Ask a man about his favourite fragrance, and there’s a good chance he’d jump to name Sauvage, Dior’s bestselling alpha male fragrance, and, if the recent reports are to be believed, Emanuel Macaron’s power move of choice. While women tend to run to a diversity of sweet, spicy, fruity and dark notes when thinking of their favourite perfume, men have traditionally stuck to the strong men category of scents featuring wood, leather, and spices. It’s either that or aquatics—clean, blue, forgettable.
Enter gourmand fragrances, scents inspired by food notes that will make you smell good enough to eat. Think everything from freshly brewed coffee, caramel, and chocolate to all things nice, like vanilla and candy. Spanning the gamut from sickly sweet to deliciously spicy, these scents are having a moment in men’s perfumery.
In the past, men have often shied away from these scents as they are mostly marketed to women. But stereotyping scents in 2025? We’re not doing that. If the term sounds alien to you, spritzing on a gourmand fragrance is like wrapping yourself in the scents of your favourite dessert or being seeped in the complex layers of your favourite whisky that’s been aged to perfection.
However, if you have something against smelling like a sweet treat, there’s news for you: gourmand isn’t necessarily cloying. These aren’t like Bath & Body Works cookie candles; they’re more decadent, dark, and complex. They have spicy notes like cinnamon and whisky. They’re balanced with smoky tabac and leather.
So, if you catch a whiff of burnt sugar and spiced amber the next time you’re out, don’t be surprised if it’s coming from a man. Below, check out our edit of gourmand fragrances to add to cart.
