Not replacing, honestly — savoury and salty gourmand notes like pistachio, salted caramel and toasted nut accords are genuinely growing in popularity as a counterpoint to an oversaturated sweet-vanilla market, but vanilla remains the backbone of most gourmand perfumery rather than something being pushed out.

A Widening Category, Not a Takeover

What is really happening is diversification within gourmand fragrance rather than a straight swap. After several years of very sweet, dessert-forward releases, savoury and salty facets offer perfumers (and shoppers) a way to keep the comforting, food-inspired appeal of gourmand scents while avoiding the sense that every new launch smells like the last one.

Why Vanilla Isn’t Going Anywhere

Vanilla remains one of the most versatile, widely loved base notes in all of perfumery, savoury or otherwise — many of the newer pistachio and salted caramel compositions still use vanilla as a supporting note underneath the savoury twist rather than removing it. Treat “savoury gourmand” as an interesting new direction within a growing category, not evidence that sweet vanilla is falling out of favour. Our guide to perfume trends, part of the complete guide to perfume, tracks how these fashions actually move.