The pleasant wave of steam when you crack open the lid on your masala chai. Espresso crema clinging to the inside of a warm ceramic. That first sip that pulls your soul back into your body; it’s easy to see the appeal in a fragrance that wakes you up the same way as your beloved everyday beverage.
Gourmand perfumes have built their reputation on being sweet and syrupy: vanilla icing, caramel drizzle, the kind of scent that can feel delicious for five minutes and then, in some cases, a little juvenile by lunch. Which is why another gastronomical category is finding fans amongst fragrance enthusiasts right now: beverage-inspired fragrances. They live in the domain of chai steam, matcha lattes and espresso crema and they’re taking over with a more grown, textured personality.
While they may not be entirely new, chai in particular is having a major moment with Prada’s version doing the rounds with traction that only a very internet-friendly note can pull. Prada’s Infusion de Santal Chai is described as a woody, milky unisex fragrance that fuses creamy sandalwood with a spicy chai latte accord, brightened by citrus and cardamom and softened by musks. Before that happened, Bombay Perfumery’s Chai Musk showed us how “drink-inspired” can feel subtle and unisex: lemongrass, ginger root and green tea up top, then mate and roasted nut with sandalwood and a hot milk accord in the base.
Ayesha Mamdani, a Mumbai-based brand strategist, summed up the appeal while sniffing a chai-leaning sample, “I was always conscious of what seniors at work would think of me in sweet gourmand. perfumes. Tea scents feel like I’m wearing confidence while still being comforted by my out-of-office identity.” That’s the shift in one line.
The internet has spent the last few years turning drinks into identity markers. Matcha got turned into an aesthetic: wellness feeds, ceramic cups, slow mornings, the appealing kind of discipline. Once you’ve romanticised the act of making something (whisking, frothing, steeping), wearing it is the obvious next step, no? Matcha also gave gourmands a new best friend. Le Labo’s THÉ MATCHA 26 pairs a matcha tea accord with creamy fig, cedar, vetiver and bitter orange so the effect feels plush rather than sugary. Maison Margiela’s Replica Matcha Meditation goes with a white chocolate accord in the base, but it’s still airy, not candied.
Coffee scents follow the same logic of being turned into an aesthetic lifestyle. Akro’s Awake builds its addiction around coffee with lemon, green cardamom and vetiver so it feels crisp. For an Indian pick, LoveChild by Masaba’s Antiguan Decaf puts coffee in the heart, then dries down to vanilla, dark chocolate, amber and caramel. Kabir Sethia, a Bengaluru-based product designer, calls beverage-inspired fragrances “the most social kind of scent I own.” “Tea and coffee work anywhere,” he says. “They feel genderless and I get to enjoy wearing notes I may otherwise have had apprehensions about.”
