I’ve always been honest about my love for perfumes that fall on the sweeter side of the spectrum, but that doesn’t mean I want to be hit over the head with notes of vanilla, caramel, praline, or chocolate so that I smell like the Honeydukes Express. (Harry Potter fans, you know what I mean.)
When you throw “chocolate” and “perfume” in the same sentence, your stomach might start to do the wave. (Even me! Someone who’s very much into gourmand scents.) BUT. What if I told you some of the most popular and beloved fragrances ever created had the note subtly woven into them? (Think Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille, Mugler’s Angel, Byredo’s Velvet Haze, the like.)
Below, I’ll be proving that the good-enough-to-eat perfume movement happening right now is spiked with 12 chocolate-y scents that pretty much scream longevity and also happen to be surprisingly more subtle than you’d think. Curious to see which chocolate perfumes I routinely recommend and would actually wear? Keep scrolling!
Key fragrance notes: dark rum, davana, honey (vegan), bran absolute, cinnamon. sandalwood, vanilla bean, cocoa absolute. Ellis Brooklyn makes some of our favorite-ever fragrances (the brand gets bonus brownie points for its clean ingredients and sustainable sourcing), but as far as gourmands scents go, Bee has to be our favorite. If you don’t like sweet scents, this won’t be the perfume for you, but if you want something intoxicating and sure to induce on-the-spot mouth dribble, grab it. The chocolate isn’t what will hit you first—that will be the gilded drizzle of vegan honey—but it unfolds into something deeper and more rich thanks to the base note additions of sandalwood, cocoa, and vanilla at base.
Key fragrance notes: bergamot, mandarin, green tea, orange flower, jasmine, matcha, benzoin, moss, white chocolate. Let’s get one thing straight. I am not a matcha person. Quite simply, think it tastes and smells like dank grass. So, when I was first handed this perfume from Maison Margiela’s Replica collection I prematurely scrunchd my nose in disgust. Until, I actually took a sniff. It’s mellow, creamy, and unpretentiously sweet. It’s the ultimate chocolate perfume for the person who doesn’t actually want to smell like they’re wearing a gourmand scent, since it leans more fresh and citrus. (You can thank the white chocolate accord which is far less rich and indulgent than most notes of cocoa added to fragrances.)
Key fragrance notes: ambrette, coconut water, patchouli leaves, cocoa absolute, wild musk. Rich and luxurious, the brand compares Velvet Haze to a “psychedelic whirlpool,” and we don’t disagree. It’s more earthy than sweet, but it’s still highly addicting and a must for anyone looking to update their wardrobe collection with a Byredo fan-favorite.
Key fragrance notes: violet leaf, neroli, petitgrain, freesia, jasmine, vanilla, coco musk, and sandalwood. If I was put to the task of adding one Henry Rose perfume to your car, and one perfume alone, it would be Queens & Monsters. It may sound cheesy, but it’s how I imagine an enchanted forest would smell: dewy, fresh, woody, and slightly floral and sweet. Coco musk is at the base, but you would never smell this alluring scent and think “chocolate.” Not to mention, the brand is founded by Hollywood icon Michelle Pfeiffer and the first fine fragrance line to be both EWG Verified™ and Cradle to Cradle Certified™.
Key fragrance notes: bergamot, praline, patchouli. There are two camps in this world: those who favor Mugler’s warm and floral icon Alien, and those who prefer Angel—a softer, cotton candy–like concoction that’s the ultimate guilty pleasure among fragrance lovers everywhere. Oh, and you, or perhaps your mom or sister, likely owned a bottle all through the ’90s. (It was created by Monsieur Mugler in 1992.) According to the brand’s website, Angel was the first gourmand fragrance in the history of perfumery, with an iconic blend of patchouli, praline, red berries, and vanilla encapsulating the following three facets: “celestial, delicious, and voluptuous.” While the hints of chocolate don’t receive top billing, they’re subtly woven in.
Key fragrance notes: green mandarin, cardamom, cocoa cremoso, jasmine, orange flower, sandalwood, hazelnut chocolate milk. Although I haven’t smelled this one, my fellow beauty editor Shawna Hudson gave it a rave when I asked the team to shout to me about their favorite chocolate perfumes. “I was pleasantly surprised by this one, the combination of notes sounds interesting at first glance, but I promise it smells gorgeous after you spritz a bit on. You definitely smell the chocolatey undertones quite a bit, but the notes of sandalwood, cardamom, and creamy cocoa cremoso balance it so perfectly.” I mean, yum.
Key fragrance notes: black coffee, white flowers, vanilla. Yves Saint Laurent’s Black Opium is one of those cult-loved scents that just doesn’t fall out of favor. (It’s been around since 2014.) The twist of coffee and vanilla give it a “chocolate-y-ness” that’s rich and luxurious without actually smelling like somethin you should be eating, not wearing. I recommend it to almost everyone, and I’ve never received a complaint.
Key fragrance notes: vanilla, chocolate, Hinoki wood. You know the soft serve machines that let you do a twist? This vanilla concoction studded by chocolate and Hinoki wood is the bottled, sprayable version of that, just slightly less messy. It blends two types of vanilla—the name doesn’t deceive, it’s a sweet one—but the wood and chocolate give it a kick to keep it from leaning too saccharine or cloying.
Key fragrance: tobacco, tonka bean, ginger vanilla, cocoa, dry fruit accords, sweet wood sap. Sweet, but make it edgy. In true, Tom Ford fashion, the brand takes a would-be straightforwrd scent (like tobacco) and twists and turns it into an unsuspecting masterpiece. “Tobacco Vanille is opulent, warm, and iconic,” Tom Ford says of this warm and sultry scent. “Reminiscent of an English Gentleman’s Club and blended with rich spices, vanilla, and tobacco flower, it leaves a powerful impression.” Amazing for both men and women, it’s enveloping, memorable, and gets better and better the longer it melds into your body’s unique chemistry.
Key fragrance notes: mandarin, nutmeg, sandalwood, galbanum, cocoa, plum, jasmine, yellow rose, vanilla. Like an ode to chocolate, this Italian-born perfume is a any chocolate-lover’s true fantasy. Fun fact: it was the first perfume created by brand creator Silvana Casoli in 1997.
Key fragrance notes: mandarin, bergamot, caramel, white chocolate, jasmine madagascan vanilla, cedarwood, sandalwood. So many sweet or chocolatey perfumes out there are so sugary you feel like you might choke. This one is definitely on the sweeter side, yes, but you won’t feel the need to launch yourself out a window. It’s the ultimate warm and spicy fragrance at a refreshingly doable price point.
Key fragrance notes: chocolate, jasmine, cedrat, bergamot, cinnamon, patchouli, tonka bean, sandalwood. Warning, this perfume is not for the faint of heart, and is not your typical light ‘n’ sweet chocolate fragrance. (After all, we can always depend on Kilian for the ultimate olfactory plot twist when it comes to scent.) It’s like an overdose of chocolate made unconventional thanks to jasmine from India and cedrat from Italy.
