This Surprising Perfume Note Is My Secret to Smelling Like an Expensive Dessert

Anyone who knows me knows that I love sweet, sugary perfumes. Anything with notes of caramel, coconut, honey, or vanilla is right up my street. Who doesn't want to smell like a delicious dessert? I'm always on the lookout for scents featuring what's known as "edible" notes (these perfumes aren't actually edible, of course), but one note I never thought to consider was milk.

This ingredient may be a staple in many of my favorite desserts, but I've never wanted to smell like milk—until now, that is. If you didn't know, milk perfumes are having a moment on TikTok, and after trying out some of the most popular ones myself, I'm completely sold. Interested to know what all the hype is about? I spoke to Callum Ross, UK education manager for Shiseido's designer fragrance brands, about the phenomenon, so keep scrolling for all the milky goodness.

What are milk perfumes?

According to Ross, "Milk perfumes are fragrances that provide a lactonic scent found in milk and other dairy products." These fragrances come in many styles and feature the rich, sweet, creamy scent that milk can offer when used in a gourmand blend. "To create the milky, lactonic effect, perfumers will use a group of materials known as lactones," he explains. "The most popular [are] coumarin, gamma-undecalactone (the peach lactone), and gamma-nonalactone (the coconut lactone)."

@pink_oblivion perfumes

(Image credit: @pink_oblivion)

What do milk perfumes smell like?

What do these perfumes actually smell like? "Milk perfumes will smell rich, sweet, creamy, and soft with powdery undertones," says Ross. "Often, perfumers will seek to re-create the odor of almond milk, coconut milk, sweet desserts, or even the velvety lactonic scent of peach or apricot skin." If you like layering your perfumes, Ross advises opting for notes such as sandalwood, vanilla, and tonka bean. He says you can also pair milky fragrances with white floral notes like jasmine, tuberose, frangipani, and osmanthus. "In these perfume types, the lactonic elements of the milky notes would be used to enhance the sweet, creamy, and solar facets found in the flowers," he adds.

Why are milk perfumes growing in popularity?

I was keen to find out why these lactonic fragrances have become popular over the past few months, and according to Ross, it's all down to the appeal of gourmand fragrances. "The growing trend toward milk perfumes is due to the return in popularity of gourmand fragrances," he says. "In the '00s, fruity, sweet gourmands were all the rage, then post-COVID, we saw people looking for fresher, cleaner, and more citrusy fragrances instead. Now, in 2024, gourmand is back, but with a more sophisticated look. The new gourmands will move away from the traditional sugary sweetness into more creative realms where milk, coffee, and boozy notes [are] being used instead."

If, like me, you love the idea of milk perfumes, keep on scrolling for my top picks.

The best milk perfumes to shop now:

This post originally appeared onBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK.

Grace Lindsay
Junior Beauty Editor

Grace Lindsay is the junior beauty editor atBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK. At the age of 18 she decided to train as a makeup artist before going on to study english and media at Goldsmiths University. It was during that time that she explored her love for journalism by interning at a small beauty start-up based in Shoreditch. Since then, she has worked at a number of publications including Marie Claire and Hello!, where her love for all things beauty continued to grow.

AsBest Knockoff Luxury Clothing UK's junior beauty editor, she covers everything from Wholesale Replica Bag hair trends to the stand-out makeup products of the season.