SEEKING: non/anti-gourmand vanilla

what the title says!! i have been looking really hard for a non-gourmand vanilla scent!! so far i've been pretty interested in vanilla era by boy smell, but i am worried the espresso note will make it smell too much like a vanilla latte. im open to spicy notes, im avoidant of anything too sugary but i still want the vanilla to be pretty forward! a nice balanced vanilla/patchouli or vanilla/spicy woods would be awesome. though im mainly looking for summer vibes 🌴

bonus recommendations: a non gourmand coconut meat, or a non gourmand banana!! it's summer time babey! 🥥🍌

Two possibilities for you to explore. Both have a non-gourmond vanilla note, but neither are what I'd call a vanilla fragrance. The first is Bergamotto di Positano . It has vanilla in in the middle and base that comes out during the dry down. I pick up a spiciness that mixes nicely with the vanilla. It's a great fragrance for summer. Second, The Original . It has vanilla in the base that is clearly present. Very nice. This is a very versatile fragrance that can be worn all year. I'd recommend getting samples or decants to see if they're what you're looking for.

Maybe you could look into Guerlains. I love the way they 'do' vanilla (as in their famous 'Guerlinade'). Jicky Eau de Parfum for instance, is unisex and can well be worn in summer. It's a bit aromatic, but the vanilla is obviously there without it being gourmand. (I don't like gourmand either and I can only stand vanilla in Guerlains).

gucci bloom parfum!! or dior addict. or crystal noir parfum but that is very peppery

I keep recommending these, but green vanillas are just so good. Vanille Galante and Vanille Camouflage

Neither are spicy or patch-y though. If you can find the brand Les Senteurs Gourmands, they do a bunch of interpretations of vanilla from the very edible to the bone dry to patchouli and oudh. Worth a try.

Other brands to look into for summery vanilla, edible or no: Comptoir Sud Pacifique & Montale

Oh! And the Mediterráneo line from Acqua di Parma. Mandorlo di Sicilia for ex

awesome recs i really appreciate it!!! def looking for more, would love to see some non gourmand coconut or banana recs!

Pool Boy is an interesting one, strong coconut note and pineapple too yet not a gourmand on account of the skin accord, cedar, and most importantly/controversially, chlorinated water. Personally I love this one and it definitely fits as a summer fragrance (duh), but it's understandably not for everyone.

vanilla:

Eau Duelle Eau de Parfum

Aqua Allegoria Forte Bosca Vanilla

banana:

Vacation Eau de Toilette

coconut:

Palm

"Sex and The Sea | Francesca Bianchi" has a pleasant syntheticky coconut, as in Pina colada or sunblock. Not a gourmand.

im OBSESSED w this house now that u brought it to my attention.... it makes me miss austin a lot. i hope their sample packs go back in stock soon 😭

@kushbreth have you tried Bonbon Banane ? There's a lightly-gourmand component that mellows out quickly, as the bulk of the fragrance becomes banana leaf (green banana) + sandalwood in the dry-down! I broke it down in a review, in case it's helpful.

look no further than XI: L'Heure Perdue, quite a futuristic take on vanilla

Try  Vanille Riviera which is a non sweet vanilla, a really nice one

does this have a balloon-like note to you??? 😲 im into it but im scared by the one statement that says it smells like party balloons

adding this of my list of to-trys 🤤

Kismet (2016)

Deep Dark Vanilla

vanilla by definition is gourmand....

Nonetheless, Le BeauLe Beau Le ParfumLe Beau Paradise Garden

coconut & tonka (= smokey, dark vanilla)

I have some suggestions that are not sweet: Dirty Vanilla by Heretic and Carbonara by Lorenzo Pazzaglia. Dirty Vanilla is very woody, and Carbonara is almost savory somehow.

Update: There is a new scent - Doll-like Creature - which is a vanilla scent unlike any other, it's glassy and powdery and not sweet at all! The notes paint a very different picture from what it actually smells like!

A couple of these have been mentioned but I'll weigh in! My favorite non-gourmand (but still slightly sweet in the opening) vanilla is Dirty Vanilla by Heretic. You might also like Deep Dark Vanilla by D.S. & Durga - I don't personally like it as it smells very medicinal on me but it's definitely not gourmand. Lord of Misrule is also an easy patchouli-forward vanilla and layers well with so many other fragrances. That said, these all lean more cold-weather! For year round you could try Vanilla Vice by Snif - it has an ice cream shop note but more of the cold air inside than sugary vanilla. It's technically a gourmand but has a smoky depth I was surprised by.

“Vanilla by definition is gourmand” doesn’t seem accurate. Historically, vanilla was not a dessert ingredient at all. Its earliest documented uses were:

• as a spice added to cacao beverages by Mesoamerican peoples,
• in ritual or medicinal contexts,
• and later, in 16th-century Spain, as a flavoring for chocolate drinks.

Vanilla began appearing in European desserts only in the 17th–18th century, and vanilla ice cream became common in the late 18th to 19th century.
So the association with sweets is a much later cultural development, not its definition. If we classify scents only by the foods they evoke, then citrus would also be “gourmand” because it reminds us of orange juice — but of course, citrus is classified as citrus, not gourmand.
As a vanilla lover, I just wanted to point out this factual discrepancy.

Couldn’t have said it better myself 😊