Top 10 Best Vanilla Perfumes for Women EVER!

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This is an up-to-date list of the top 10 world’s best vanilla perfumes available right now. And to be crystal clear, my friend…

This is not just a random, whipped-up list of perfumes that smell like vanilla because, get this…

To complete this list, we have now spent years researching, wearing, and thoroughly testing over 75 different “prominent” vanilla based perfumes. In fact, we tested, scored, and then ranked every one of them for:

• How good they smell (0–10 scale)
• Projection, scent trail, and lasting time on skin
• Versatility aka what seasons and situations you can wear them. Oh, and…
• We even factored in the price and compliment factor (and more!) 😎

And then finally, we tallied up all the scores and whittled them down to just 10 of the absolute best for the ultimate top vanilla perfumes list (plus, we even review them!) So without further ado, let’s see the results below…

In a hurry?

Our Top 3 Picks:

• 1. Xerjoff Casamorati Lira (Premium Luxury Pick)
• 2. Diptyque Eau Duelle EDP
• 3. Christian Dior – Dior Addict EDP

Jump Links

• 10. Carner Barcelona El Born
• 9. Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser
• 8. Profumum Roma Dulcis in Fundo
• 7. Indult Tihota
• 6. Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille
• 5. Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidée Vanille
• 4. Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille
• 3. Christian Dior – Dior Addict EDP
• 2. Diptyque Eau Duelle EDP
• 1. Xerjoff Casamorati Lira

#10 Carner Barcelona El Born

A Delicious Boozy Honeyed Vanilla

This one smells SUPER unique! Here’s what you need to know…

This scent is named after El Born, which is one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in Barcelona. It has lots of coffee shops, liquor stores, bakeries, museums, and wine bars. Why is this relevant? Well…

Carner wanted to encapsulate the vibrant spirit and aroma of El Born in a bottle — especially those delicious, warm aromas lingering outside the bakeries! Did they succeed? Let’s take a sniff, my friend…

Smoky Dark Rich Honey

Oh, by the way, if you’re unaware… Carner is a Spanish luxury niche perfume house based in Barcelona. And the brand use super high-quality ingredients and master perfumers to create their fragrances – but they also come with prices to match (no surprise there). Anyways…

El Born opens up with a delicious blend of dark, rich boozy vanilla and thick honey mixed with a hint of bright citruses.

The citruses quickly fade, however, and as dries down on your skin, whispers of soft spices and white florals join the party, to add some sophisticated depth.

Also, some sandalwood creeps in and smooths everything with a sweet woody creaminess. All the notes are perfectly blended and balanced.

Mature Sophisticated Sweetness

It’s sweet, but not overly sweet. Oh, and to be clear, my friend…

El Born does not have an immature-smelling sweetness like those typical sweet teenybopper fragrances – El Born has a mature balsamic sweetness for grown-ups. 🙂 Because here’s the beautiful part…

El Born has a high-quality upscale aroma because Carner’s perfumer has actually used a genuine high-quality Madagascan Vanilla Absolute – which is super expensive, by the way. Who’s this perfume for?

High-Quality Upscale Aroma

El Born is unisex and suitable for all ages for use in the fall, winter, and cooler spring days.

However, it’s simply too sweet for the high summer heat. That said, if you spray lightly, it may be wearable on cool summer nights (depending on how hot your summers get, that is). Anyhow…

When it’s cool, it smells perfect for dates, nights out, special occasions, romantic cozy nights in — and even casual use.

Now, to be clear, my friend:

Subtle Scent Bubble

El Born is not a powerful projection monster – it’s a subtle scent that sits close to your skin (that said, it projects well for the first few hours, though). The good news…

This is an EDP and we found it to have good lasting power on skin. In fact, in our tests, we got up to 10+ hours of deliciousness! But it’s worth repeating, the scent lingers close to your skin. So please keep this in mind, my friend.

Side note: The bottle and presentation are gorgeous!

