Brown Sugar

Brown sugar perfumes use a gourmand accord that smells darker and more toasted than white sugar or caramel, closer to molasses, with a warm, slightly burnt edge. Perfumers build it from materials such as ethyl maltol, furaneol and vanillin rather than real sugar, and it usually sits in the heart of a fragrance, bridging a fresh or floral opening and a vanilla, amber or woody base.

Because brown sugar is so sweet, the best brown sugar fragrances balance it with something dry. Vetiver, woods, tobacco or leather keep it from reading like a dessert, while vanilla and amber make it feel warm and enveloping. Fragrances with a strong brown sugar note tend to last well and project nicely in cold weather, which makes them popular autumn and winter choices.

How to choose: if you like sweet but not sticky, look for brown sugar paired with vetiver or woods; if you want a cozy comfort scent, choose one led by vanilla and amber. Brown sugar fragrances are generally unisex, and one or two sprays is usually enough.