Vicious Cacao

I always find it so interesting to see how everyone else experiences a perfume. Often I have such a different idea of what it might be like before trying opposed to afterward. This was definitely one of those times where I didn't really know what to expect though. It would seem everyone has their own unique idea of what it smells like. For me it's an absolute love. I gravitate toward more masc leaning fragrances, though I do like gourmand from time to time...it's just not my typical go to. I was a bit worried if I would really like this or not because many people described it as very sweet, gourmand, and cotton candy-esque. since I was able to get a partial I figured I would give it a try and I am so glad I did. While this has some sweetness, as you'd expect, I don't see this as gourmand or cake/cotton candy like. I completely understand why was named "cacao" opposed to "cocoa". Cacao has a much more mild, natural, woody aroma that I completely get in this. Once its sat on my skin for a bit the woody aspect really hits which I love. You still get some sweetness too but it's subtle. It's not loud, or vicious, but it works. Definitely unisex and would be absolutely sexy on a man. 9/10

Smells like a half-melted milk chocolate bar with cinnamon, a warm but soft spicy top percolating from a full-bodied chocolate with resinous undertones. I can't pick out a majority of the given notes, it's all about the cacao and benzoin. There's no raspberry at all, there's maybe a hint of boozy sweetness, some added creaminess from the caramel, and I guess maybe my perception of cinnamon comes from the benzoin along with a fuzzy pop from the pink pepper and powdery sandalwood. Exceptionally blended or a bunch of phooey? It does get a bit more caramel-like as it dries down, I suppose. Moderately soft projection for 2-3hr, longevity 6-8hr. In hindsight, after smelling Cacao2 which is much more purely chocolate, this has relatively more depth to it than I originally thought because Cacao2 basically takes the "melting milk chocolate bar with added cinnamon + ambery notes" part and deletes everything else. This is a good chocolate fragrance, Cacao2 is a good chocolate novelty.

Maison Tahite Vicious Cacao involves cacao, rose, pepper, rum, amber, florals, resins, and woods. It’s dark and sweet, with spicy hints, as well, keeping everything in balance. It’s among my very favorites of the line so far (along with Coffee Bomb), and reminds me more than perhaps any fragrance has of the brilliant Gourmand Coquin by Guerlain,, while being a little more chocolately and less sharp/spicy/rosy. It’s cozy but provocative, idiosyncratic but inviting, a real gem of a mostly-gourmand blend that I could see being a winter staple for many. Very impressive. As with the rest of the line, Vicious Cacao performs quite well and is very reasonably priced, at $120 for 100ml, sold at Luckyscent (where I bought a discovery set) as well as a couple other US retailers. 8 out of 10

Vicious Cacao Maison Tahité- сегодня нанесла на кожу, это просто чудо! Аромат вначале покупки, весной этого года, не произвел впечатления и я не могла понять о чем пишут любители данного аромата. Рука совсем не тянулась все это время и даже подумывала о его продаже((( И вот он настоялся! пол года ! Что могу сказать? -Он прекрасен в нанесении именно на кожу! вуалью! Чувствую прекрасную малину с чудными переливами не ярко выраженного какао , рома , не скатывается какао-порошок, как я подумала о нем вначале. Присутствует легкая кислинка. Дайте ему время и он будет вас радовать! Осень его время! Стойкость значительно увеличилась! Рада, что он со мной!

I get something completely different than a lot of people. I get the rum, raspberry, cacao, and amber. The cacao is the most prominent to me and it’s a dry powdered chocolate on top of a light and fluffy chocolate raspberry cake. I absolutely love it. The amber and dry cacao actually keep it from being too sweet and give it an interesting depth. It’s a comforting and yummy scent that is an easy go to in fall and winter. It is very much unisex in the perfect way.

Did the discovery set and this is one of two I deduced to go FB. I get mostly soft powdered coco. A little jasmine at the start with berry. After that it settled to coco and sandalwood. It is light. It last 4 hours max. Little longer on clothes. It’s cozy. No patchouli so not like Angel. I love it’s softness.