The elegant glass bottle comes with an individually handcrafted-wooden cap, which is engraved in Barcelona. (In case you’re wondering, the wood is sourced from sustainably managed European forests. 🌲)

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#9 Imaginary Authors Memoirs of a Trespasser

Smoky. Woody. And Boozy

My friend, if you are bored of all the other typical vanilla fragrances on the market…

Try this. Because listen to this…

Imaginary Authors is a small indie house that handcraft highly-unique, high-quality fragrances in the USA. Oh, and the brand also has a highly-unique and interesting concept. Get this…

Intriguing Twists

Each fragrance the brand creates follows a compelling storyline that is peppered with intriguing twists — just like a good book! Hence the brand’s name: Imaginary Authors.

And, just like a good book – the brand’s scents are meant to inspire you! But here’s the cool part:

Their fragrances even come presented in a box that resembles an actual book, which opens up to reveal the bottle inside. Also, the side of the bottle looks like the spine of a book, with the name of the scent printed on it.

Pretty cool, right?

Anyways, enough backstory, let me tell you how it smells:

Thick Dark Smoky Sweetness

Memoirs of a Trespasser opens up slightly smoky, with a sweet boozy vanilla aroma mixed with some woods. But, to be clear…

It’s NOT sugary sweet; it’s thick, it’s rich, and it’s dark. (Imagine the aroma of old library books 📚🙂) And…

As the scent settles on your skin, the resinous, smoky woods and vanilla continue into the dry down. And they are backed up by a deep earthy note and whispers of incense. simply put:

It smells like a dark creamy vanilla mixed with a burning wood aroma. Done beautifully, I might add. 😎

Completely Unique

It’s smooth and comforting and smells completely unique – yet it’s so easy to wear!

Now, Memoirs of a Trespasser is perfectly unisex and geared for the fall, winter, and those cool spring times (days or nights) – for dates, nights out, cozy nights in, casual use. And so on. Does it last long? Well, here’s what we found…

This is an EDP, and it projects pretty good for the first few hours (around arm’s length), and then it dies down and sits pretty close to your skin. However, it lingers on, noticeably, for up to an impressive 9+ hours!

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#8 Profumum Roma Dulcis in Fundo

Delicious Creamy Lemon & Orange Cake Aroma

Dulcis in Fundo is a gourmand lover’s dream!! If you’re unaware, gourmands are simply a category of fragrances that smell edible — aka they smell delicious! Oh, and by the way…

If you’re wondering, Profumum Roma (PROFVMVM ROMA) is an Italian family-run luxury brand that use super high-quality ingredients. But naturally, their creations also come with prices to match. Anyways, let’s take a quick sniff of this beauty…

Dulcis In Fundo opens with a blast of orange and lemon citruses blended with a high-quality-smelling sweet, rich Madagascar vanilla. These give you a yummy orangey-lemon creamsicle vibe. Nice. But it gets better…

Juicy Orange & Lemon Creamsicle

Because after a few hours on your skin, this finally morphs into a creamy orangey-lemon vanilla cake with whispers of cinnamon. And it smells incredibly DELICIOUS. 🍊🍋🍰

In fact, so much so that this little-known fragrance starts conversations — people will want to know WHAT you’re wearing. But be careful, my friend… they may even want to eat you. 🤣

In fact, this image nails it:

Yummy!

Now, Dulcis In Fundo is unisex (but leans feminine) and suitable for all ages to wear in fall, winter, and cooler spring days. It’s great for casual use, dates, nights out, special occasions, or just cozy nights in.

Now, to be clear:

This is NOT a powerhouse that will fill up a room. That said, it has above average projection and leaves a yummy scent trail behind you (which seems to attract a LOT of positive attention). And beautiful part…

Because Dulcis In Fundo is an extract concentration with a VERY high oil percentage, this makes it super-long lasting. In fact…

Long-Lasting Extract Concentration

In our tests, we got a DELICIOUS 7–9+ hours of detectable scent life on skin. Oh, and a quick heads-up:

Profumum Roma suggest that when you spray the fragrance on your skin, to wait 10–15 seconds, and then massage the area (in order to permit the essence to blend with your skin). By the way…

With a high concentration of oil still remaining on your skin, please pay attention to your clothing, my friend. The good news…

You only need to use 1–2 sprays of this… and you’re good to go for up to a delicious 9+ hours!

