How sweet, food-inspired Y2K fragrances like Britney Spears’ Fantasy are back thanks to Byredo, Prada and Marc Jacobs

Nov 5 , 2024

Verging on cloying in the Y2K days, gourmand fragrances are back with greater sophistication, from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Divine (pictured) to Byredo’s Rouge Chaotique. Photos: Handout

Once verging on cloying, gourmand fragrances are back with greater sophistication, from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Divine to Byredo’s Rouge Chaotique

For millennials and Gen Xers, catching a whiff of a sugary vanilla perfume can instantly whisk them back to a time when everyone seemed to wear scents that smelled like a bakery. Growing up, our olfactory pathways were stimulated by aromas like Britney Spears’ Fantasy, and Bath & Body Works’ Warm Vanilla Sugar, which dominated the fragrance scene in the early to mid-2000s.

Much as Y2K fashions like platform shoes, butterfly clips and bandeau tops have made a comeback, fragrance trends are cycling through a sweet phase once more. Gourmand scents are all about the kind of mouth-watering notes that would fit right in at a bakery or cafe – think vanilla, caramel and chocolate, to name a few. The trend began in 1992 when perfumer Olivier Cresp introduced Thierry Mugler’s Angel, a blend featuring patchouli as well as the novel ingredient ethyl maltol, which gave the fragrance the distinct aroma of caramelised sugar or candied fruits.

Britney Spears Fantasy eau de parfum and Work Your Magic Body Soufflé

While Angel didn’t take off immediately, it gradually gained momentum, becoming a signature fragrance in the industry and one of Mugler’s bestsellers. For some, the scents of this decade were about capturing a pure, innocent femininity, celebrating traditional gender norms, and painting feminine beauty as elegant and sweet.

“While a few years [ago], gourmand was associated with addiction and sensuality, today it’s all about pleasure, comfort and generosity,” says Marion Doré-Fabius, head of marketing and retail education at Serge Lutens. She explains how such fragrances are often a form of nostalgic indulgence, “characterised by warm, comforting notes that evoke the sense of savouring a beloved treat”.

Contemporary gourmand scents tend to be more nuanced, she says, “balancing their pleasurable quality with a subtle complexity to evoke a more refined sensory experience”.

Bath & Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar range

Y2K perfumers went with their sugar high, competing to see who could pack the most ethyl maltol into a perfume or the most synthetic vanillin into a lotion. From crème brûlée to birthday cake and strawberry ice cream – if it was a dessert, there was a scented version. Over time, the sugary scents lost their appeal, paving the way for fragrances like Daisy by Marc Jacobs, Be Delicious by DKNY, and Addict by Dior – which retained the allure of sweet notes, but added a more refined edge.