Vanilla Fragrances Need a Rebrand (Respectfully) & This New Line Is The Scent’s Savior

It’s 2010. I’m 13 years old and I’m on my way to what I know will be one of the craziest nights of my life: The Justin Bieber My World 2.0 Tour. As I crank my hair straightener up way too high (RIP to my ends), I pause mid-section and wonder: What am I missing? What would truly make Justin fall in love with me? And then it hits me: my vanilla cupcake perfume from Claire’s.

The perfume is aggressively sugary and smells like straight icing. All my mom could hear from downstairs was sksksksksks as I drowned myself in it, fully convinced that if Justin couldn’t see me from the stage, he would at least smell me. And well, not to spoil the ending, but… he did not fall in love with me that night. Congrats, Hailey!

What did happen, though, was far more consequential: that was the night I fell in love with gourmand fragrances, specifically, vanilla. I never cared what brand it was, as long as the bottle starts with buttery, whipped, or sugar, I was in.

Life was going great until one day, a coworker casually mentions that my favorite fragrance reminds her of what it smells like to be a child. Suddenly, I was overthinking everything. Was I still that 13-year-old hoping to be noticed by JB, or did my signature scent simply need a rebrand?

Turns out, it was both.

When I heard that Soap & Glory dropped a brand-new, mood-boosting fragrance line, I was intrigued. It covers pretty much every palette. There’s Tropical Sunrise with pineapple and coconut, Orchid Bliss with orchid and sandalwood, Radiant Rose with florals and bergamot, Watermelon Spritz for something bright and juicy, and of course Vanilla-licious with warm caramel and vanilla notes. With a set with this much range, it’s perfect for mixing and matching. And with each fragrance under $20, it felt like the perfect chance to find my signature scent and actually play around with layering.

Since I hadn’t elevated my fragrance in nearly 20 years, I tapped the internet’s favorite fragrance guru, Paul Fino, for advice on how to layer scents and whether I can keep being a vanilla girl at my big age.

Paul Fino: Yeah, for sure. Vanilla is year-round for me because there are so many vanilla-adjacent scents. You can find vanillas that lean super creamy, more floral, or even more powdery. That said, vanilla is definitely most popular in fall and winter. People love warm gourmands in colder months, and in summer they usually want something more tropical, fruity, or fresh. But vanilla is not going anywhere. It’s had its moment and it’s become one of those things that just sticks around.

PF: I 100% get that. A lot of gourmand vanillas can lean artificial or very young. When people say they want a “mature” vanilla, I get it, but “mature” doesn’t mean grandma. It can mean deeper, sexier, more attractive. One of my favorite ways to elevate Vanilla-licious is pairing it with Radiant Rose. Radiant Rose is basically their iconic signature scent, but repackaged and made a little newer and fresher. Rose is romantic, and it deepens the vanilla. The musk in both helps them blend really beautifully. That vanilla-rose combination is gorgeous.

PF: It’s all about understanding notes and scent families. I can usually predict how something will smell based on the notes and how many fragrances I’ve experienced, but a simple rule is to keep things in similar scent profiles if you want to play it safe. Sweets with sweets, gourmands with gourmands. For example, vanilla with pineapple and coconut makes sense because it’s tropical sweet. Vanilla and coconut always work together, so Vanilla-licious with Tropical Sunrise is an easy layering combo.

PF: Sometimes mixing two different ends of the spectrum can clash, but sometimes a clash is exactly what makes it interesting. That’s how you get people to ask, “What are you wearing?” Also, fragrance wears differently on everyone, so experimentation matters.

PF: You can absolutely layer these with perfumes. They’re body mists, but they have really good projection and longevity, especially for the price point. They’re great as base layers.

PF:Yes. I do heaviest to lightest. I start with my deepest scent first, like a heavy wood or musk, then layer lighter scents on top. It’s kind of like how fragrance is built, with base notes, heart notes, and top notes.

PF: Orchid Bliss. Hands down. If you want truly relaxing and calming, Orchid Bliss is the one. It’s slightly sweet, it has sandalwood, and there are also notes like vanilla and pistachio in there, but they feel more subtle and deeper in the background. It’s like a spa in a bottle.

PF: Vanilla makes me feel confident. Like, super confident. Orchid Bliss gives more calm spa-night energy. If you’re tired, overworked, and want the most relaxing shower, I’d do scrub, wash, body butter, and spray in Orchid Bliss, then top it with your favorite perfume if you want extra oomph.

After talking to Paul, I realized it was never really about retiring vanilla. It was about wearing it with intention. It was about keeping the sweetness but adding depth. It’s time to let my inner 13-year-old have her moment, while my grown self makes my scent feel polished. So yes, I’m still a vanilla girl. I’m just a vanilla girl with range now.