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#7 Indult Tihota

The Gold Standard

I will make it super easy for you…

If you want to smell of straight-up photorealistic warm, cozy delicious vanilla — with no other overpowering notes…. Get this. 🙂 Want to know the beautiful part?

This little-known perfume (and the brand itself — Indult) was actually created by world-renowned master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian — who’s now currently the head perfumer for the luxury brand Christian Dior. Enough said. Anyways…

Highly Natural Smelling

To be clear, Tihota is NOT a complex scent, and it has only 2 prominent notes: pure vanilla bean and soft white musk. Done. In fact, let me tell you how it smells…

When you spray this on your skin, what you get is a straight-up thick, rich, sweet vanilla — with a nice hint of booziness and whispers of spices.

And as it dries down on your skin, the vanilla slowly joins forces with the soft white musk and a pinch of sugary sweetness. The result?

Luxuriously Deep, Rich & Sweet

It’s yummy sweet (but not overly sweet). And it smells luxurious, warm, and sexy. And (unsurprisingly) it garners a LOT of compliments. Who’s it for?

Tihota is unisex (leaning feminine) and suitable for all ages, and it’s more geared for the fall and winter (days or nights).

It smells perfect for dates, romantic nights, nights out… or simply as a warm cozy comforting scent.

Now, I should point something out:

Warm & Cozy

Tihota is not a powerhouse! We found it projects about an arm’s length for the first few hours, and then it becomes more subtle and sits intimately close to your skin. The good news…

Tihota is an EDP and it’s super-long lasting — up to 9+ hours! And even better news…

Not only does Tihota smell gorgeous by itself, but it’s also GREAT for layering (mixing) with other scents. So…

Also GREAT for Layering!

You have the option to either wear Tihota alone as a stand-alone gorgeous perfume… OR you have the option to layer Tihota with your other favorite perfumes — to give them a beautiful rich, vanilla base. How??

Well, just spray Tihota on your skin, then simply spray one of your other favorite perfumes directly on top, to create your very own unique scent (and boost its scent life, too!)

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#6 Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille

Intoxicating Rich, Boozy Rum Aroma

Know this, my friend:

In the fragrance community, Guerlain Spiritueuse Double Vanille is the Holy Grail of vanilla perfumes for a LOT of fragrance experts… and for GOOD reason! Oh…

In case you don’t know, Guerlain is a French luxury perfume house that has been doing this stuff for nearly 200 years!!! (That’s not a typo!) So let’s just say, they know a thing or two. 🙂 But listen to this…

High Quality

Spiritueuse Double Vanille is from the brand’s higher-end exclusive L’Art et la Matière collection. What’s this, then?

Well, this is simply a collection of fragrances crafted for true fragrance aficionados of rare scents, and for those of you who appreciate the use of high-quality ingredients.

In fact, this masterpiece was actually created by world-renowned master perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain, himself. Oh, and by now, you’ve probably guessed — these are not cheap, my friend. Anyways…

Enough babble, let me tell you how it smells…

Deep Boozy Rum Accord

As soon as you spray Spiritueuse Double Vanille, she opens up with a rich, dark, sweet, spicy creamy vanilla that’s beautifully blended with a splash of deep boozy rum.

And as it dries down on your skin… it starts to get sweeter as some resinous warmth creeps in, and you get whispers of smoky incense weaving through the scent.

And buried underneath all these rich, warm intoxicating notes is a layer of lightly spiced woods.

