Winter Scents: Hitting the Right Notes

Vanille Absolument, L'Artisan Parfumeur; Db Decibel, Azzaro

Sweet Vanilla

If you thought vanilla was one of those wholesome scents, you couldn't be further from the truth. This popular ingredient might bring to mind delicious homemade cake or a bowl of comforting ice-cream when it's used in food, but as a gourmand note in fragrances, it has more erotic overtones. Considered to be a potent aphrodisiac, physicians, as far back as the 1700s, would recommend it to male patients to ensure potency. "Vanilla adds sweetness, depth and warmth to a fragrance and can make it intense and sensual," says Sonali Vengurlekar, Training Head, Baccarose. It is derived from the seed pod of the vanilla orchid and is quite expensive to produce.