Delicious! I always crave a warm chocolate cake drizzled in chocolate sauce with raspberries when I wear this. Oh it’s just soo good. I wore this to bed 3 nights ago and I can still smell it on my quilt. No issues with longevity here. My first from this house and dare say it won’t be the last.

the love of my life. i write about it in my diary and dream about it at night. my friend texted me once and said “your skin should be studied by scientists you smell so good.” it is the best compliment i have ever received and my ego is humongous now

It is an absolute love of a fragrance for me. Delicious gourmand, yet with a sophisticated, grown-up edge to it. Doesn't get overly cloying, just the right amount of sweetness. Also, great prices for a niche house. I cannot keep my hands off it!

Great winter scent. Intoxicating, boozy and addictive. It reminds me of Christmas season for some reason. Maybe because it reminds me of something else I have smelled before from Bath and Body Works or Victoria's Secret (in a good way!).

Upon initial spray this pulled so masculine on me and also had a very strong green note. It almost turned me away from this perfume, but the dry down is so beautiful. Smells like cherry liqueur and chocolate. So yummy

Amazing smell it's so addicting I have to stop myself from grabbing this. Can be cloying if over sprayed but my gosh so addicting, the rum in this is so good. If I could drink it I would. Night time/ cold use is best

people on here saying they dont pick up any cacao note....I can smell the cacao, coffee, pink pepper, its warm, slightly spicy, and so entirely yummy. And I experience it as very feminine.

That's a gourmand sweet'ish cacao and liqueur perfume. So lovely delicious, unfortunately it's very close to your skin. I love that perfume and wish it would have better lasting power...

Loveeeee really nice to use it at night as it's light,sweet,delicious perfect:-) It's not a strong fragrance but so yummy!- gourmand bomb!

Like a bowl of coco puffs in honey and almond milk lol. Laconic, sweet, and decadent. Needless to say, I love.

can it be colder weather already so i can add this to my collection? so delicious i want to bite my arm off

I am addicted to this fragrance! It's like powdered chocolate donuts with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.

Such a yummy chocolately rum fragrance. I love this one!

Beautiful fragrance. PDM - Carlisle vibes ✨️

I got an official carded mini of this and was most excited out of recent samples to try this one. It isn’t what I expected, to say the least. It’s nice, but not amazing. It opens very fruity with the raspberry. I’m not fond of raspberry scents as they often come off synthetic or medicinal/cough syrupy to me. The raspberry dries down pretty quick though and what is left is a soft chocolate powder dust over a light woody base. It’s only semi-sweet. It isn’t a true realistic gourmand to me. It smells more like when you open a can of coco powder and some of the dust puffs out. Vicious cacao is that scent of the little puff of coco dust that briefly catches in your nose or mouth for a moment. I have no clue where these BR540 comparisons come from, I sense nothing in common between the two... maybe too many dupes have people confused as to what BR540 smells like. Maybe the saffron is what causes the comparison? I also smell a touch of caramel, I can sense the florals but they’re extremely subtle. Not getting any salt or the other notes. I get no resins and wouldn’t consider this a woody scent, it just has a subtle wood base that is pretty unremarkable. I get zero in common with Scandal or Angel. I’ve owned both of those for years and wear them frequently. Nothing at all like this scent in any way. Overall it’s nice, but nothing about it is very unique, it doesn’t stand out, it’s only semi-gourmand. It’s very light and sticks close to the skin. It doesn’t have the best lasting power. I sprayed and had to respray 30 min later because it faded a lot. Then an hour later those 4 sprays could only slightly be detected if I put my nose on my skin. I think I’d consider this a bit more feminine leaning unisex? Chocolate scents are weird. I’m not sure they have a gender. Even though the woody base reads more masculine in this scent, the florals and fruit make it a bit more “pretty.” It’s a good fragrance, it just isn’t amazing and left me with no real desire to rush to buy a bottle.

A realistic chocolate, strong, dark, sweet and delicious! It's like to provide for a party... chocolate desserts and liquor bottles on the tables. VC doesn't slip even for a moment ... the warmth of the scent, the sweetness and bitterness, the quality of the notes, illustrate the melted chocolate in the most unique way. Unfortunately, it lasts very short on the skin, less than 1 hour. They could have put a rough woody note in the composition that wouldn't separate from the skin for up to 3 days, but haven't sacrificed the beauty of the fragrance for increase its longevity. یه شکلات واقع گرایانه، غلیظ، تیره، شیرین و کمی دودی. انگار تدارکِ پیش از یه مهمانیه و روی میزها دسر شکلات و مشروب گذاشته شده. گرمای رایحه، شیرینی و تلخیش، کیفیت نتها، شکلات رو به شکلی عالی بازسازی میکنه. متاسفانه روی پوست دوام خیلی پایینی داره، کمتر از حد 1 ساعت. اینام میتونستن یه نت چوبی زمخت جا بدن تو ترکیبش که تا 3 روز از پوست جدا نشه، اما زیبایی رایحه رو فدای بالا بردن دوامش نکردن. پیشنهاد میکنم فقط روی پوست اون رو امتحان کنید