It smells deep, rich, warm and incredibly sexy. In fact, watch heads turn when you wear it in public. 🙂

Now, to be clear, my friend…

Complex & Sophisticated

Spiritueuse Double Vanille does NOT smell like one of those sugary sweet mass-marketed teenager type perfumes — it’s masterfully blended and smells complex and screams high quality. Who’s this for, then?

Well, Spiritueuse Double Vanille is listed as unisex but leans feminine, and it’s more geared for the sophisticated mature 25+ crowd.

And it’s also more geared for fall and winter wear (days and nights) because we tested this in high heat and discovered it gets cloying (overly sweet). So I would avoid wearing this in the summer but…

Elegant Scent Trail

When it’s cool, it smells perfect for dates, special occasions, romantic evenings, nights-out and even for casual use.

Now, I should point something else out:

This is NOT one of those statement room-filler type fragrances. So if you’re looking for a powerhouse, you will be disappointed, my friend. Because here’s what we found:

Spiritueuse Double Vanille is EDP concentrated, and for the first few hours it projects moderately off your skin (around an arm’s length). Leaving a noticeable elegant scent trail behind you.

Intoxicating Wafts

It then softens up and sits politely close to your skin, giving off gentle intoxicating wafts when you move about. And the beautiful part…

You’ll be pleased to know that we timed it on skin, multiple times, and in all our tests, it was STILL noticeable for up to 11+ hours! (Albeit intimately close to your skin.)

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#5 Van Cleef & Arpels Orchidée Vanille EDP

Yummy Fruity Orange Chocolate

This beautiful “hidden gem” comes from Van Cleef & Arpels — a French luxury jewellery, watch, and perfume house.

And Orchidée Vanille is part of the brand’s luxurious Collection Extraordinaire. This exclusive collection is crafted using higher-quality raw ingredients. In fact, let me quickly tell you how it smells…

Light & Airy

Orchidée Vanille opens with a light, airy burst of mandarin orange mixed with bitter almonds. And…

When it starts to settle on your skin, the creamy soft vanilla shines through — creating a deliciously sweet orangey dark chocolate aroma. 🍊🍫😍

And to be clear, my friend, this doesn’t smell sickly sweet because it’s beautifully blended and balanced with some woodiness, a hint of bitter almond, and whispers of soft-powdery violet.

Youthful Yet Sophisticated

Now, Orchidée Vanille does not smell juvenile, it smells youthful, yet sophisticated. And smells more suited for the fall and winter (days or nights).

And it’s perfect for dates, romantic situations, special occasions, nights out… or just cozy evenings in at home. 🙂 But just so we are crystal clear…

Not gonna lie, this EDP is a soft intimate fragrance that absolutely does not scream out for attention. So…

Soft & Cozy

If you’re looking to make a statement (aka fill up a room), I would absolutely not recommend this to you, my friend. HOWEVER…

Even though this scent hovers very close to your skin, we found in tests that it could still be detectable (up close) for up to 6+ hours.

Oh, and finally, I must mention the bottle looks very classy, and it even has its very own bottleneck charm with the Van Cleef & Arpels logo engraved on it . Nice touch.

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#4 Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille

Smoky Woody Honeyed Vanilla

First off…

In case you don’t know, Serge Lutens is a luxury niche perfume house from France… and Un Bois Vanille translates to A Vanilla Wood. But there’s a LOT more going on in this beautiful perfume – let’s take a closer look…

As soon as you spray Un Bois Vanille, you’re greeted with bittersweet creamy honeyed-vanilla blended with milky coconut and black licorice. Nice. Oh, by the way…

If you LOVE coconut scents, discover our top picks on our best coconut perfumes list. Anyways…

Toasting Marshmallows Vibes

As it starts to dry down, the creamy honeyed vanilla starts to warm up on your skin and is joined by a burnt smoky woody aroma. The beautiful part…

This campfire-like aroma balances the sweetness out, so it STOPS the fragrance from becoming overly sweet and juvenile.

