Vanilla
Vanilla planifolia
The pod of a tropical orchid that only starts to smell after curing. Sweet, creamy, balsamic.
The note’s label
- Family
- gourmand note; among fragrance families, gourmand
- Position
- base note
- Impression
- Pairs with
- Evokes
- dessert · a warm jumper · wood with milk
- Raw material
- fermented (cured) pods of an orchid
- Natural or synthetic
- Natural extracts (absolute, CO₂ extract) are used, but most of the vanilla effect in perfumes comes from synthetic vanillin and ethyl vanillin.
How the scent develops
A fresh green vanilla pod has almost no smell. Vanillin and other aromatic compounds are released only during curing – repeated heating, sweating and drying.
Vanillin is also made synthetically today; it is one of the most widely used aroma chemicals of all.
In perfume
Vanilla is a base note of gourmand and amber fragrances. In the amber accord it adds sweetness to labdanum and balsams.
On the label
Vanillin joined the allergen list in 2023 – it must be listed above 0.001% in leave-on products.
In the fragrance archive
Our archive does not yet contain a fragrance whose published pyramid lists this note.
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