If you find traditional gourmand fragrances sickly, I urge you to try these 5 unusual 'umami' perfumes

If you love a sweet scent, then the best perfumes of 2025 so far won’t disappoint. One of the biggest fragrance trends of the year has come in the form of a new wave of gourmand scents—foodie fragrances with unexpected notes like cherry, basil, and honey. Of course, classic notes like vanilla and citrus are still dominating, but if you typically find these kinds of scents to be a little saccharine for your tastes, then you’re in luck, as a new wave of savoury perfumes is also set to tempt our senses this year.

A recent trend report from The Fragrance Shop in collaboration with CPL Aromas highlights this shift to neo-gourmands as being one of the biggest trends of the year, with milky notes like coffee and matcha reigning supreme, as well as a more unlikely category, which piqued my interest... Umami perfumes.

“Umami notes are very much like umami food ingredients,” explains Bee Shapiro, founder and director of Ellis Brooklyn. “They usually have an addictiveness that is unexpected—often salty and very savoury.” From olive oil and tomato to sesame, nuts and rice, umami perfumes are a real departure from what we typically consider a gourmand scent.

“The trend is really led by playfulness and innovation in scent,” continues Shapiro. “We have had so many sweet gourmand fragrances that it’s fun for perfumers and fragrance houses to try out different elements of gourmand, and there has been a lot of innovation in food-type notes.” And it doesn't just end there. Shapiro predicts that this umami trend will expand to beverages too: "Whether it’s milky boba teas, Japanese tea blends or more takes on coffee notes."

So, if you’re looking for a mouthwatering fragrance that’s unexpected yet still delicious, check out our edit of the best umami perfumes to try right now.

The best umami perfumes

1. Ellis Brooklyn Salt Eau de Parfum

Consider this the umami interpretation of a skin scent. Inspired by the saltiness that you can taste on your skin after a day at the beach, this manages to capture the essence of fresh sea air along with a tropical undertone of exotic florals and warm sandalwood. It’s deeply musky, heady, and intoxicating, yet has a fresh and almost sharp edge to it, which keeps it feeling bright and modern.

2. Aesop Virēre Eau de Parfum

If you love green fragrances, then this certainly won’t disappoint. It’s fresh, herbaceous and spicy with notes of hay and green maté adding an unexpected dryness with a subtle smokey undertone. While there aren’t necessarily any foodie notes here, you will find green tea, which naturally has quite an earthiness to it—leaning into the green savouriness you’d expect from an unami scent.

3. Memo Paris Italian Leather Eau de Parfum

Imagine cruising through the verdant Italian countryside in a sleek convertible, and you’ll begin to understand how lush and luxurious this perfume smells. There’s a slight sweetness from vanilla, but the heart of the fragrance is that distinctive herbaceous tomato leaf, which is both earthy and green. Alongside warm leather and myrrh, which has a sharp balsamic fragrance, it’s a unique and balmy perfume that lingers on the skin.

4. Experimental Perfume Club Tonka Sesame Eau de Parfum

If you love classic gourmand perfume but are looking for something a little different, then this makes a great starting point. Unlike other fragrances on the list, there’s a definite sweetness to this perfume, but the abundance of nuts and sesame means it's almost buttery and rich rather than saccharine. The combination of toasted sesame and roasted nuts gives it an almost creamy warmth, but there’s powdery heliotrope and earthy vetiver, which keeps the whole thing grounded rather than overly foodie.

5. Guerlain Absolus Allegoria Epices Exquises Eau de Parfum

Spicy, peppery and warm, Guerlain's Master Perfumer Thierry Wasser attributes this fragrance to wanting to recreate the cardamom coffee that he drinks when he visits the Middle East. It’s truly delicious, yet leans into the more bitter notes of coffee than the creamy ones. The result is a real power player of a perfume that’s truly intoxicating to wear.