Vanilla Sex is the Eau de Parfum from the Private Blend collection that Tom Ford launched in December 2023. The house built it on three vanillas, including an India vanilla tincture created for it, warmed by floral notes and bitter almond, over a base of sandalwood, tonka bean absolute and Ultravanil. Its Private Blend bottle plays on cream and honey.
Portia, at Perfume Posse, found in 2024 a dry, powdery, barely sweet vanilla, comfortable and easy to wear despite a name she considers misplaced; Persolaise reports a more baffled reaction.
What critics say
Portia, Perfume Posse, February 2024
Portia, at Perfume Posse, described in February 2024 a dry start, like an almond not yet cracked open: a dense, porous vanilla with little sugar, akin to desiccated coconut, hiding something darker beneath.
The announced florals give her the powdery feel of brushed petals, and a green note, like crushed hawthorn leaves, grounds the whole. The base blends a creamy sandalwood, tonka bean and a dry, bakery-like vanilla.
She finds the fragrance comfortable and very wearable, far from those that collapse after their top notes; only the name keeps her from buying a bottle.
Persolaise, April 2024
Persolaise opens his April 2024 review by judging that the right response to a blotter of Vanilla Sex is a puzzled recoil. His wife, he reports, smells not vanilla but the scent of marzipan being made.
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