Strange, one of those times my nose tells me a completely different story than Fragrantica and I have a different experience than many reviewers below... In the "fruity floral gourmand" I can't really subscribe to any of those... Based on the notes and reviews I expected something truly gourmand like Xerjoff's Lira or Bianco Latte, but this is very far from 'edible', and I pick no caramel or anything close to sugary sweetness Opens with spicy rum and cocoa, the kind of dark but soft sweet-smelling rum, but then on my skin the strong dry cedar wood and oakmoss appear almost immediately - very dry, earthy woody notes, but wrapped in cocoa powder and rum... Softens to dark chocolate with salt and the boozy facet disappears, but it does not become truly sweet. I'd say it's quite unisex but still masculine leaning. I do like it quite a bit, but in a way that I like distinct aromas of rum, cocoa and woodsy notes - I think I might enjoy smelling it on a man more.

This is so pretty and delish!! I feel like everybody down below has summarised the scent alr, so I'll give a brief summary of my impression: first day of testing, this was weird to my nose, too much rum and I think benzoin that put me off but then came the CREAMY CACAO drydown.. it became quite delicious, at that point I was like, when this settles in with more wears (and I guess my nose desensitises a little bit to it), it might smell quite yummy to me :) And I was right. I wore it for 2 more consecutive days. I absolutely enjoy catching whiffs of this, it's not solely cacao, the main notes I detect are cacao, rum, caramel, amber, benzoin, a little bit of salt, and raspberry. It's a gourmand but not a very full on food situation. I enjoy it, but definitely already getting a little nose blind to it. (Much better than Boss btw.)

This smells identical to the most recent release of Hot Coca and Cream from Bath and Bodyworks, but with a warm, rummy cloud over it. I believe it’s around $120 for 100 ML, which isn’t bad in the fragrance world, but the longevity and projection can be challenging to the pricepoint. This is beautiful for seasons like fall and winter, something I would drink in the smell of on a cozy Christmas Eve night. I personally like scents that are intimate, but can briefly waft in someone’s direction for a long-ish whiff, which isn’t most peoples preference— But even for someone whose projection taste is on the more minimal side, this was very weak. A sample on Twistedlily is about $4, and with a discount, it definitely wouldn't hurt to try.

For me these notes work beautifully together but the scent is much too weak for a potential purchase. I got a lot of chocolate compared to other ingredients. I also detected rum caramel salt and amber. I usually love all the base notes listed so no wonder I found the scent very wearable but I couldn’t tell for sure which base ingredient was really present—it all comes back to cacao. I got no pepper or fruit really, if that is helpful in knowing what to expect. Ultimately a very cozy easygoing scent with poor performance.

Boozy chocolate cake drizzled with a splash of a raspberry jam, one that you eat in the living room of an old mansion, sitting in a century-old leather chair next to the smoky fireplace. It reminds me a grown-up version of Chocolovers, which I adored in my late teens. In a bottle it leans more masculine, on skin it unravels all the cacao-caramel notes beautifully in a sweet but not overly gourmand way.

Testing my sample; gourmand chocolate pudding whipped with caramel, rum, benzoin, and some spices that I assume is the saffron. It's sweet but well-tampered by the other notes present as to not be too sweet. Cool/cold weather is best for a fragrance like this, warm weather would make this cloying. Sits just at arms' length on my skin, it's been about 2 hrs and it's still there.

Scrubber. It starts off promising. Smells very chocolatey and delicious. But as it wears longer and longer the base notes come out. Idk if it the benzoin, salt or saffron or a combination but it made me nauseous.

Reminds me of a bath and body works scent, kind of like sunset glow but not an exact match. It's not a bad fragrance, a little more perfumey than gourmand though.

