Vanilla Bean

Vanilla Bean by Kuumba Made is a delightful discovery I picked up at Whole Foods, and it has quickly become an indispensable part of my fragrance collection. This perfume oil is perfect for adding a touch of sweetness or an extra layer of vanilla to other scents, making it incredibly versatile. Despite my usual ambivalence towards amber, I suspect there's a hint of it in Vanilla Bean, and it surprisingly works well for me. One of it’s standout features is it’s impressive projection, often outperforming some of my fragrances with atomizers. It heats up beautifully on the skin, releasing a warm, inviting aroma that lasts throughout the day. I can apply it before work, and eight hours later, I still catch its comforting scent on my drive home. However, a word of caution: be mindful of how much you use, especially in the summer, as it can become quite cloying. The amount you apply significantly influences it’s wearability. Vanilla Bean is a super simple scent, but its possibilities are endless. Whether worn alone or layered with other fragrances, it adds a lovely dimension to any perfume wardrobe. Not to mention, it's extremely reasonably priced, making it an excellent value. As my first perfume oil, Vanilla Bean set a very high standard, and I've yet to find another that matches its quality.

Probably my favorite vanilla perfume oil I own right now. Finished my little tiny rollerball and immediately went on. Amazon and bought the bigger bottle. This is such a sweet vanilla oil. No musk, no coconut, nothing woody. Just simply a vanilla. Love that. It obviously layers well under anything, and my favorite way to wear this (and all my other perfume oils) is to mix this in with whatever lotion I’m wearing for the day to stretch the scent and keep it on my skin all day, as well as to pour some in my hands and rub them together and spread it all over my clothes. This prevents staining, and ensures you smell like this scent ALL DAY LONG, no kidding. Will forever repurchase. If I had to rank it’d be this oil (sweeter vanilla and more affordable) the Nemat vanilla musk oil (smaller bottle for about $6 less than the kuumba which isn’t great but that oil is amazing) and then the nest Madagascar vanilla oil (woodier coconut vanilla, still sweet and lasts forever on skin, but the price!!!!!)

This one has to macerate a few weeks. I use a just-purchased bottle to get some air into it, then stopper it and store in a cool, dark place for ONE MONTH. It can easily go longer. This perfume has been a frequent repurchase over the last few years. No fresh bottle can match the beauty I have come to expect from this scent; it *must* sit a while first. Unfortunately, I am not a perfume person; just a dabbler. Further, my perception is not coloured by any experience with a similar-smelling sunscreen or Play-Doh. All I can tell you is that this Vanilla Bean perfume is intoxicating aromatherapy to me. It is a sweet scent that is offset by what seem to me like floral notes. Whatever it does on my skin is entrancing, and also simultaneously energizing and relaxing. I suppose this is what happiness feels like. Happiness under strong summer sun in a garden filled riotously with invasive species of flowers. I will be wearing this scent until I am dead.

A really lovely, smooth, mostly linear comfort vanilla that's just sweet enough. Gourmand in that it's vanilla, but not in a way that smells like baked goods if that's not your thing. There's a very light touch of amber, perhaps a barely perceptible patchouli later on in the wear and maybe a faint floral note - jasmine? ylang ylang? It's nice to get these little hints of other notes, but the warm vanilla stays center stage throughout. Wonderfully soothing on its own, and endless possibilities for layering. This is incredible layered with Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille, Le Labo Patchouli 24 or Bvlgari Black, three frags that are absolute perfection on their own, but this seamlessly boosts the vanilla when the mood strikes for something more conventionally femme and sweet. Could sell for well more than $10, but I'm not complaining!

WOW...this is an AMAZING vanilla perfume oil. I love that the base is jojoba oil, as jojoba oil is the closest thing to our skin's own sebum. This perfume oil is sweet, cozy, warm and very vanilla...but does not smell juvenile to me at all. I wear it alone, but my fave is to use it as base before I spray edT or edP. This pairs amazingly well with Angel, Tobacco Vanille, Angel Muse, Van Cleef Vanille Orchide, Obsession, Opium, Cher eau de Couture.... When I use this as a base, it makes any fragrance I wear warmer and sweeter and hugely extends the longevity!! Kuumba Vanilla Bean will last on my skin until the next day, albeit it very faint...but for the price, this is IMO the best vanilla oil perfume in the world!!

