Best Gourmand Perfumes, Explained (and Their Cheaper Clones)

A gourmand perfume is a scent built on notes you could eat: vanilla, caramel, praline, honey, chocolate, coffee, tonka, cherry or almond. The top-scoring clone pick on our register is Nusuk Ateeq, which scores 96% against Xerjoff Naxos at about $45 for 100 ml, against about $285 for 100 ml of the original.

Most lists of gourmand perfumes name the originals and stop there. Below, each of nine gourmand originals in our catalogue gets its closest scored clone, both prices per ml and the saving.

What is a gourmand perfume#

Gourmand is French for someone who loves good food. In perfume it names a family built on edible, dessert-like notes, and sugar is only part of it: coffee, bitter almond, cognac and tobacco all fit.

Dried cocoa beans scattered on a white surface beside a small white bowl Photo: angelicavaihel / Pixabay

Mugler describes Angel, launched in 1992, as widely recognised as the first gourmand fragrance. It still has the strongest gourmand accord we track, 85: cotton candy, honey, red berries and caramel set against a dark patchouli. Its closest clone, Dossier Gourmand Patchouli, scores 72%, a loose resemblance: softer, fruitier, without the austere patchouli. So Angel stays out of the ranking.

The nine originals below fall into five styles:

• Vanilla and praline: Althaïr, La Vie Est Belle, Angels' Share.
• Coffee and almond: Black Opium, Good Girl.
• Honey and tobacco: Naxos, Tobacco Vanille.
• Fruit and liqueur: Lost Cherry.
• Sugared florals: Love, Don't Be Shy.

Baccarat Rouge 540 often turns up on gourmand lists too, but on our register it leads with amber (100) and woody (74) and has no gourmand accord. Its clones have their own guide: Baccarat Rouge 540 dupes, scored.

The best gourmand perfumes and their clones, ranked#

Naxos beside three gourmand perfume clones: Ateeq, Liquid Brun and Kismet Magic Bottle photos: the houses' own product shots.

Prices are typical bottle prices and move often. Similarity is our editorial score out of 100: above 85, most people will not tell them apart in daily wear; 75 to 85, clearly the same idea with different details; below 75, a loose resemblance.

Kayali Vanilla 28 has the strongest vanilla accord we track (95) but misses the cut: its best clone, Dossier Woody Vanilla, scores 78% and is drier and more wood-led.

The nine pairs, one by one#

1. Naxos and Ateeq (96%)#

Naxos is the honey gourmand perfume of the group, a 2015 release from Xerjoff: lavender, bergamot and lemon on top, honey, cinnamon and jasmine in the heart, tobacco, tonka and vanilla underneath. Honey leads the accords at 85.

A wooden honey dipper resting in a small glass dish of golden honey on marble Photo: u_cq5lt59nfy / Pixabay

Nusuk Ateeq scores 96%, the highest pairing in this guide. Almost the same honeyed tobacco and lavender, with a little more grapefruit and lime at the start, worn slightly closer to the skin. It rates 3/5 for longevity and sillage against 4/5 for Naxos.

Suits: a gourmand that reads golden rather than sugary. Naxos is unisex; Ateeq is listed for men.

2. Althaïr and Liquid Brun (95%)#

Althaïr is a 2023 release from Parfums de Marly. Bergamot, mandarin and elemi lead into orange blossom, cinnamon and cardamom, then vanilla, praline and guaiac wood. Vanilla leads the accords at 90, gourmand 55.

French Avenue Liquid Brun scores 95% and matches its 4/5 for longevity and sillage. It misses some of the airy brightness up top and carries a more noticeable almond facet.

Suits: men who want a spiced vanilla for evenings. Althaïr scores night at 90.

3. Angels' Share and Kismet Magic (85%)#

Angels' Share, composed by Benoist Lapouza for Kilian Paris in 2020, is the boozy one: cognac, then cinnamon, tonka and oak, then praline, vanilla and sandalwood. Boozy leads at 100.

Maison Alhambra Kismet Magic lists the same notes and scores 85%. The cognac opening is bolder but flatter, missing the bright lift of the original. At $25 for 100 ml it saves 96% per ml, the most in the table. Our recommended pick is Lattafa Khamrah (78%): sweeter and more dessert-like, with dates and praline in place of most of the cognac.

Suits: cold-weather wear. Angels' Share scores winter at 95.

4. Lost Cherry and Fructus Virginis (85%)#

Lost Cherry, a 2018 Tom Ford composed by Louise Turner, sets cherry and bitter almond over rose, jasmine, Peru balsam and tonka. Fruity leads at 90, gourmand 50. At $7.90 per ml it is the dearest original here, yet rates only 3/5 for longevity and sillage.

A heap of glossy red sweet cherries with their green stems Photo: Couleur / Pixabay

Alexandria Fragrances Fructus Virginis scores 85%. It is denser and boozier, trading some airiness for richness and projection, and rates 4/5 for both. Dossier Ambery Cherry scores 82% and is our recommended pick, with a gentler boozy edge at $0.78 per ml.

Suits: a gourmand perfume built on fruit and liqueur rather than dessert. All three are unisex.

