Vanille Absolument

Name: Vanille Absolument Eau de Parfum (EDP)
Brand: L'Artisan Parfumeur

L'Artisan Parfumeur · Eau de Parfum (EDP) · 2009

≈ $175 · 100ml · approx. retail

Originally launched as Havana Vanille in 2009 (renamed Vanille Absolument for trademark reasons), this Bertrand Duchaufour composition builds a boozy, tobacco-laced vanilla around rum and immortelle rather than a simple sweet gourmand. Part of the Travel Collection, it evokes Cuban cigar lounges more than dessert.

Vanilla Boozy Tobacco Sweet

The scent

Top notes

The opening · first 15 minutes

Vanilla Dried Fruits Clove

Heart notes

The core · the next few hours

Tonka Bean Immortelle (Everlasting)Licorice Narcissus

Base notes

The dry-down · what lingers

Rum Tobacco resin Woody Notes Leather Musk

Best for

FallWinterEvening

Perfumer

Bertrand Duchaufour

15 in collection

See their fragrances →

Dupes & cheaper alternatives

Cheaper clones and alternatives that share the same notes and accords — savings are flagged.

Monark

Embarouge · Amber

≈ $23save ~$152

Shares Clove, Dried Fruits, Woody Notes

Ambre Narguilé

Hermessence · Amber

≈ $250

Shares Rum, Tobacco, Tonka Bean

Tobacco Vanille

Tom Ford · Amber

≈ $275

Shares Tonka Bean, Tobacco, Vanilla

Jump Up and Kiss Me Hedonistic

Clive Christian · Amber

≈ $495

Shares Tobacco, Leather, Tonka Bean

Les Nombres d'Or: Vanille

Mona di Orio · Amber

≈ $225

Shares Clove, Rum, Vanilla

Side Effect

Initio Parfums Privés · Amber

≈ $310

Shares Rum, Tobacco, Vanilla

From the journal

Deep dive

Vanilla in perfumery: from bean to gourmand

The world's second most expensive spice, reduced in most perfume marketing to one lazy word. Here's what vanilla actually is, why it almost never smells the same twice, and where to find its full range.