The best milk-inspired perfumes

While at a recent dinner party, a guest piped up, “Someone smells divine, who is it?”

I always feel stiff with stress in this situation, mainly because everyone obviously thinks they’re the one with the nicest fragrance – that’s why they chose it. However, no one wants to be seen seizing the title of most fragrant person in the room, so one must adopt the standard British response and insist that any compliment cannot possibly be directed at you.

Hence my reply. “Not me, I smell of dog probably!” (while smugly suspecting it very much was me, given that I had drenched myself in Chanel No 5 Eau Première).

And then a curious thing happened. One guest decided to tear up the social contract of self-deprecation completely.

“Could be me,” she said unapologetically. “Everyone seems to love this perfume.”

It was quite a revelation.

Enjoy immersing yourself in the world of milky scents – even more delicious than the real thing

Partly because I realised her very untypical response had actually been the more generous one.

However, she did smell unusually amazing. It was a divinely comforting blend of whipped cream, cashmere blankets and vanilla candles. She smelt of home (well, a home that is featured in interior design magazines).

She was evasive about the scent’s name, probably fearing we’d copy it (the very idea…).

After some olfactory sleuthing I realised she’d dived into the hottest new fragrance trend in town: milk-inspired scents.

But before you reach for the semi-skimmed, let me explain. Milk fragrances contain soft, creamy notes like tonka bean, vanilla and caramel.

Soothing, cosy and dreamy, they belong to the gourmand (food inspired) fragrance family. They’re the scent equivalent of curling up in the softest robe, sipping an almond latte.

In other words, they’re perfect for autumn.

Our favourite milk-inspired perfumes

With a bouquet to suit every budget, let’s dive into our top four fragrances:

Marc Jacobs Perfect Eau de Parfum – RRP £63

I’d always felt those cutesy, charm-adorned Marc Jacobs bottles were a tad too Gen Z for me. But if you fancy splurging on an upscale milky scent then embrace the charm as Marc Jacobs Perfect Eau de Parfum has nailed it. 

A pretty perfume with proper depth, it features creamy almond milk notes blended with warm cedarwood to give it a comforting, mellow aroma. Fruity rhubarb and floral narcissus add a deliciously crisp kick.

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Perle de Coco Eau de Toilette – RRP £32

Launched as a grown-up version of H&M, & Other Stories is also now a temple for gorgeous scents that won’t cost the earth.

Perle de Coco Eau de Toilette is the perfect summer/autumn crossover milk scent due to its warm vanilla, sweet caramel and smooth coconut accords, blended into a soft hug of perfume. Jasmine and sandalwood add an exotic-last-days-of-summer vibe.

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American Cream – RRP £25

I always dismissed Lush as a place teeming with teens fighting over soaps with bay leaves sticking out of them. That was until I discovered its milk scent offering, American Cream.

Based on vanilla and extracts of benzoin (a tree sap used in incense), a spritz of this smells like the world’s fanciest ice cream shop.

Notes of golden honey and divine vanilla give it that signature milky theme, but the woody base adds a sophisticated edge.

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Commodity Milk Expressive Eau de Parfum – RRP £24

Commodity Fragrances offers artisanal scents with a bespoke touch – and it’s hit a home run with its milk line, Commodity Milk Expressive Eau de Parfum.

A blend of marshmallow, toasted sesame and woody mahogany, with a cooling element of milky accords, this scent captures reassuringly cosy and super refined all at once.

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