Also, the bitter almonds and licorice now sit quietly in the background to give the fragrance a sophisticated, rich depth. In fact, imagine this, my friend…

The rich, delicious comforting aroma of toasting golden-brown marshmallows around a camp fire. 😍 That’s Un Bois Vanille! Who’s it for, then? When to wear it?

Delicious Comforting Aroma

Well, this is unisex but leans slightly feminine and geared for the mature, sophisticated crowd. And it’s best for fall and winter usage (due to its delicious sweetness):

Perfect for dates, nights out, special occasions, cozy nights in… or even casual use. How long does it last on skin?

In our tests, we found this EDP to project softly (within arm’s length) for the first few hours.

And then she softens up hugs you (aka it sits VERY close to your skin). So please keep this in mind, my friend. And we found total detectable scent life to be 5–7+ hours.

Simply put:

One of the MOST comforting coconut vanilla perfume on the market.

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#3 Christian Dior – Dior Addict EDP

Vanillic Creamy White Florals

Know this, my friend:

This appropriately named scent is an absolute “head turner.” 🙂 In fact, let me quickly tell you how it smells…

As soon as you spray Dior Addict, it smells slightly green and sharp, and to be brutally honest, it does NOT smell the greatest, either! (To my nose, at least.) HOWEVER…

Please don’t judge the scent just yet, my friend, because after about 15 minutes on your skin, it transforms into something much, MUCH more enjoyable. So stay with me… 🙂

Because when it starts to dry down, the deep dark vanilla creeps in and morphs beautifully with the creamy white florals (jasmine & orange blossom). The result?

Deep Dark Vanilla

This smooths the white florals out and gives them an addictive slightly sweet and dark smoky vanilla aroma. It’s deep, it’s rich, and it smells incredibly sexy!

By the way, if you love jasmine, discover our top picks on our best jasmine perfumes list.

Now, Dior Addict EDP comes in a beautifully designed dark-blue bottle. And it definitely smells better when you wear it in cooler weather (fall, winter, and cool spring nights).

Plus, its classy aroma is more geared for the mature sophisticated 20+ crowd. Especially for dates, special occasions, nights out, and so on. Or even just for casual use! And the beautiful part…

Super Long Lasting

In testing, we discovered that Dior Addict EDP JUMPS off your skin! (It can fill up a room lol) So the good news: You only need to use 1–2 spritzes and you’re set! 😍👍

And you’ll also be pleased to know it’s super long-lasting, too. In fact, multiple times, we got 9+ hours of noticeable scent life — on skin! Oh, and finally…

Let’s not forget about the beautiful scent trail that it leaves behind you… So just be prepared for a LOT of compliments, my friend. (Can you tell I LOVE this? 🤣)

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#2 Diptyque Eau Duelle EDP Version

A Dark, Rich & Spicy Full-Bodied Vanilla

Here’s what you need to know:

Diptyque is a French niche perfume house that create luxury fragrances and scented candles. Now, I should point something out, my friend:

Eau Duelle is available in both EDT and EDP concentrations, and they smell slightly different from each other. Which version smells the best, then?

Eau Duelle EDT vs Eau Duelle EDP

Well, after fully testing both the EDT and EDP versions, side-by-side, we recommend the EDP version. Why?

Simply because the EDP has a delicious-smelling intensified full-bodied vanilla aroma. And that’s what this list is all about, right? 🙂 Oh, and the EDP lasts longer, too! Put simply:

The EDT is fresher and lighter aromatic version. To be fair, though — BOTH versions smell GREAT! So…

If you do prefer a lighter, airy take, then by all means grab the EDT version — you won’t be disappointed! (Oh, and the EDT is more affordable, too.) Anyways…

Smooth Spices & Whispers of Incense

Let’s take a quick sniff of our favorite pick: the EDP version…

Eau Duelle EDP opens up with gentle spicy notes that are smoothly blended with whispers of smoky incense. However…

It quickly settles on your skin… a full-bodied dark, deep, rich boozy-like vanilla comes into play and joins forces with the incense.