5. Black Opium and Opera Noir (84%)#

Black Opium (Yves Saint Laurent, 2014) is the coffee gourmand: pear, pink pepper and orange blossom, then coffee, jasmine, bitter almond and licorice, over vanilla, patchouli and cedar. Vanilla scores 85, gourmand 80, and at $1.83 per ml it is the cheapest original in the table.

Close-up of a pile of dark roasted coffee beans filling the frame Photo: jhenning / Pixabay

Maison Alhambra Opera Noir copies the full note list and scores 84%. It is slightly denser and less polished in the opening, then settles into a very similar coffee and vanilla drydown. About $25 for 100 ml.

Suits: evenings. Black Opium scores night at 90.

6. La Vie Est Belle and La Vivacité (83%)#

La Vie Est Belle, from Lancôme in 2012, wraps blackcurrant and pear around iris, jasmine and orange blossom, then praline, vanilla, patchouli and tonka. Sweet leads at 90, gourmand 70, and it rates 5/5 for longevity.

Maison Alhambra La Vivacité scores 83%. It is a touch less sugary up top, wears a little stronger and settles into a denser praline base.

Suits: one sweet signature for day and night. It scores day at 55, joint second among the nine.

7. Good Girl and B.A.D. Femme (83%)#

Good Girl, a 2016 Carolina Herrera by Louise Turner, pairs bitter almond and coffee with tuberose and jasmine over tonka, cacao, vanilla and praline. Sweet scores 80, gourmand 65.

Maison Alhambra B.A.D. Femme scores 83%. The opening is less bright and the whole reads a little sweeter, though the heart and base come close. At $22 for 100 ml it is the cheapest clone in this guide.

Suits: anyone who likes the coffee in Black Opium but wants more white flowers.

8. Love, Don't Be Shy and Floral Marshmallow (83%)#

Love, Don't Be Shy, composed by Calice Becker for Kilian Paris in 2007, is the sugared floral: neroli and bergamot, then orange blossom, rose, jasmine and iris, then caramel, vanilla, musk and labdanum. Sweet leads at 90, gourmand 60.

Dossier Floral Marshmallow scores 83%. It follows the sugared orange-blossom profile closely but feels lighter and slightly less plush, at 3/5 for longevity and sillage against 4/5.

Suits: warmer months. It has the highest spring (65) and summer (35) scores of the nine, so if you searched for a floral gourmand perfume, start here.

9. Tobacco Vanille and Sweet Smoke (82%)#

Tobacco Vanille, a 2007 Tom Ford by Olivier Gillotin, layers tobacco and cinnamon over vanilla, cacao, tonka, dried fruits and oak. Tobacco leads at 100, vanilla 90, and its winter score of 100 is the highest here.

Alexandria Fragrances Sweet Smoke scores 82%. Its extrait strength makes it louder and a shade smokier, with less of the creamy vanilla finish. Both rate 5/5 for longevity. If price matters more, Maison Alhambra Tobacco Touch scores 80% at $0.31 per ml.

Suits: cold nights, any gender. All three are unisex.

Which gourmand perfume to buy#

• The closest copy: Ateeq for Naxos (96%) or Liquid Brun for Althaïr (95%), the only two pairs above 85.
• The lowest spend: B.A.D. Femme at $22 for 100 ml, or Kismet Magic, Opera Noir and La Vivacité at $25.
• For men: Liquid Brun and Ateeq are listed for men; the unisex pairs (Angels' Share, Lost Cherry, Tobacco Vanille) work too.
• For women: Opera Noir for coffee, La Vivacité for praline, B.A.D. Femme for coffee with white flowers, Floral Marshmallow for sugared florals.
• By season: all nine originals score 75 or higher for winter. Tobacco Vanille (100) and Angels' Share (95) lead; for spring, Love, Don't Be Shy (65).
• For a vanilla perfume: Althaïr or Tobacco Vanille, both 90 for vanilla.

FAQ#

What does gourmand perfume mean?#

It means a perfume whose main notes smell edible: vanilla, caramel, praline, honey, chocolate, coffee or sweet fruit. The name borrows the French word for a lover of food. All nine originals above score 70 or higher for a sweet or gourmand accord.

Are gourmand perfumes only for winter?#

No, but they lean that way. All nine originals score 75 or higher for winter and 35 or lower for summer. Love, Don't Be Shy is the most flexible, at 65 for spring.

What is the best gourmand perfume for men?#

On our numbers, Althaïr (listed for men) and its clone Liquid Brun at 95%, or unisex Naxos with its men's-listed clone Ateeq at 96%. For something darker, Tobacco Vanille.

Are gourmand perfumes always sweet?#

Most are, but not in the same way. Among the nine originals, the sweet accord runs from 70 for Althaïr to 90 for La Vie Est Belle and Love, Don't Be Shy. Coffee, almond, cognac and tobacco keep several from reading as pure sugar.

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Every pairing above, and every other gourmand perfume on our register, is in the clone finder, sorted by similarity and saving. To put two bottles side by side, use compare.

Sources#

• What is a gourmand fragrance (Mugler)

Featured photo: Magda Ehlers / Pexels.