Vanille de Tahiti

Vanille de Tahiti is a grown-up vanilla scent, more creamy than dry, made with good-quality spicy vanilla that is complemented by floral and woody accents. There is a soft underlying booziness too. Yes, I get the indolic edge to the opening, but it settles, mellowing into a smooth vanilla scent, resembling vanilla pods, with just the right amount of sweetness. VdT opens with the aforementioned indolic floral note, perhaps champaca (I can't be sure, as I'm not familiar with champaca). It initially feels curiously plastic-y to my nose for a few seconds before the indolic effect comes into play. I usually associate indoles with jasmine, and there is definitely no jasmine here. The florals are more yellow than white. I thought this was going to be a strong dislike based on the opening, but within minutes it settles into a beautiful, pitch-perfect vanilla scent. The vanilla is spicy, smooth, natural-smelling and creamy - delicious yet grown-up, not syrupy or even too gourmand. The initially discordant yellow floral accord segues into a creamy, slightly tropical ylang ylang note that complements the vanilla beautifully without overpowering it. Woody, musky notes creep in as it dries down, a logical progression for a vanilla scent. The smooth, subtle sandalwood marries beautifully with the creamy vanilla, giving it a luxurious lift. It fades eventually to a sweet amber-vanilla skin scent with touches of salt. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is a unisex vanilla scent, despite vanilla being considered feminine. A beautiful example of its genre, VdT is sweet and comforting, but very wearable. It is an everyday cold weather scent, cosy and elegant like a simple cashmere jumper. One of the best vanillas I've encountered in a while, this beats Matière Première Vanilla Powder. FBW if not for my Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille. 4/5.

I first read about Vanille de Tahiti on Fragrantica, and when it showed up on an editor’s “Best of 2020” list, I knew I had to track down a decant. Within the first two hours of my initial test drive, I ordered a 100ml bottle. Vanille de Tahiti is now one of my favorite florals, and specifically champaca. Yes, champaca. Vanilla is present in the form of the flower only, and has no connection to vanilla pod gourmands the majority of people are accustom (and which I also love). I believe the fecal or urinal scent some people are picking up is due to this flower. So if you are unfamiliar with it, do not blind buy. I personally love the slightly animalic champaca, and if you are the same then get your hands on a decant. I’m wearing Vanille de Tahiti on a cold early winter day, and it’s lovely. I believe this is a versatile floral that can work through all seasons. It leans exotic, creamy and beachy...not in a suntan lotion way, but in the way that I want to wear it on a tropical beach. I find Vanille de Tahiti the definition of sexy. And on my skin, is the polar opposite of the most upvoted Fragrantica fragrance: Chopard’s Casmir. For some reason Casmir is a chemical bomb on my skin. Even though I know that there are synthetics in 99.5% of all perfumes, I do not pick up anything unnatural in Vanille de Tahiti. I will end my review with a word about performance. Typically my skin eats perfume. And I get about 3 hours from Vanille de Tahiti before turning to a skin scent, so not too bad. Throughout the day I keep picking it up, lightly, and those around me can smell it too—I’ve gotten compliments from those close to me. I’m impressed, I’m thrilled I bought the 100 ml, and I look forward to wearing this again in warmer weather. One of my Top 20 perfumes. Thanks to the editors that put Vanille de Tahiti on my radar.

The reviews are 100% accurate, the opening is V-I-L-E. It smells like poop. You'll feel an unprecedented level of embarassment and regret after spraying this on your skin in-store (I did). BUT! Give it a chance and be patient! It should last for 10-15 minutes in the worst case scenario. After this, it turns into a very natural, delicate and unique smelling vanilla. It smells really discreet and uncomplicated but longevity is really good (once you've reached the good smelling phase, thank goodness) and it is very different from the other vanilla-focused / minimalistic vanilla fragrances I've smelled so far. I feel like no description of mine could do it justice, but it just feels like your skin naturally smells like vanilla, really. It doesn't blatantly smell like perfume, nor does it smell like you're a walking cake fresh out of the oven. It smells like for some reason, you've been handling raw vanilla beans all day and nonchalantly touched your skin afterwards. It's so beautiful. I would definitely advise you to try this perfume on skin and not trust what you smell on paper! All perfumes play with your skin's PH and temperature but I find that Vanille de Tahiti is one of those perfumes that is even more sensitive and dependant on these aspects. Paper nor clothes won't reflect what you'll get on your own body. You might be better off ordering a sample and trying it in the comfort of your home. Start with ONE spray and WAIT. The fecal notes shouldn't linger for too long, but they will definitely scar you if you rush into this unprepared lol. Also, other people smelling you and commenting while in this wild stage will certainly deter you from trying it again or even waiting for the dry down. Wait before you can only smell the vanilla yourself before asking people's opinion about it.

I blind bought this when it came out, and I have no regrets. Blind buys can be tricky, however being a vanilla lover and being generally impressed with the PMC line (Ylang Ylang Nosy Be and Santal du Pacifique are favorites), I was intrigued and also confident it would be at the very least a quality product. Thankfully, it is! In shortest terms, I would call this a photorealistic floral vanilla. Comparing it with similar vanillas on the market, here is what it is NOT: It is not boozy like SDV; it is not spicy or medicinal like Lune Feline; it has no citrus top-notes like Orchidee Vanille; it is not salty like Couleur Vanille, nor is it sugar-sweet like Indult. However, like Indult, it IS somewhat linear and quite realistic. The vanilla is pure and natural, and blends beautifully with champaca and ylang ylang. It is a touch powdery, but not nearly as powdery as Black Vanilla by Mancera. The tropical flower notes are similar to those in Ylang Ylang Nosy Be, but the vanilla still shines proudly. The fragrance is very well balanced: not too light or too heavy. This is an appropriate release in July for summer (in the Northern Hemisphere), as this could easily be considered a summer vanilla fragrance due to the tropical flower notes, but without any coconut. Meanwhile the base of sandalwood, amber, and musk provides just enough balsamic richness to make this fragrance versatile for all seasons. I think Vanille de Tahiti stands alone in the vanilla fragrance genre as a well-balanced and blended, photorealistic floral vanilla with above average longevity and sillage. A solid release.

I’m baffled by the fact that in 2024, the year of vanilla craze, plus lots of vanilla new releases, nobody talks about Vanille de Tahiti. This fragrance is the most delicious tropical vanilla scent I’ve ever sniffed so far. It’s the perfect all year round (but not hot weather) vanilla perfume for those of us who also love tropical flowers. Smells sweet, rich, expensive, warm, exotic and absolutely delightful. The entire black collection from Perris Monte Carlo is just phenomenal. I have ordered a few weeks ago some samples after owning Ylang Ylang Nosy Be for two summers now, and I love all of the scents I’ve bought samples for. Whether we speak about the ylang ylang, patchouli, cacao, osmanthus or vanilla one, they are all absolutely amazing. Scent wise and performance, top notch quality perfumes and fairly priced for what you’re getting! Without second thoughts, Vanille de Tahiti goes straight to my to buy list, alongside the cacao and the patchouli one! With the risk of being challenged by other people in the review section, who might not love it as much as I do, I would call this a yellow floral, tropical vanilla masterpiece! Edit 10.02.25 I bought a full size bottle of this beauty after testing my sample again! It’s too good to wait to try to find it on a sale.