It took me a long journey of trial and error to know what I know today. Therefore, I’ll be passing this knowledge on to you. You see, I have been obsessed with the smell of coffee ever since I was a child.
I vividly remember my mom getting freshly ground coffee beans from the roastery. Whenever she went out to get coffee, I insisted on going with her. She would drive to the roastery, and I would wait for her in the car when we got there as she went to get the coffee. I would smile in joy when I saw her coming back with the bag of coffee in her hands, which she handed to me the moment she got into the car. I would hold on to that bag as though it held the secrets to happiness.
At that point, I had never had coffee, yet the smell brought me tremendous comfort and joy. Fast-forward to today, and we’re mostly all adults who can’t function without their daily cup of coffee.
Up until today, the smell of coffee has comforted me. According to a study by the Stevens Institute of Technology, the smell of coffee can improve our cognitive abilities and boost our performance. This might be a placebo effect, but the fact remains the same. The scent of coffee is rich, captivating, and comforting. Follow these steps to smell like coffee.
Start From the Shower
1. Magic Glow Sugar Scrub – Coffee
The first step is to exfoliate with a coffee scrub. This prepares your skin as a coffee-scented base to build on, cleanses of any former scent, and opens your pores to better absorb the scent build-up from this point on.
Magic Glow’s Coffee Sugar Scrub also has many benefits. These include enhancing blood circulation, reducing cellulite, reducing inflammation, providing skin exfoliation, and brightening the skin.
2. Magic Glow Body Wash – Coffee
After exfoliating, wash yourself with a gentle wash. This will remove any dead-cell residue, leaving your skin a fresh, coffee-scented slate.
This coffee body wash by Magic Glow will engulf your shower with a beautiful coffee scent. The scent will also be absorbed by your skin and help any other fragrance you layer over last longer.
Post Shower
1. YSL Black Opium L Body Lotion
Black Opium by Yves Saint Laurent is an iconic women’s luxury fragrance. In fact, it is one of the fragrances that I will be mentioning later in this article as one of the fragrances with a coffee note.
This body lotion has the same scent as the fragrance by Yves Saint Laurent of the same name. If you’re going with the perfume version of this lotion, then it would be ideal to layer them together for a a longer-lasting, more prominent scent.
2. Revel Radiant Cocoa Body Lotion
Another option that would make an excellent base for your coffee perfumes and most fragrances is this cocoa body lotion by Revel. It is soft and smooth. The gourmand scent of cocoa is bitter and spicy yet velvety and inviting, balancing any fragrance you add to it.
Coffee Scented Perfumes
1. YSL Black Opium EDP (For Her)
| Highlights | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Yves Saint Laurent |
| Best for | Women |
| Fragrance Family | Amber Vanilla |
| Notes | Top notes: Pear, Pink Pepper, and Orange Blossom Middle notes: Coffee, Jasmine, Bitter Almond, and Licorice Base notes: Vanilla, Patchouli, Cashmere Wood, and Cedar |
| Release year | 2014 |
| Longevity | Over 8 hours |
| Projection | Moderate |
| Perfumer | Nathalie Lorson, Marie Salamagne, Olivier Cresp, and Honorine Blanc |
Most girls who were in their late teens to early twenties around 2014-2015 owned a Black Opium Bottle. This fragrance by YSL quickly became every it-girls go-to fragrance the moment it was launched and for a good reason.
The opening of Black Opium is spicy and fresh, with notes of pear, pink pepper, and orange blossom. The freshness comes from the fruits, and the spice comes from the pink pepper, which adds a spicy, warm, and slightly sweet aroma. The heart contains Coffee, Jasmine, Bitter Almond, and Licorice notes. All these notes, including the vanilla in the base and excluding the jasmine in the heart, give this scent a gourmand nature. The jasmine note adds a sensual, musky aroma to the fragrance. The base is rich with notes of patchouli, cashmere wood, and benzoin.
Black Opium is a long-lasting women’s fragrance ideal for winter and fall. It is also suitable for night-time wear and partying due to its sensual and sweet aroma.
2. Valentino Uomo Born In Roma Green Stravaganza EDT (For Him)
| Highlights | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Valentino |
| Best for | Men |
| Fragrance Family | Amber Fougere |
| Notes | Top notes: Calabrian Bergamot Middle notes: Coffee Base notes: Vetiver |
| Release year | 2024 |
| Longevity | Over 6 hours |
| Projection | Moderate |
| Perfumer | Nathalie Lorson and Olivier Cresp |
Valentino Uomo Born in Roma Green Stravaganza is an eau de toilette added to the Born in Roma collection in 2024. Valentino also added the Gold Donna & Uomo as other new editions to this collection.
Green Stravaganza is a strong fragrance with a simple composition. It opens with Calabrian bergamot, a fruity and sweet citrus with a warm, spicy floral quality. The heart is the start of the show with a note of coffee. As we said, coffee is a balanced, tangy, sweet, and inviting note. The vetiver in the heart is sweet and deep, with a leathery, earthy, smoky undertone and a lemony, green top note.
This long-lasting men’s fragrance is ideal for all-year wear due to the balance in the notes, preventing it from being too warm or cold.
3. Montale Ristretto Intense Cafe EDP (Unisex)
| Highlights | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand | Montale |
| Best for | Unisex |
| Fragrance Family | Amber Vanilla |
| Notes | Top notes: Coffee and Turkey Red Rose Middle notes: Roasted Coffee Beans, French Rose, and Woodsy Notes Base notes: Vanilla, Caramel, White Musk, and Amber |
| Release year | 2019 |
| Longevity | Over 8 hours |
| Projection | Moderate |
| Perfumer | – |
If you’re looking for the final boss of coffee fragrances, this is it. Ristretto Intense Cafe by Montale is a unisex fragrance that is intense, romantic, sensual, and highly comforting. Its scent will make people’s addiction to you stronger than their addiction to coffee.
There is a coffee note in the opening of this scent and a roasted coffee bean note in the heart. Who could ever resist that? The top notes also include a romantic red rose, symbolizing love, passion, and devotion. The heart includes French rose and woody notes alongside the roasted coffee beans. The base is sweet, warm, and seductive, with vanilla, caramel, white musk, and amber notes.
This versatile fragrance is suitable for wear all year round and for most occasions, especially night-time celebrations. I would wear it anytime, anywhere, except in professional settings, where I would opt for something light with a clean aroma.
Looking to smell like coffee, vanilla, cherries, or even milk? You can find any fragrance with any profile online at V Perfumes. Don’t miss out on a diverse range of perfumes from all your favorite brands.