I absolutely love this. I was a bit skeptical at first because we all know that vanilla is a hard scent to capture correctly without it being overwhelming. But this captures vanilla perfectly! Upon first applying it, you’re greeted with a strong(but pleasant) powdery scent with the vanilla close behind it. It’s a lovely clean fresh vanilla that is perfect for layering IMO and since it’s not overbearingly sweet, but more fresh and light, I’d say it can be used year round. My only issue is that it doesn’t last long or project well on its own. 8.7/10

This vanilla bean oil is so good! I can’t believe how cheap it is for the quality. I get straight vanilla with a hint of warmth. Not sure how one of the reviewers only got floral and musk. I’m sensitive to both, and can say this frag might have trace amounts of those scents, but it’s mostly pure vanilla. Smell sweet and “clean”. It’s a gourmand, but nothing like Outremer with its prominent cotton candy note. More sugar cookie dough if I had to associate a food with it. Just lovely. I use it alone or to sweeten up vanilla-based perfumes.

aww man people seem to dislike this fragrance but I think it smells wonderful! it smells like what dreams are made of. this is the scent you would love smelling on someone's neck as you embrace them in a hug. so powerful, sweet, nostalgic, and beautiful. would do anything to get this beauty in EDP form! let me know if there are perfumes that smell like this! the "this reminds me of" section is all stuff I've gotten my nose on before & they're not quite this masterpiece. thanks! :)

I'm fully obsessed with this perfume oil and have gone through several vials. It's a true vanilla without being sugary or sweet. I enjoy it on its own or as a layering oil underneath more woodsy or spicy alcohol based perfumes. For the price, these oils are an absolute steal. It's worth mentioning that the bath salt in the same scent is just as delicious and lingers on the skin after your soak. The body lotion and body oil however I found to be a bit lackluster.

This smells like vanilla cookies on my skin! Beware that this one often needs to sit for a while if the color is light, since the last one I bought was very light, smelled slightly play doughy with a hint of coconut plastic but turned lovely with some manceration. And even though my skin eats perfume like nothing, I can still smell this for a good while when I have it on. Love to have this as a base layer for other scents too. 🙌🥰

I am super picky on vanillas. A lot of brands, even high end, have a very synthetic note. This does not. It's a musky-vanilla, that is creamy and powdery, almost floral. Compared to Nemat's Vanilla Musk, the musk note is swapped with a slight floral accord, which makes it less smoother, but still a very soft, very sweet. This lasts foreverrrrrrrr on me & sileage is very close to the body. For the price, definitely worth it.

this is the. best. vanilla ive ever smelled. It's like the most comforting person gave you a tight warm hug and told you everything was going to be ok. It smells like if a chocolate chip cookie and a warm glass of milk was a person. I dont really get sunscreen/tropical notes from this, but rather just the lotion. It just smells like what comfort feels like. Longevity is amazing, but stays very close to skin.

Creamy vanilla bean so soft and intimate you almost want to take a bite out of yourself. Great layering piece and on its own. I have noticed my juice is a lot darker than the picture shown so definitely let your oil macerate. I loooove wearing this to bed mixed with EOS Vanilla Cashmere lotion. I'll wake up with remnants in my pillow and hair. It makes me feel so feminine and sexy, instant mood changer.

This smells soooooo good! It absolutely reminds me of two vanilla heavy BBW mists, Vanilla Bean Noel and Vanilla Confetti Sparkle/ Confetti Cake Pop! Those two scents are heavy on vanilla bean! This smells soooo yummy, like a literal yellow vanilla cake straight out the oven! It was exactly what I was looking for! I just wished the product was a bit larger but a little goes a long way with this oil

I underestimated this vanilla fragrance at first. It's somewhere in between fluffy/creamy and dark vanilla bean. It also has a tiny little hint of "doll head" but in a really good and nostalgic way. It reminds me of BPAL's beloved yet discontinued Antique Lace. It has moderate sillage for a few hours, but then turns into a skin scent that will last you into the next day.

Freshly baked moist vanilla cupcake. This is the kind of vanilla I can wear alone or with anything I own. I’ve scaled down my crazy collection to just three perfumes (this was so hard... but freeing) and I’ve been looking for a simple vanilla to add as a base to warm up one of my perfumes. I think this will do the trick. Will update on longevity later.

I discovered this brand of oils about 5 years ago, and this one is my absolute favorite. Although many oils in this line are amazing, this is the only one I've repurchased, and will continue to use. It's absolutely lovely. Great on its own or layered, I really think anyone who owns it will find suitable to wear often. I love, love, love this oil.

Really really nice, and I get compliments on it when I wear it. For any time of day or year. The tiny size makes it great to keep in my purse to do touch-ups throughout the day. Since it's a simple fragrance, it can be used for touch-ups even if I put on a different perfume in the morning--the scents layer nicely. Super affordable as well.

Smells like straight up clean vanilla bean with no extra sweetness or floral nonsense. It stays closer to the skin. Cheap as hell but one of the rare cases it doesn't smell like it. Perfect light summer vanilla that actually behaves. Layer it with anything, it seems to lean however you want. Yasss, this one understood the assignment.

This is literally just vanilla bean. There’s nothing plasticky, playdoh, powdery etc. about it. It’s really sweet but not in a cloying way. This does project more than other perfume oils I have, it can be pretty strong. It’s amazing by itself but will also do great for layering. If you dont want to blind buy, check your Whole Foods.