As much as I love gourmand fragrances—scents with mouthwatering notes like vanilla and caramel—I’ve become obsessed with finding the best milk perfumes. As it turns out, I’m not the only one. A quick search of this perfume trend on TikTok elicits thousands of videos reacting to sugary, musky, woody, and even fruity takes on lactonic scents.
“Milky fragrances are a natural evolution of the vanilla trend,” says Bérénice Watteau, a perfumer at DSM-Firmenich. “Vanilla has been everywhere in recent years, and milk adds a new dimension—more creamy, more enveloping, and even more addictive. There’s also a growing trend toward fragrances that feel skinlike, emotional, and signature-worthy—milky scents capture that perfectly.”
As a beauty writer who covers the latest notes dominating the perfume world, I asked my network of perfume experts for their favorite recs. The Commodity Milk Personal Eau de Parfum was picked the best overall for its fusion of softly woody and lactonic notes. We were also drawn to the vanilla ice cream facets of By/Rosie Jane Dulce, and the mango-sticky-rice-inspired Le Monde Gourmand Riz de Mangue. Below, find your signature scent among our favorite milky perfumes below.
The best milk perfumes, at a glance:
- Best Overall: Commodity Milk Personal Eau de Parfum, $150
- Best for Women: By/Rosie Jane Dulce Eau de Parfum, $80
- Best for Men: Philosophy Fresh Cream Eau de Toilette, $58
- Best Musky: DedCool Mochi Milk Eau de Parfum, $90
- Best Creamy: Snif Extra Whip Body Mist, $22
How we tested
We began by asking for recommendations from multiple beauty editors and fragrance experts. We then tested milk perfumes by evaluating their notes, how well they each played up their milky accords, and how long they lasted. We also took into account the perfumes’ scent trail, or sillage—that delicious smell they leave behind as you move through a room.
Best Overall: Commodity Milk Personal Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Creamy, woody, and sweet without being cloying; smells amazing on everyone we’ve tested it on; an easy, everyday scent
- What could improve: May not be sweet enough for fans of gourmand fragrances
In Milk Personal, toasted marshmallow, mahogany, and tonka bean mingle with Iso E Super, a synthetic fragrance molecule beloved for its smooth, woody facets. “This is the OG Milk, and it doesn’t get much better,” says Emma, the fragrance influencer and perfumery student behind the popular @perfumerism Instagram and the TikTok account @perfumerism. (She’s got a 45-plus-part TikTok series dedicated solely to finding the best milk perfumes.) “Between the fluffy marshmallow notes, the warm woody notes, and the toasted sesame, this scent is the perfect complex yet simple and addictive milk,” she says.
Each of Commodity’s fragrances comes in three iterations: Personal, which sits close to the skin like a warm embrace; Expressive, a slightly amped-up version; and Bold, the loudest of all three. We chose Milk Personal as our favorite milk perfume for its woody, inviting vibe and soft creaminess.
Best for Women: By/Rosie Jane Dulce Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Less than $100, great sillage
- What could improve: Not available in 3.4 oz.
Named Glamour’s best affordable perfume for women, Dulce combines creamy vanilla, brown sugar, and a tempting dulce de leche accord with the warm earthiness of hinoki woods. Sweet, sexy, and miles more complex than your standard vanilla perfume, it boasts all-day longevity and an impressive sillage. Plus, it’s a highly rated perfume on Amazon with over 600 reviews.
“Personally, I have more than 200 scents in my perfume collection, yet I’m constantly drawn to Dulce,” Glamour contributor Mary Honkus wrote previously. “The aroma sticks around much longer than some of my most expensive bottles—I’m talking days—and it’s a total compliment magnet. Every time I wear this, someone tells me I smell divine.”
Best for Men: Philosophy Fresh Cream Eau de Toilette
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- What we love: Light, airy, and not too sweet; classic lactonic scent
- What could improve: Sillage
With notes of vanilla, heliotrope, and tonka bean, this scent is described as being “as soft as a passing cloud.” It’s smooth, creamy, and the least sweet of the lactonic fragrances on this list.
“I was initially drawn to Fresh Cream because I had read multiple online reviews calling it subtly sweet, which I agree with,” says Glamour contributor Ariel Wodarcyk. “I love to bake in my free time, and this scent reminds me of the airy, fluffy sweetness of a homemade whipped cream. I could see myself reaching for this on its own as a comforting everyday scent, or layering it with other favorites in my fragrance collection to give them a creamy quality. This would be especially beautiful paired with a tea scent, or a light floral to add some extra depth.”
Best Musky: DedCool Mochi Milk Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Lightly sweet; crowd-pleasing vanilla scent
- What could improve: Smells primarily like vanilla, amber, and musks; can be hard to detect other notes
DedCool’s Mochi Milk wraps you up in a cozy, nurturing cloud of marshmallow, rice milk, vanilla, and musk. On first spray, it’s creamy and slightly cooling, as if you just wandered into your favorite childhood ice cream shop. As it wears, it dries to a warmer, vanilla- and amber-infused musk.
Honkus swears by this scent. “I’m a full-fledged gourmand girl,” she says. “If I don’t smell like a sexy bakeshop after spritzing a perfume, it’s not for me. However, when the temperatures push past 80 degrees, those rich, enveloping sweet notes can feel suffocating. Mochi Milk rewrites what a gourmand can be, and proves the category can be worn (and very much enjoyed) in the summer. This has a delicate, cloudlike sweetness thanks to marshmallow and vanilla bean, but it’s the milky notes along with a hint of rice and jasmine that lighten it up and make it more wearable. Hands down, my favorite scent from Dedcool.”
