Caramel

Gourmand character is a guilty pleasure that has made its way into perfumery, particularly since the 1990s. In fact, it is to the famous designer Thierry Mugler that we owe the emergence of this olfactory line. He was the first to dare display the scent of something one enjoys eating, with the iconic fragrance Angel, created in 1992. Since then, this style of composition has continued to multiply, and these fragrances often share a common trait: highlighting one ingredient in particular—caramel.

The origins of caramel

Caramel is the name given to sugar that has lost its water of crystallization. This effect is achieved through cooking, and caramel is a confection that can be enjoyed liquid, hard, or melting. The word caramel itself is borrowed from the Spanish or Portuguese caramelo, but also from the Latin cannamella, meaning sugar cane. This product is considered one of the earliest sugar-based sweets in history. Its origin dates back to the fourteenth century in the Brittany region. It was there that the first salted butter caramels were made.

The caramel recipe

Even though it is an ingredient found in many desserts, caramel is not always simple to make and can impress many guests when properly prepared. In practice, it is enough to pour sugar and cold water into a saucepan and add a few drops of lemon juice. The idea is then to bring it all to a boil without stirring. Once the sugar begins to color, it is time to stir gently to spread the caramel evenly. The crucial moment, however, comes at the end of the cooking process. As soon as the caramel reaches the desired color, it must be stopped immediately by plunging the saucepan into an ice bath. Depending on the recipe, the caramel can then be more or less liquid. When hard, it can also be used to create magnificent decorations, sure to impress guests.

Caramel in perfumery

Nevertheless, cooks are not the only ones who enjoy working with this ingredient, and the caramel note in perfumery is in fact an accord created entirely by perfumers. The idea is to recreate its scent from other raw materials. Caramel reveals to consumers a smooth, gourmand flavor. Its sensation resembles that of burnt sugar or vanilla combined with milky notes. The smell of caramel is particularly warm and somewhat balsamic. It evokes the gourmand pleasures of childhood and appears mainly in feminine compositions. However, its presence in the masculine category is becoming increasingly common. Caramel is generally placed in the base notes of fragrances.

In addition to its use in the iconic Angel, caramel is also present in Alien Le Gout du Parfum by Thierry Mugler, as well as in Anaïs Anaïs Premier Délice by Cacharel, Body Kouros by Yves Saint-Laurent, Bonbon by Viktor & Rolf, and in the two CK One Shock Street fragrances, for men and women, by Calvin Klein.