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Vanilla Touch La Rive

7.0 / 10 353 Ratings

A perfume by La Rive for women. The release year is unknown. The scent is sweet-gourmand. It is still in production.
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Main accords

Sweet

Gourmand

Creamy

Synthetic

Powdery

Fragrance Pyramid

Top Notes

Fruity notes

Hawthorn

Heart Notes

Caramel

Coumarin

Lily of the valley

Base Notes

Vanilla

Amber

Musk

Sandalwood

Cedarwood

Ratings

Scent

7.0353 Ratings

Longevity

7.1318 Ratings

Sillage

6.9318 Ratings

Bottle

5.4322 Ratings

Value for money

9.1264 Ratings

Submitted by Evelin, last update on 11/09/2025.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Une Vanille

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Dans Paris

Vanille Caramel

Vanilla Sex

Vanilla Perfume Oil

Reviews

30 in-depth fragrance descriptions

08/28/2025

5.5Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

Gourmandgrl
305 Reviews

Gourmandgrl

Helpful Review 5

Memories of childhood play & baking

It's a weeknight after school, and you're helping Mom bake. She asks you to pour the vanilla extract into the bowl, but you spill a bit on yourself and the table. You rub the extract off of your skin - but the scent still lingers.

You return to your Play-Doh to mash the lightly-salted dough into a shapeless mound, squeezing it in your hands. Taking a sip out of your Coca Cola can, and watching Mom in the kitchen, it feels like all is right in your world. Childhood play, memories of baking... this is Vanilla Touch .

The comparisons on social media to other fragrances aren't accurate (to my nose) - it isn't Eilish Eau de Parfum , nor is it a dupe for anything high-quality.

It's very simple: mostly vanilla baking extract (softly boozy/sweet), a subtle Play-Doh-like undercurrent, a whisper of cola. Not a fully-constructed dessert (no ice cream, cupcake, or biscuit/cookie) - but still has a gourmand vibe from the vanilla extract.

Slightly synthetic, and occasionally veering towards a vanilla-scented scratch-and-sniff sticker - but in a nostalgic, youthful, and comforting way (and still a decent pick for $10-ish USD). Best suited for cooler weather.

For a more gourmand, higher-quality (but still budget-friendly) vanilla extract without the Play-Doh: Pharmacia - Côte Vanille

08/05/2023

3.5Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

PetitePinup
28 Reviews

PetitePinup

2

For when you want to smell like Barbie, *a* Barbie...

I own a variety of La Rive fragrances by now, some excellent, others acceptable, and a few downright disappointing to worse.

I'm a sucker for a good vanilla scent and everyone and their mother raved about this one being awesome vanilla- ness. And in some circles on another forum it was said to be a sister of Billy Eilish (imho those people need to visit a nose doctor).
Combine that with a promising pyramid, and the fact my first La Rive (Eternal Kiss) was a nice one after some maceration and another is now one of my favourite perfumes, and I expected a lot.

Well, we all know life is full of disappointments, don't we?

While the "after months of maceration scent" was a tiny bit better, I initially got "Old clothes that have been dumped in a garbage bag on a dirty attic floor and then taken out several years after the fact": that's the majority of what I smelled when spraying Vanilla Touch. That musty, dusty, mothballs, earthy scent. I don't know why, but the Vanilla didn't Touch any part of me! Nor any of the fruity notes, flowers, Caramel, coumarin, amber or woods.
I got a bit of musk, the cheap kind, and a teeny tiny bit of unrecognisable skanky flower. About 2 months later I got the same result, just stronger. I put it somewhere and forgot all about it...

[Fast forward about 8 months, March 2023] I'm reorganising my perfume bottles and my eye catches the loathed tiny bottle. "I still have that sh*tstain? Away with i ---" Before I can put it on the sale/ giveaway/throwaway pile I suddenly see it is much, much darker. Like what true vanilla fragrances are often prone to do when they've been sitting a while. Curious I spray it on my hand... and what do you know! It's actually oka...Ha! Got you there, didn't I?

With that luscious dark shade I had expected to get the Billy Eilish - Eilish miracle. Nope...
After all this maceration Vanilla Touch has become a fragrance that still won't give up most of its pyramid, thereby skipping over a possible fruity-floral vannilic, or a true gourmand. It's a perfume that leans less dusty old clothes now, and more synthetic gour-mess.

