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The 9 Best Coffee Perfumes To Wake Up The Senses
The perfect blends for the ultimate buzz.
Once upon a time, the realm of gourmand fragrances consisted of a handful of syrupy, sickly sweet concoctions. Today though, the edible category is expanding its menu – from tomatoes to croissants, bananas to meringue, foodie scents are cooking up a storm. With the food- and drink-inspired perfume trend continuing to grow, and the global gourmand-fragrance market estimated to surge to $55 billion by 2035, perfumers are reaching for every ingredient in the pantry to whip up a scent that’s good enough to eat (or drink) – and right now, coffee is the flavour du jour.
The best coffee perfumes, at a glance
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At the end of 2024, Sabrina Carpenter released her latest perfume, Me Espresso – an indulgent, playful blend of cocoa powder, whipped cream, vanilla orchid, biscotti and – you guessed it – espresso beans. It joins a long list of coffee-based perfumes, such as Replica’s Coffee Break – a fragrance complete with a milk mousse accord inspired by foamy cappuccinos – or Tom Ford’s beloved Café Rose – a sophisticated coffee scent spiked with notes of coriander, cardamom and incense resin.
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Just like the sprawling plethora of options on the menu at your favourite coffee shop – from creamy vanilla and caramel lattes to intense, no-nonsense shots of espresso – there is a dizzying variety of coffee perfumes out there; from the milky and sweet to the dark and spicy.
What do coffee perfumes smell like?
‘Coffee notes in fragrance have an incredible duality – they can be bold and enigmatic or warm and inviting, depending on how they’re paired,’ explains Alex Shalbaf, founder of perfume house Mind Games. The brand has created two perfumes that incorporate coffee notes in unique and differing ways, Grand Master and Mentor, the latter having been released just last year. ‘The growing popularity of coffee in perfumery speaks to its ability to strike a balance between sophistication and comfort – whether adding intensity to a smoky, resinous composition or enhancing the addictive quality of a gourmand scent.’
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Even though there are new coffee scents popping up on the fragrance scene, Tynan Sinks of the Smell Ya Later podcast believes that they don’t fully get the appreciation they deserve – coffee in perfumery is still relatively niche. 'Coffee is one of my favourite notes, and I’ve always thought it was criminally underrated in fragrance,' he says. According to Sinks, coffee lends itself well to different kinds of compositions. 'Coffee can add warmth, depth, and a comforting familiarity of the smell of coffee brewing early in the morning, or an espresso martini after hours,' Sink says. 'It’s so versatile, with the ability to lean sweet, smoky, sharp, even earthy.'
Sable Yong of Smell Ya Later agrees that coffee notes infuse a scent with an edible quality, without skewing excessively sweet. 'Coffee perfumes tend to be indulgent and edible-smelling but with a slight earthy or bitterness that offsets the sugar rush of many gourmands,' she explains. 'It adds depth to a familiar feminine scent profile, modernising it for our current deconstructed gender fragrance culture.'
The best coffee fragrances to try now
So, if you’re thinking of perking up your fragrance wardrobe and investing in a perfume with a caffeine kick, then look no further – these are our top picks. Wake up and smell (like) the coffee!
One whiff of this warming scent will immediately transport you to the cosy and welcoming environment of a coffee shop, so faithfully does it draw on the comforting smell of coffee and baked goods. Laced with a delectable blend of vanilla and musk, this fragrance also taps into the refreshing sensation of putting a cup of coffee to your lips with a surprise sprinkling of spearmint and lavender.
| Key notes | Arabica coffee, red apple, lemon, lavender, spearmint, orange flower, milk mousse, sandalwood, cedarwood |
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With a bold, rich and complex composition, this is one of Sinks favourites; he describes it as 'a big, warm, sweet coffee scent that I just can’t get enough of'. This scent bottles up the most addictive elements of a cup of coffee, enriched with cinnamon, nutmeg and caramelised sugar.
| Key notes | Mocha coffee, cardamom, vanilla |
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After a more sultry and sophisticated coffee perfume? Kayali’s Oudgasm Café may just be exactly what you’re looking for. As its name suggests, this warm and spicy scent blends two powerhouse notes – a woody oud and creamy cappuccino – to create a sumptuous and rich fragrance delicately lightened up by fresh rose and geranium.
| Key notes | Cappuccino, bergamot, mandarin, geranium, rose, vanilla, patchouli, white musk, oud |
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Tom Ford Café Rose
This is a floral fragrance with a difference. Classically feminine and delicate notes of rose are offset by dark coffee, a secret ingredient that adds unexpected depth. Cardamom, coriander and incense resin bring a spicy hit to this alluring, complex and long-lasting composition.
| Key notes | Rose, ylang ylang, coffee, coriander, patchouli, cardamom |
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Imagine settling down with a steaming cup of coffee and a freshly baked cardamom bun – that’s exactly what spritzing yourself with this warming scent smells like. Recommended by Sink, it’s a seamless harmony of Colombian cocoa and spicy cardamom.
| Key notes | Cardamom, coffee, olive leaf, oud |
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This dazzling perfume is a cult classic – and it’s easy to see (and smell) why. A gourmand floral composition – featuring vanilla, white flowers and orange blossom – enriched with invigorating black coffee, it strikes the perfect balance between seduction and sweetness. It even comes in an Extreme version, which is one of Yong’s personal favourites.
| Key notes | Pear, mandarin, vanilla, orange blossom, white flowers, black coffee, white musk, cedarwood, patchouli |
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The ultimate indulgence, this fragrance combines top notes of mouthwatering salted caramel, dark plum and Italian lemon with middle notes of amber coffee and crème de cassis – it’s a formulation that is intoxicatingly moreish. Grounded by oud, sandalwood and tonka bean, the fragrance is underscored by a sophisticated depth. Released just last year and now available exclusively at Selfridges, it’s a guaranteed head-turner.
| Key notes | Salted caramel, Italian lemon, dark plum, amber coffee, crème de cassis, boya oud, sandalwood, tonka bean |
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Leaning into the lightness of florals as well as the honeyed warmth of ambery scents, this new release has caught Sinks’ attention. Combining energising coffee beans with El Salvadorian Peru balsam, it’s a unique and captivating brew.
| Key notes | Coffee beans, Peru balsam |
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If you’re after a coffee scent with a vibrant citrusy hit, Akro’s Awake is a fan-favourite. Simultaneously refreshing and grounded (and one of Yong’s go-to coffee fragrances) this scent is enlivened with lemon, green cardamom, vetiver and – the star of the show – top notes of coffee Santos.
| Key notes | Coffee Santos, lemon, green cardamom, vetiver |
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