Gourmand fragrances smell of food, built from vanilla, caramel, praline, coffee, and honey, and the family is the newest major category in perfumery.
Gourmand barely existed before 1992, when one fragrance made ethyl maltol, the molecule behind caramelised sugar and cotton candy, its central note. That was considered taboo in fine fragrance at the time. Underneath the sweetness, gourmands almost always rely on patchouli, tonka, and amber materials for depth, and that structure is what keeps them from reading as dessert. Cacao and coffee push the family drier and darker, while vanilla and caramel keep it soft.
