Vanilla Perfume Is Finally Trending Again. Will You Wear It?

Right now, that’s one big olfactive yearning for the days of mall hangouts and baking with mom. "With the chaos over the last three years, I wanted something completely uncomplicated; the ’90s were a more innocent time for me," says Johnston. "Everyone was wearing vanilla and everything smelled like it: The Body Shop, candles, vanilla-scented Beanie Babies — everything." The grunge generation’s love for the fragrance note was ignited by 1992’s Thierry Mugler Angel

These new vanillas are a natural extension of the ’90s redux fashion trend (faded bootcuts, anyone?). Although, to be clear, vanilla scents never entirely disappeared from our lives (unlike those bootcuts). Line up three of your favorite fragrances, and odds are good that there’s some vanilla in at least one because it’s one of perfumery’s most universally comforting scents. "It’s in foods we’ve associated with treats since childhood, such as ice cream," says Meabh McCurtin, a perfumer at International Flavors & Fragrances.