Best Long-Lasting: Giardini Di Toscana Bianco Latte Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Lasts a long time and projects well; good value
- What could improve: Not available at mass retailers in-store
Calling everyone who wants to smell like a sweet treat: This TikTok-viral milky perfume is downright delectable, featuring warm, candied notes of caramel, honey, and creamy vanilla. One online reviewer likens this to the sweet, rich frothiness of a white-chocolate latte, while others are addicted to its swelling scent trail and all-day longevity. Bianco Latte is often compared to Liquides Imaginaires Blanche Bête Eau de Parfum, a milky bestseller that retails for $280 a bottle.
“If you’re looking for compliments, there is nothing better,” says Emma. “The delicious caramel is the main note in this fragrance; however, it has a milky vanilla feel that is warm on your skin. This scent is very strong and long-lasting, so you get your money’s worth.”
Best Fruity: Le Monde Gourmand Riz de Mangue Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Unique yet wearable milk perfume; affordable; small enough to keep in a purse for touch-ups
- What could improve: Liquid feels slightly sticky as it dries; not ideal for spraying on clothes
Inspired by mango sticky rice, Riz de Mangue melds sun-ripened mango with freshly steamed basmati rice, a creamy milk accord, and almond butter. Together the notes unfold into a milk perfume that smells like nothing you’ve ever encountered.
“Every time I spritz this on, I get a huge smile on my face,” says Wodarcyk. “It’s so joyful and beachy. On me it leans nutty, milky, and a little salty, with just a subtle burst of fruit; on my partner it’s a lot more juicy and mango-forward. The first word they used to describe it was delicious. Both of us are now obsessed.”
Best Creamy: Snif Extra Whip Body Mist
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- What we love: Affordable; surprisingly long-lasting for a body mist
- What could improve: Not long-lasting
With notes like icing sugar and whipped cream, this body mist might sound as though it would smell juvenile, but it’s surprisingly sultry. That could be because it opens with a blast of fresh, sparkling aldehydes, or because it dries down to an absolutely addictive, vanilla milk and sandalwood scent. Either way, it’s a great creamy scent to pull out for your next date night.
“This scent has a cold feel from the aldehydes that cuts through the milk,” says Emma. “Milk can sometimes be thick and dense in a formula, so the fresher notes that emulate a freshly refrigerated whipped cream make the overall effect more fluffy and elevated.”
Best Pistachio Milk: Fine’ry Pistachio Please Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: Great lasting power and sillage; affordable
- What could improve: Some online reviewers find the atomizer faulty.
This eau de parfum features pistachio milk, “fluffy” vanilla, and tonka bean, creating a captivating scent trail that’s as creamy and decadent as a pistachio latte. The nuttiness of the pistachio shines most in the first half-hour of wear, after which the scent dries down to a milky, vanilla-cupcake confection.
“If you love gourmands but want something with a little added depth, this is for you. Not only is this scent extremely long-lasting with an impressive sillage, the pistachio note truly smells like a freshly baked cake,” says Wodarcyk. “As it dries, it only becomes milkier and sweeter, thanks to vanilla and tonka bean. For less than $50, you really can’t go wrong.”
Best Floral: Harlem Perfume Co. Billie Eau de Parfum
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- What we love: A classic white floral reimagined in a modern way; Black-owned brand; pretty bottle
- What could improve: Not available at mass retailers in-store
Imagine if the iconic YSL Libre had a younger sister, with airy, delicate florals and added milky notes; that’s Billie. While both perfumes share orange blossom and musk notes in common, Billie also features a creamy, enveloping base of coconut milk, sandalwood, and vanilla. Middle notes of gardenia, jasmine, ylang ylang, and frangipani create a charmed effect that smells like stepping into an enchanted spring garden.
“This is one of those rare white florals that makes me feel sophisticated and elegant, without being cloying on hot days,” says Wodarcyk. “It’s airy, sparkling, and the perfect scent for spring, although I can definitely see myself spritzing this on year-round. Think of it as the milky perfume equivalent of fresh white linens, or a billowing white dress.”
Frequently asked questions
What is a milky fragrance?
“Milky fragrances are scents that evoke the most addictive and comforting facets of milk,” says Watteau. “They’re creamy, often featuring vanilla, and are rich and enveloping; almost regressive in their softness.” They tend to sit close to the skin, she adds, and might feature base notes of amber, tonka bean, and woods to give them structure.
What should you look for in a milky fragrance?
“Start with fragrances that highlight smooth, skinlike qualities,” says Watteau. “You might not always see milk listed as a note, but look out for descriptions like creamy, velvety, enveloping, or skin scent; those are usually good indicators.”
Watteau adds that certain perfume ingredients, such as sandalwood, tuberose, vanilla, and benzoin, all have a natural milky quality.
What is a gourmand perfume?
Gourmand perfumes are inspired by anything edible. The most popular gourmand perfumes are sweet, with notes like vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and coffee. Cherry perfumes are also considered gourmands.
Meet the expert:
- Bérénice Watteau is a perfumer at DSM-Firmenich. Her creations include Le Monde Gourmand Riz de Mangue Eau de Parfum, Ellis Brooklyn Vanilla Santo, and Jil Sander Smoke, among others.
- Emma (@perfumerism) is a perfumery student and content creator.
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