If you’ve read the title of this fragrance round-up and are expecting colognes that are edible, think again. While edible scents are becoming more prominent in the fragrance industry – yes, really – these gourmand men’s fragrances will have you smelling like delicious sweet and savoury foods.
A gourmand scent is described as an ‘edible’ aroma. They typically feature sweeter notes but there are some savory gourmand scents out there, too. Think notes of vanilla, coffee, chocolate, caramel, blackcurrant, honey, cognac and even tobacco.
To help you find a new scent that’s ‘almost’ good enough to eat, I’ve rounded up the best nine gourmand fragrances for men, featuring Tom Ford, Maison Margiela, Boss and more.
P.S. If you prefer something even sweeter, check out these best fruity fragrances for men.
Best gourmand fragrances for men
Tom Ford has a wide array of vanilla fragrances, including Tobacco Vanille and Vanille Fatale, but my pick for this round-up is Vanilla Sex. As you’d expect, Tom Ford Vanilla Sex is vanilla in a bottle, but the sweetness is balanced with rich amber to add some warmth.
If you love the smell of coffee, Maison Margiela REPLICA Coffee Break is a fougere-inspired scent that’s inspired by coffee shops. It has strong notes of coffee, milk mousse, sandalwood and cedarwood, but it has some sweet notes too, including red apple, lemon and lavender.
If coffee’s not your thing, maybe you’d prefer matcha! The Le Labo Thé Matcha 26 is inspired by matcha tea, and has notes of matcha tea accord, fig, vetiver, cedar and bitter orange. It’s a complex scent with notes of wood and sweetness, and it’s perfect for the autumnal time of year.
Another vanilla fragrance, Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male Elixir has notes of vanilla, honey, tonka bean and tobacco. At the top is lavender and mint, so you get some herbal and oriental smells too. And of course, Le Male Elixir comes in the classic striped men’s torso bottle that Jean Paul Gaultier is best known for.
The classic BOSS Bottled is warm, spicy and floral, aka well known themes of a gourmand fragrance. It has hints of spices with cinnamon and cloves at the heart, and has fruity notes with apple and citrus at the top. The base holds up these spicy, sweet layers with notes of sandalwood, cedar and vetiver.
The limited edition Mugler A*men Pure Havane might be hard to get your hands on, but it’s a rich gourmand scent that’s inspired by Cuban cigars. As expected, it has notes of tobacco, but it’s actually a rather sweet scent with layers of honey, vanilla and cacao.
KILIAN PARIS Smoking Hot is another fragrance with both sweet and smoky notes. It has layers of Kentucky Tobacco Absolute which gives a fiery, smokey scent, which works alongside Apple Hookah also known as flavoured shisha tobacco. To balance the smokiness, KILIAN PARIS Smoking Hot has layers of cinnamon, bourbon vanilla and oakmoss.