I get a hint of coconut flakes and a hint of musk in the opening and when these fade into the background - and if I put my nose to skin a gazillion times - I might, barely discernible, catch a whiff of the idea of a floral accord. The dry down is where the edible vanilla is supposed to shine, but base notes Vanilla, Sandalwood and Amber aren't giving me the creamy, possibly boozy, warm almondy or caramely vannilic blend I thínk La Rive went for. Instead I'm left with a fragrance that loses all strenght there was - not that much anyway - and gives me a rather particular smell: new plastic toy leg.
I believe sometimes referred to as Doll Head, or even lipliner pencil shavings. There's Barbie for ya!

I know certain people actually love that smell, so this could be great news to you. And who knows: perhaps your skin chemistry dóes turn Vanilla Touch into a warm gooy sweet vanilla with a nice floral heart and edible opening. Or maybe you're like me and you wish you'd bought another La Rive Angel Clone, because you luuurve that one.
Regardless, with these prices (€4 for 30ml) that's a risk most are willing and able to take.

Vanilla Touch went from a "strong dislike" to a "not my kinda thing". But if I had gotten a gourmand perfume to my liking, the projection and sillage would still be nothing to write home about; both intimate. Nor is the longevity - after 30min skin scent and staying like that for 2-3 hours max until it is gone altogether - worth cheering about.

Due to the disappointing SPL I think you can't wear it when it is truly cold, even though the pyramid leans more toward a Fall- Winter fragrance than a summer one. If you like the plastic vibe then it might be ideal as a bedtime scent on its own, or as a layer for 'another' gourmand.

Moral of the story: if you really disliked Vanilla Touch for the same reason as I did, then don't chuck it just yet. Once that liquid starts to turn dark yellow, bordering on light orange, then you know that the vanilla has had all the time to up its game. You could enjoy it then. For me it remains a blind buy fail, both in regards to the scent as the quality.

Vanilla Touch goes back to the sell/gift pile and my search for the perfect vanilla continues on...

06/03/2021

2.5Scent 9Longevity 7Sillage

ElysaShades
148 Reviews

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ElysaShades

Top Review 28

With La Rive, it probably won't work for me

I've had some pretty bad experiences with La Rive before. But you never know, maybe you'll find something interesting eventually... Vanilla Touch has really phenomenal reviews here. But unfortunately, this one doesn't work for me either.

In principle, I agree with everything my predecessors have already described here. It just smells permanently unpleasantly synthetic on me. I guess I shouldn't be surprised with a fragrance that costs around 3€/30ml. I just don't find it sensible to wear something just because it costs so ridiculously little. Unless, of course, you like the scent, or it works for you, and looking at the reviews, that's not so far-fetched.

The vanilla starts dark and smoky. I would have guessed something resinous in the top note. Hawthorn seems a bit strange to me. Doesn't it smell quite unpleasant?

For the most part, Vanilla Touch smells like heliotrope. It's a sweet vanilla-almond scent blend, which is known from many fragrances. A bit of fruitiness would have been good, then it probably wouldn't come across as so sticky. Unfortunately, I have to think of cheap scented candles here. It's not totally unpleasant, but in my opinion, it's inappropriate for a perfume.

In the base, the vanilla pudding is served. I think it smells pretty much like the one from Dr. Oetker, the one made from powder. Maybe a bit too sweetened and somehow suddenly way too authentic. I don't want to smell like I've spilled pudding on myself.

However, if you like the scent, you can consider yourself lucky. I don't think I've ever come across such an inexpensive fragrance with such impeccable longevity. Two sprays and you're good for the day. The sillage is present, but moderate, which is certainly not a disadvantage for sweet gourmand fragrances. Moreover, there is really a progression, which is not always the case in this price range. Often, the scent collapses into an undefinable mishmash after half an hour. With Vanilla Touch, that's not the case at all: smoky top note, heliotrope in the heart, and pudding in the base. So the quality here shouldn't be that bad; it just doesn't smell like a perfume I want to wear.