Smells really weird, it has some heroine like sweetness, cocao flavoured cotton candy smell, can catch some glycerin smell in there too. 7/10

Very beautiful, very cosy and nostalgic cacao. Also, finally - a brand with proper recyclable packaging.

Based on the title I blind bought this thinking it would be a delicious chocolate perfume. It’s not. And it’s my fault for not even checking the notes before I bought it. I am not a fan of raspberry because of its tartness and exactly that is what ruins this perfume for me. It smells quite sour and alcoholic (perhaps because of the rum note?), I only get a vague smell of cacao. The title is misleading unfortunately. It’s not a bad smell, it’s just not living up to its title. If you love raspberry this is definitely for you! :) longevity is quite good compared to the other perfumes from this brand. But don’t blind buy at this price point! I may sound harsh, but this review is to spare you from splurging thinking this is a chocolate gourmand.

I was really excited about this one, the description sounded not necessarily like something I’d love but definitely something I was excited to try. In the bottle it smelled great but as soon as I put it on all I could smell was Angel. I spent the next four hours transported to the nineties. Not exactly a bad thing, but I missed a feeling of wearing something new. The scent stayed close on my wrist, and I could really only smell it when I meant to. Not long lasting. It was completely gone in about 4 hours. Towards the end I got more of a cinnamon warmth than anything else.

It calls itself vicious, but is sweet and gentle as a body spray. Maybe my nose lacks sensitivity, or chocolate just isn't a scent that can be bottled well, but this has a synthetic lack of distinction-- the burnt-sugar ambroxan smell. It's actually pretty nice, but reminds me too much of Pink Sugar to consider wearing.

Not bad, but disappointing. It's cacao, sure, but a very dry and medicinal one. The spices are really overpowering and makes it less pleasant. It's more cacao pods than dark chocolate, which was what I was hoping for. It does smell very warm and comforting but definitely not yummy.

Tried this on paper and to me smells like the dna of Baccarat rouge 540 plus some cacao. The cacao note fade away and what is left on my test strip is the scent that smell a bit like BR540

Interesting, woody, resinous, with a bit or cacao. Vaguely reminiscent of cedarwood, with faint resins a bit like in Gucci Eyes of the Tiger.

Really starts out promising but "vicious" soon morphs into a fangless Count Chocula holding a bouquet of flowers and a box of caramels.

I’m not in synch with this fragrance, and I can’t pin point why. I might be nose blind to some of the notes like another reviewer mentions below. Vicious Cacao is dominated by benzoin and an overall “perfumey” smell, more floral than gourmand—in fact, after 15 minutes I lose the Cacao and Carmel notes altogether. Also, Vicious Cacao leans synthetic and does not smell natural. Chalk it up to chemistry.

This one makes me so sad. The notes sounded perfect for my gourmand girlie self but it vanishes on my skin. Within five minutes of applying, I cant smell it. I practically have to jam my whole arm up my nose to get any hint of it and even then I only pick up the cacao. Disappointed it doesn't work for me :(

Don't like the pink pepper, oakmoss, and salty caramel notes in a chocolate fragrance.

I am completely nose blind to this. So sad :(

Wow if you wish to smell like a lovely chocolate bar and a luxurious one at that, this is the fragrance for you! For me this is a dangerous fragrance as i am on a diet and the entire time all i could think about was how i wanted something like melted chocolate drizzled over some treat with salted caramel all hot and dripping with melted caramel. The projection on me was actually very good, whether it would leave a trail behind me or not is something else i am not sure about as this is my first true gourmand fragrance. The only other fragrance i have that smells close to something like this would be Scandal but that is nothing in comparison to what Vicious Cacao is able to do to your mind and create a battle of will power to not go grab a tub of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer that we have, completely cover it with caramel sauce and honey all over a hot toasted Belgian, sweet waffle. It was days ago i wore this and i am now punishing myself again just thinking about it as i write this. Positive thoughts, "must go to gym, also, must not stop by the shop on the way and empty their stock of all sweet food" What makes this even more punishing is that it is not synthetic at all. If you didn't know this was a perfume and someone in your house was wearing it, you would have a big let-down once you go to the kitchen to find out that, no, nobody is baking a desert for after you finish your main course at dinner. Well in my case it would be a good thing because if it smelled like this i would devour the lot and that would be an entire week's worth of exorcize destroyed lol People on a diet, spray with caution, you have been warned! Lucky people who can eat and eat without putting on weight, i hate you all 😭

