We’re Calling It: This Vanilla Perfume Will Be The Biggest Scent Of 2025

At the start of each year, the Refinery29 beauty team predicts a list of perfumes that we think are about to blow up on the internet. As a fragrance-obsessed writer who’s also rather picky, I’ve sniffed my way through hundreds of bottles as part of that research. Rarely do I encounter anything that immediately convinces me of its star potential — until I tried The 7 Virtues’ Vanilla Woods Eau de Parfum, £85.

Vanilla perfumes have been dominating the scene for a while now, with search interest growing 41% on average year over year. Everyone has their preferred variety, from sugary blends that smell like soft-serve to the moody concoctions with ouds and bourbon accords. And yet, Vanilla Woods still feels like a well-kept secret — and a sleeper hit in the making.

This isn’t a new launch by any means. Created by British perfumer Angela Stavrevska, the perfume was released in 2018, well before the gourmand craze. It has received some love here and there, most notably from fragrance influencer Paul Reacts, who called it “one of the longest-lasting vanilla perfumes”. Apart from this call out, it’s remained mostly under the radar. In fact, most TikToks I’ve come across start with the creator lamenting that no one is talking about this scent enough.

I can only imagine that the relative lack of hype is due to people wanting to gatekeep this perfume, as it’s by far the most exquisite interpretation of vanilla I’ve ever tried.

As someone who is normally not a huge fan of dessert-like scents, I wasn’t prepared for how much I loved Vanilla Woods. It opens with a juicy pear note, melts into comforting Madagascan vanilla at the heart, and settles into a warm caramel and amber base. It creates an intimate scent bubble that feels like a cherished cashmere blanket and draws me right in.

According to Barb Stegemann, founder of The 7 Virtues, it took 31 versions to get the scent harmony just right. “Our vanilla accord is built around sustainably sourced Madagascan vanilla: rich, creamy and warm, but never overpowering,” she adds. “Vanilla stirs scent memories that feel both nostalgic and sensual, making this comforting in a way that’s instinctive and personal.”

The last part is what truly resonated with me and makes Vanilla Woods so special. I get hit with a wave of childhood nostalgia every time I smell my wrists. It reminds me of a scented hand lotion my mom wore when I was little. This subtle, milky fragrance was the first thing I smelled every morning when she’d wake me up for school by gently placing her hand on my cheeks. I don’t get to see my mom very often since we live on different continents, but smelling this feels like getting a warm embrace from her. In fact, I’ve been spritzing it on my blanket whenever I miss her: it rushes back fun memories of us gossiping in my bed well into the night. It has impressive longevity, so I’m still enveloped in this warm and familiar feeling when I wake up.

My visceral reaction to Vanilla Woods calls to mind Phlur's Missing Person, a fragrance that very much broke the internet when it launched in 2023. Many were mesmerised by its musky, skin-like profile, which reminded them of a long-lost loved one. While Vanilla Woods smells sweeter and less powdery than Missing Person, it strikes that same familiar feeling of skin after a fresh, warm bath. Another reason why I think it's poised to have its moment in the sun.

I’m certainly not alone in developing such a strong emotional connection with this perfume. According to Stegemann, the strong, woody amber base creates an aroma that takes us back to the primal fire, which brings a deep, ancestral comfort. “One customer told us she buried her mother with a bottle of Vanilla Woods, as it was her mom’s absolute favourite fragrance,” reveals Stegemann. “That’s the kind of meaning this scent holds for people: it’s all about memory and healing.”

After poring over thousands of Sephora reviews of this perfume, I can’t help but notice its unusual popularity with people who don’t normally gravitate towards sweet, dessert-like scents. I’d put myself and beauty director Jacqueline Kilikita in this category, and yet we unanimously gush over Vanilla Woods. “For me, vanilla notes typically conjure images of sugary frosting, but the creamy, coconutty Madagascar vanilla here is just a satisfying hint, not a full-on cake-load,” she explains. “What makes it truly moreish, though, is the amber, which brings a beautiful warmth that dries down on the neck to the most cosy, comforting scent. The pear gives it a crisp edge that keeps me coming back for more.”

The gourmand fragrance boom is likely to continue, given the unstable state of the world and our desire to seek comfort and nostalgia from anywhere we can. With its sensual, reassuring alchemy and impressive lasting power, Vanilla Woods feels destined to have its cult classic moment. I’m willing to bet on it.