine’s Day scent- this is your traditional gift basket in fragrance form. Rich, decadent cocoa absolute borrows a delightful sweetness from a juicy strawberry note, while a toe-curlingly sexy base of vanilla and woodsy musk suggests intimate times ahead.