Perfumes with notes of milk… a creamy and tasty touch in perfumery that will be a trend in 2024

Why is the milk note so popular in fragrances? Smooth, creamy, warm, tasty… Milk introduces a very pleasant gourmand touch to the perfume composition. It can even take us back to childhood, reminding us of that big bowl of hot milk at breakfast. But there are many more nuances to discover. We invite you to taste them.

Since Issey Miyake innovated in 1998 with an overdose of milk in Le Feu d'Issey, lactonic or milky notes have continued to surprise us, thanks to the effect of sulphurol and lactones - among the most popular are coumarin, gamma-undecalactone (from peach) and gamma-nonalactone (from coconut) - combined with other accords.
The resurgence of the gourmand perfume trend, with new olfactory twists that introduce unusual notes or notes that have not yet been used much in perfumery, such as dried fruits or vegetables, has also given a boost to milk notes, resulting in more sophisticated and creative fragrances, appropriate for generating sensations of calm and well-being, just what consumers want to feel at this time.

Lactonic chords are perceived as a creamy, soft, sweet and stony scent. They go well with vanilla, tonka bean and sandalwood, but can also be found with flowers.
Perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui explains that lactonic notes reproduce a fruity coconut or peach effect in fragrances. At Mane, the fragrance company she works for, they have many biotechnological lactones such as Cocotone, which has a natural grated coconut effect, or Coconut Pure Jungle EssenceTM, which is a supercritical extraction of Coconut, giving a fresh coconut milk effect.
"Lactic notes are a way of reinventing sweet and gourmand facets and follow the olfactory trend of cereals and dried fruits. They bring a certain addictiveness associated with ambery or musky woody structures," explains Bijaoui, who points out that their use used to be restricted to niche fragrances, but has now become democratised.
The perfumer must be very skilful when introducing the milk note in the perfume, as, due to its great power and persistence, an excess can be unpleasant.
The milky effect can be found in the perfume This is Me! by Zadig & Voltaire, where the lactonic note comes from an overdose of sandalwood and the combination of sulphurol and lactones, explains Bijaoui. "I also worked with lactic notes in Jo Malone's Honey & Crocus perfume, which was launched in 2018," she recalls.
Recently, Sonia Constant has also set out to explore lactic notes in a reinterpretation of L'Air du Temps, Nina Ricci's iconic fragrance. "I wanted to create a perfumed jewel, a Tiaré flower coated in gold, very bright and sunny; a perfume that radiates a golden and creamy vibe at the same time, thanks to the coconut milk. Sandalwood and Vetiver seemed obvious to me to create the backbone of this perfume, whose trail continues with precious woods. I designed this perfume for a woman who radiates her inner light and warms those around her," reveals the perfumer.

Almond milk, coconut, cashmere and incense are combined in Dent de Lait by Serge Lutens, a fragrance inspired by the vital moment of losing one's first milk tooth in childhood. "Tired of the dance of the tongue that has been shaking his tooth for weeks, a young wolf hastens to offer to blood that which milk subdues him. I have loved you for a long time, I will never forget you", is the olfactory story Serge Lutens imagined for the perfume.
Delicious and sophisticated, Vanilla Milk Eau de Parfum by Ellis Brooklyn combines two types of vanilla extract, a hint of floral, cocoa and a creamy milk accord. This fragrance is designed to sublimate the scent of its essences with the warmth and warmth itself.

Its name is unmistakable: Milk Musk Eau de Toilette, by Molton Brown, a tasty score brimming with milk and soft musks. Perfumer Maïa Lernout has created this soft, velvety fragrance that also combines pear, vanilla, coconut wood and tonka bean.
Coffee Break Eau de Toilette by Maison Margiela Replica suggests a comforting break with a creamy coffee. The intense aroma of coffee and a soft accord of milk foam produce an addictive and delicious effect that takes a surprising twist with notes traditionally present in fougère such as lavender.

Perfumer Bruno Jovanovic evokes a passion for opera with Bravi by Thameen London, a unisex fragrance featuring heady tuberose, an overdose of ginger and a novel nut milk accord.
Exotic and warm, Gold Heart v.4 by Map of the Heart is an almost nourishing scent, full of zesty spices such as cardamom and cinnamon, which sublimate a warm milk accord.

Although musks are the protagonists of Guerlain's exclusive Musc Outreblanc, a subtle accord of milk is revealed among white flowers and creamy sandalwood in a complex but balanced olfactory composition by Delphine Jelk.
Sensual and delicious, Vanille Exquise by Goutal invites us to savour an infusion of almond milk with vanilla in a composition that is defined as ambery to the taste.

Aurelien Guichard focuses on the aromatic power of wood in Santal Austral by Matière Première. It is one of the brand's most sensual perfumes, blending hypnotic sandalwood with creamy iris, almond milk, benzoin and tonka bean.
Extravagant, extreme and intoxicating, Jean Paul Gaultier's So Scandal also plays with a milky note that further heightens its addictive power with an explosion of orange blossom, jasmine and tuberose.