What Are Gourmand Fragrances, And What Do They Actually Smell Like?
What Are Gourmand Fragrances, And What Do They Actually Smell Like?
Gourmand.
It’s a popular term in fragrance that seems to have popped up out of nowhere. Even two of our best sellers, Milk and Gold, fall into the gourmand category.
But what exactly are gourmand fragrances, and why can’t we get enough of them?
Most commonly, gourmand scents are reminiscent of sweet, indulgent desserts with notes like Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate and Marshmallow. But a gourmand can also be savory, nutty, fruity or bread-like—anything that feels good enough to eat.
The main distinction with gourmands is that these food-like notes take center stage versus a supporting role in the scent’s background.
Because of the confusion surrounding the word “gourmand,” we’ve removed it at Commodity. Instead, we use the more intuitive word “sweet” and further specify the type of sweetness of our 2 gourmands with “Lactonic” (for Milk) or “Vanilla” (for Gold).
Their sudden rise in popularity is partly due to their unmistakable nostalgic quality. Due to scent's tie to memory, gourmands can evoke memories of baking holiday cookies with grandparents or roasting marshmallows on fall camping trips.
They’re also nostalgic in the sense that they remind us of our first foray into fragrance. Gourmands often feel like a mature version of a beloved body spray or fragrance that was constantly reworn during adolescence.
It’s a popular term in fragrance that seems to have popped up out of nowhere. Even two of our best sellers, Milk and Gold, fall into the gourmand category.
But what exactly are gourmand fragrances, and why can’t we get enough of them?
Gourmands, Explained
In French, the term “gourmand” refers to someone who enjoys and appreciates good food, and also to food itself that’s tempting and delicious. The definition in fragrance plays off this, referring to a scent category that’s designed to smell edible.Most commonly, gourmand scents are reminiscent of sweet, indulgent desserts with notes like Vanilla, Caramel, Chocolate and Marshmallow. But a gourmand can also be savory, nutty, fruity or bread-like—anything that feels good enough to eat.
The main distinction with gourmands is that these food-like notes take center stage versus a supporting role in the scent’s background.
Because of the confusion surrounding the word “gourmand,” we’ve removed it at Commodity. Instead, we use the more intuitive word “sweet” and further specify the type of sweetness of our 2 gourmands with “Lactonic” (for Milk) or “Vanilla” (for Gold).
The Rise in Gourmands
Although edible notes in fragrance are nothing new, gourmand as a fragrance category is still fairly modern.Their sudden rise in popularity is partly due to their unmistakable nostalgic quality. Due to scent's tie to memory, gourmands can evoke memories of baking holiday cookies with grandparents or roasting marshmallows on fall camping trips.
They’re also nostalgic in the sense that they remind us of our first foray into fragrance. Gourmands often feel like a mature version of a beloved body spray or fragrance that was constantly reworn during adolescence.
Try Gourmands For Yourself
Milk Scent Space Kit
Each version of the Marshmallow-based trilogy has a fresh, steely Cold Milk accord, warmed by creamy Marshmallow and sweet Tonka Bean.