Full-Bodied

Also, underneath all these delicious smooth spices and incense is a soft layer of resinous woods. So the end result is…

It smells deep, rich, and subtly sweet (think: vanilla sweetness mixed with that dusty antique book aroma 📚). So…

Just to be clear, my friend, Eau Duelle EDP is definitely NOT one of those sugary sweet gourmand style of vanillas (aka it’s not edible smelling). Who’s it for?

A Calming Warm Glow

Well, Eau Duelle EDP is unisex but leans slightly feminine, and it’s more suited for the classy 20+ crowd. And it’s definitely a cooler weather scent: fall and winter (cool spring nights).

And you’ll be pleased to know it smells versatile, so you can wear it for dates, special occasions, nights out, work/office… or even just for everyday casual use.

Now, I should point something out:

Deep Rich Sophisticated Sweetness

This is a subtle fragrance that doesn’t scream for attention. So if you’re looking for a powerhouse, you will be disappointed because…

In our tests, for the first few hours, we found it projects softly off your skin. And then it settles closer to your skin, creating a warm, cozy glow around you. The goods news:

Even though it sits intimately close to your skin, being an EDP, we found the scent could STILL be detectable on your skin for up to a calm and comforting 12+ hours! 🥰

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#1 Xerjoff Casamorati Lira

Delicious Orange Caramel Cake

Lira is a deliciously simple fragrance — with an enormous impact!

Now, if you’re unfamiliar… Xerjoff (pronounced Serj-off) is an Italian niche perfume house that create luxury perfumes. But here’s the beautiful part:

To create their fragrances, Xerjoff commission world-class perfumers who use super high-quality materials. And on top of that…

Premium Quality

The bottles are gorgeous and they even come beautifully presented in premium packaging. But, of course, all of this luxury comes bundled with luxury prices to match. 🙃 I get it. Anyhow…

Lira is part of the brand’s Casamorati collection, which they say are inspired by the ancient art of Italian perfumery. Let’s take a sniff…

Casamorati Lira greets you with a sweet creamy sparkling orange citrus aroma, with hints of licorice and cinnamon.

Juicy Blood Orange

And as it dries on your skin, it becomes warmer and sweeter as a delicious, high-quality blend of caramel and vanilla joins forces with the other notes. Put simply:

You’re left with a gorgeous spicy orange and creamy caramel cake aroma — with whispers of florals and woody notes. Delicious! 🍰😍

In fact, this image nails it:

And the good news is that the blood orange note balances the sweetness out, so it stops the scent from becoming overly sweet. And rest assured:

Lira smells highly unique and screams quality. People will want to (eat you) know what you are wearing! 🙂

Perfect for Dates

Now, Lira is suitable for all ages and smells delicious on cool spring days, and in the fall and winter. And it’s perfect for dates, casual, romantic evenings, nights-out, or simply as a comfort scent.

Now, to be crystal clear, my friend.

This is NOT a powerful “room filler” type of scent as we found it creates a moderate-sized scent bubble around you.

That said, though, you WILL get noticed because all our testers reported that whilst wearing Lira in public, it attracted them an enormous amount of compliments. Of course, the reason for this is simple:

You smell like a delicious cake! 🤣 In fact, this scent is a gourmand lover’s dream come true! And the good news…

HUGE Compliment Getter!

Casamorati Lira is powered by an EDP concentration and in testing, our subjects reported up to 10+ hours of deliciousness! Oh, and did I mention…

The presentation is outstanding, too! Both the bottle AND the box are gorgeous and of premium quality. So hats off to Xerjoff.

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Now, it’s your turn…

We would love to hear from you:

What do you think is the best smelling vanilla perfume? Have you tried any of these?

Or maybe you have a question.

Either way, please let us know by leaving a comment below right now.

Where to go from here?

I highly recommend you check out our Best Rose Perfumes list for some more awesome perfume recommendations.

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