01/28/2018

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Cassie1984
52 Reviews

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Cassie1984

Top Review 20

In the Dollhouse, Amaretto is Served

For me, Vanilla Touch by La Rive is essentially a one-note fragrance of Amaretto. I don’t detect coconut or caramel at all. Nor any wood notes. Instead, there’s a hint of vanilla and a hefty dose of almonds, processed into delicious Amarettini. But in my opinion, it better represents Amaretto since the scent has a certain alcoholic touch (I don’t mean the initial alcohol that quickly evaporates at the beginning of the top note). Rather, it smells as if you’ve actually just drunk Amaretto and accidentally spilled it on yourself. Therefore, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this scent for work :D.
Still, I find the fragrance pleasant and not too sweet, as there’s a minimal powderiness to it. One of the statements mentions something about “doll scent,” and I can relate to that.
It smells somewhat like how the plastic hair of some dolls used to smell (or still does?) when you sniffed their heads. I don’t know which note is responsible for that (coumarin?), but Le Bain by Joop also has this note. Not prominently, but only as a base note, just like here in Vanilla Touch.
If I were to describe the scent in one sentence, I would say: A (plastic) doll head whose hair has been soaked in Amaretto. That sounds much more negative than intended, as I actually like the scent, but only for home use. It has a cozy, homely feel to it... like a thick sweater, a cuddly blanket, a book, and a large cappuccino with a shot on a rainy and cold Sunday afternoon :).

For 3.50, you can’t go wrong here if you generally like gourmand scents or particularly the direction of vanilla/marzipan/almonds.

The sillage and longevity are fine; you are subtly noticed and can enjoy the scent for several hours. Thank you for this little, delicious gem, La Rive! :)

04/03/2021

10Scent 10Longevity 10Sillage

Taderfit
14 Reviews

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Taderfit

Top Review 20

This fragrance needs time

When I first smelled the fragrance, it reminded me of vanilla pudding. It seemed a bit artificial-plastic to me as well. Otherwise, it is a very creamy vanilla. At first, I didn't like it that much, but with time, it got significantly better.
What’s interesting about this fragrance is that after longer storage, its scent changes. Now it is much sweeter, and the slight plastic tendency is completely gone. Instead, it smells very strongly of marzipan alongside the vanilla. This is truly a very nice sweet-gourmand scent. One could rather speak of it being "matured" than "gone off." So, a good tip for anyone who has it and doesn't like it much, just try it again later. Of course, one should generally have a desire for a sweet, heavy fragrance in this case.
The bottle doesn't look particularly great, but it has a stable-fitting cap, which is not always the case with La Rive fragrances. The paper packaging is very nicely designed. There is a white vanilla flower on a yellow background and a few golden shiny dots.

More reviews

Statements

158 short views on the fragrance

Gourmandgrl

3 months ago

5.5Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

4

Mostly vanilla baking extract (softly boozy/sweet), a subtle Playdoh-like undercurrent, a whisper of cola. Youthful, comforting.

Viridescent

9 months ago

5Scent 5Longevity 4Sillage

2

Vanilla, but in a paraffin wax candle sort of way - sweet, powdery, and synthetic.

Danali

8 months ago

4Scent 4Longevity 5Sillage

1

Smells like vanilla but with a play dough note hahha:)

Emiliaptz

1 year ago

1

Vanilla? Playdough!

FrauKirsche

2 years ago

5.5Scent 5Longevity 5Sillage

38

34

A puddle
of vanilla ice cream
Little ship
made of caramel
Almond rescue boat
Musk sails set
Heading to PlaydohLand...

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Kailani

3 years ago

7.5Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

30

23

May lily whispers: Sound above
Amber quarts: Spirit
Hawthorn shows: Note trail on wooden stairs
Musk calls: Show yourself!
Vanilla crunches cookies. Good

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Salva

2 years ago

8Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

30

28

Really beautiful one-dimensional linear vanilla scent that is cozy, soft, creamy, and delicious
smells like pudding
Great value for money
(90ml/€6.95)

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Pollita

4 years ago

8Scent 9Longevity 9Sillage

23

13

Definitely too one-dimensional for me, but it's not bad. It has hints of Monsieur Kurkdjian's pricey Tihota. Buy it if you like that.

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Guerlinchen

5 years ago

7Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

22

15

What can I say: vanilla, vanilla, and a hint of VANILLA! That's how it is. The price-performance ratio is fantastic. Great for scenting the room too.

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Bastian

4 years ago

7.5Scent 8Longevity 7Sillage

21

13

A vanilla scent indeed....
Simply vanilla
Long-lasting
Affordable at 7 euros
Great for those who are on a budget
Value for money is TOP
Recommendation!

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