Rating: 🎀😊🍩 Do I like it: Yep, but I have to be in the mood for candy Who it is: a young woman ready to rule the world (after a good night of sleep, some coffee and a comfort show after work, why thank you) Smells I get: cotton candy, burnt sugar, cocoa Meyer's Briggs type: hyperfeminine ENTP, ENFP Spun sugar, cotton candy. Dries down to cocoa nibs mixed with sugar sprinkes. Cheap, sharp, aggresively sugary, delicious in the air but a tad synthetic. A 80% dupe is Barbe a Papa by Tutti delices (cheap), this is done a bit better but I can barely sniff the difference on skin. Think of those sugary pink/white donuts that have been engineered to all Hell and back - yeah, that's it. Still, while it's a nice agressive sugar cane with a distant powdered chocolate flavour, I will say it projects deliciously and lasts very well. It's a lot of fun for those among you looking for a true cotton candy / sugar cookie scent. You'll probably get compliments on how you smell like a dessert, sugar cane, bubblegum or something of similar variety A very nice perfume for anyone in love with girly and hyperfeminine candy scents, or anyone just looking for bottled sugar.

I managed to get my hands on a little sample and instantly fell in love. I don’t gravitate towards fragrances that can be described as ‘edible’ but Vicious Cacao went straight to my heart. To me, it smells exactly like a cherry liqueur bonbon (the ones with the red wrapping paper). There’s no cherry note in this so I think it’s the rum note that makes it smell like that particular bonbon to me. I would wear this in colder months or during the evening. It’s warm, cozy.. sweet, but not overly sweet like Maison Tahite’s Vanilla2 for example. The notes in Vicious Cacao that stand out to my nose are rum, cacao and caramel. I don’t pick up on any of the raspberry or oakmoss. I also read in the comments that some people get that BR540 dna from this, but I didn’t get that. I have a decent sized BR540 sample and I absolutely hate that scent. Nothing about Vicious Cacao reminds me of BR540. Overall, I like this fragrances and would definitely get a full bottle. I’m from Western Europe and to me, the ml to price ratio is also very decent. I could get a 100ml bottle from €80-€100 in my region, so I’d consider it a bang for your buck.

I absolutely love this one. I was looking for a fragrance that was reminiscent of a fudge shop- this is not quite that but even better and more unique. The raspberry is playful, bright, and mouth-watering. I get a bit of oakmoss actually in the opening which tempers the sweetness and adds depth. I think this fragrance really shines in the dry down - when the saffron, benzoin and caramel come out to play. On me - it's sweet, edible but still sophisticated. I imagine it might smell very different on the wearer so one to definitely test on the skin before purchasing. This will be my signature scent this fall and I can't wait to wear it through Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I love the comment that this leans synthetic. Well, duh. No, they didn’t put real cinnamon and cacao in here because that would be quite difficult. It’s not a food item. Note: all gourmands are synthetic. They aren’t putting real caramel or tiramisu flakes in our perfumes, guys. I think if you like that powdery cocoa note from feve gourmand but don’t want to spend $400, give this a go. It’s along that line where there is a cocoa powder along with other gourmand elements in a traditional perfume base. The longevity could be better but at &130, I’m not mad. I actually like quite a few fragrances from this line.

Upon first spray all I got was a burst of pure juicy, sour realistic pineapple, this completely fades like 30 seconds later and becomes a very plasticine like cacao scent with a slight hint of fresh masculinity. Veery interesting and rare perfume, not sure if I like it yet. I don’t agree with some reviewers saying this is gourmand, lactonic and sweet, it is neither of those things, yes it has cacao and caramel but it is still very perfumey and not gourmand in my opinion. The dry down is starting to captivate me, I might love it, I’m not sure. Edit: doesn’t last at all 😭

I don't get any chocolate here, maybe very sugary raspberry chocolate - and that it's if I'm reaching. This is pretty much in the sugarcane candy land of synthetic sweets and candy floss. It's good, it's a tad syntethic but not in a headachey way - just reads as sugar. There is definitely something "vicious" going on here - viciously sweet. There are some underlying deeper notes, but nothing very refined. Just prepare yourself to smell like a very sugary raspberry choc.