This vanilla roundup is part of Shop The Street, FLEETSTREET’s beauty review series. Our editors curate collections of new and noteworthy products (and let you know why you should add them to your shopping list). Also, big thanks for buying something through our retail links, as we may earn an affiliate commission. Tap for more info.
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The benefits of vanilla and why we can’t get enough of it
What do straight-leg jeans, slip dresses and wine-coloured lipsticks have in common with vanilla-scented everything? A deep nostalgia for the ’90s.
And like all trends that go in and out of style (it’s chic to love a good throwback), there was a brief period when vanilla was just “so vanilla” – post 1999. It meant basic, boring and very, very plain. Floral scents and musks gave the allure of sophistication, while the birthday cake flavour remained an expected for birthday parties not bodies.
There was a brief return a few years back with a TikTok trend for the Vanilla Girl Aesthetic. But that was shut down as sad and beige, and too exclusive (you know, recurring “core” on social: just another skinny white girl trend).
But vanilla is back for 2026 – and it’s playful.
As a gourmand fragrance (edible-like notes, from peaches and chocolate to basil and coriander), vanilla is doing so well in “sensory-rich products,” according to research firm Future Market Insights (FMI). In addition to fragrance, of course, vanillin (the compound that makes vanilla smell as delicious as ice cream on a hot summer day) is also being used in whipped, buttery creams, velvety shower gels, slick body oils and gritty scrubs.
“As the [gourmand] category gains traction for its edible-inspired notes like vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and spices, both export and import dynamics have evolved to support global expansion,” FMI shares in its recent Gourmand Fragrance Report. “Vanilla, honey, caramel, and almond notes are widely used to create an emotional connection between the product and the consumer.” But the skincare product needs to work as good as it smells, it adds.
Lisa’s (her mum’s actually) chocolate chip cookie recipe: stolen with proper credit.
A history of vanilla that isn’t plain
Here’s a quick history of vanilla’s use for looking and feeling better.
- 1600BC — The earliest known physical evidence of vanillin, found in Bronze Age burial jars in Israel.
- 1185 — Wild vanilla orchid was cultivated and used for ceremonies, food and medicine by the Totonac in Mexico.
- 1858 — French scientist Nicolas-Theodore Gobley isolated vanillin as a compound.
- 1874 — German chemists Ferdinand Tiemann and Wilhelm Haarmann created a synthetic vanillin from pine bark resin.
- 1880 — Ice cream parlours became popular in Canada, serving vanilla ice cream, and it remains Canada’s favourite flavour.
- 1925 — Jacques Guerlain, of Guerlain of course, produced the iconic fragrance Shalimar by adding synthetic ethyl vanillin to a bottle of the brand’s already popular Jicky perfume.
- 1963 — Vanilla becomes standardized for quality by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
- 1990 — The Body Shop opened 2,000 franchise shops in malls. Its founder Anita Roddick began selling unscented body products in 1976, like lotions and shampoos, that customers could scent themselves with selected oils, including Vanilla Perfume Oil, which became the scent of choice for ’90s teen mallrats.
- 2017 — Vanilla hits the business headlines, as its supply became scarce after Cyclone Enawo hit Madagascar, and the spice reportedly sold for USD$500 per kilogram. (For context, today it’s about $60 a kilo.)
- 2017 — After her naked birthday cake went viral in 2008, NYC-based Milkbar owner and chef Christina Tosi partnered with Glossier, and more recently Bath & Body Works in 2025, to bring her vanilla-cake scent to the masses.
- 2023 — The Vanilla Girl aesthetic videos go viral on TikTok, showcasing vanilla ice cream-inspired outfits of cozy knits in off-white colours.
- 2026 — Perfumers locked into vanilla scents layered with dimensioned notes that avoid being overly sweet, including Tocca, YSL and Henry Rose. Other vanilla trends this year included cloudy white milk nails, nostalgic sweet snacks and iced coffees.
What is the “Cozy Girl Aesthetic” trend?
Layering your day with vanilla
Here’s how the FLEETSTREET editors are adding a bit of vanilla to their hair, skin and post-workout regimen.
Summer Fridays Sunlit Vanilla, $40, at sephora.ca.
Vanilla, to go, please
This travel-size bottle is perfect in your purse or gym bag. The scent is vanilla-forward, obviously, but it isn’t heady, nor does it hang around like other perfumes, making it the perfect scent to spritz when you’re on the go.
Maison Margiela Paris By the Fire Place, $195, at shoppersdrugmart.ca.
Hot stuff
While we don’t often want to smell like a fire, this perfume does turn up the heat. Its ashy, woody scent (chestnut, guaiac wood and juniper) is softened by the base note of vanilla. Pass the s’mores along with the Margiela, please.
Summer Scents: Can I wear this now?
Sunny Daise Vanilla and Coconut Fragrance Body Mist charm set, $195, at walmart.ca.
Charmed, I’m sure
How adorable is this? Just like with babies and puppies, we want to eat this cute set. Very soft and subdued, it’s not as saccharine or tan lotion-y as you might expect from the packaging, thanks to the white lily and chamomile notes. The bottle can be hung onto your bag strap, and it comes with a side-eyeing doll-face charm.
Do-gooder Josie Maran on body butter scents.
Monday Hair Care Vanilla Glaze Hair and Body Mist, $15, at shoppersdrugmart.ca.
Becky, with the good good scent
Vanity-ready to sit alongside your fave fragrances, this flasked mist gives hair the scented glow-up it needs after a workout or a day of work. The perky vanilla scent doesn’t weigh hair down or affect styling (with reasonable spritzing of course), so you can enjoy all the mood-boosting benefits of vanilla without affecting your ’do.
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Touchland Vanilla Velvet, $28, at shoppersdrugmart.ca.
It’s touch and glow
This soft vanilla scent has a touch of warmth. And it’s not going to dry out skin or hair like some other alcohol-based fragrances, as it contains hyaluronic acid to hydrate. We wear it with Touchland Power Mist in Beach Coco for the perfect hand body-perfume-and-hand-sanitizer- pairing. Just don’t mix them up! Ha!
How to make Erewhon’s new Mocha Magic Smoothie at home.
Good Protein Vanilla Milk Shake, $20, at well.ca.
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake
It’s the thick, milky texture of this post-workout, Canadian-made, vegan drink that is true to the flavour promise. There’s a hint of sweetener, but it doesn’t overpower the vanilla taste. One 355-millilitre bottle offers 21 grams of protein, seven grams of fibre, and no sugar. Our recommendation: It’s best served cold to preserve that milkshake-mental connection.