chocolate Archives - The Perfume Society

Chocolate – Not Just for Easter!

There’s something about Easter that invites indulgence—not just in foil-wrapped eggs and velvet truffles, but in scent. Chocolate, in perfumery, is less about sugar rush and more about texture: bitter, creamy, spiced, even smoky. It’s a note that melts into the skin, lingering like a secret rather than announcing itself outright. And just like the best Easter treats, chocolate fragrances are all about pleasure—with a touch of sophistication.

Perfumers often work with cocoa in its rawest form: think dark cacao powder rather than milk chocolate bars. This gives fragrances a richness that feels grown-up, sometimes paired with woods, resins, or spices to temper sweetness. The result? A scent that feels sensual and enveloping—like slipping into silk after a long, warm bath.

For those drawn to true gourmand decadence, there are fragrances that revel in chocolate’s dessert-like charm. Here, cocoa is whipped with vanilla, caramel, or hazelnut, conjuring patisserie windows and late-night cravings. These scents are comforting, nostalgic, and undeniably moreish—perfect for the long Easter weekend, when time slows and indulgence feels entirely justified.

But chocolate can also surprise. In more avant-garde compositions, it takes on a darker edge: paired with patchouli, it becomes earthy and almost bohemian; with chilli or pink pepper, it sparks into something unexpectedly vibrant. There are even airy interpretations, where cocoa is dusted lightly over florals, adding a soft bitterness that keeps petals from becoming too pretty.

What makes chocolate fragrances especially suited to Easter is their duality. They can be playful or polished, nostalgic or modern. One spritz might transport you to childhood egg hunts; another might feel like an elegant dinner by candlelight, a sliver of dark chocolate melting on the tongue.

Wearing chocolate at this time of year also feels seasonally apt. As winter’s heaviness lifts but spring hasn’t fully bloomed, these scents bridge the gap beautifully. They carry warmth, but with enough nuance to feel appropriate in softer light and longer days.

So this Easter, consider swapping (or complementing) your confectionery haul with a fragrance that captures chocolate in all its facets. After all, scent is the most lingering indulgence of all—calorie-free, deeply personal, and capable of wrapping you in quiet, cocoa-laced luxury long after the last egg has been found.

4160 Tuesdays Over The Chocolate Shop is pure indulgence: rich cocoa, warm vanilla, and a whisper of coffee create a cosy, nostalgic haze—like stepping into a sweet, softly spiced confectioner’s dream.

£150 for 100ml eau de parfum perfumesociety.com

Akro Dark is bitter cocoa made modern—dry, smoky, and quietly addictive. Less dessert, more atmosphere: think dusted cacao, soft leather and shadowy woods, with sweetness kept firmly, intriguingly at bay.

From £80 for 30ml eau de parfum lookfantastic.com

Shay & Blue Oud Alif is darkly magnetic: smoky oud wrapped in bitter chocolate and saffron, softened by leathered patchouli. Sensual, spiced, and quietly opulent—more shadow than sweetness, lingering with confident intensity.

From £25 for 10ml eau de parfum shayandblue.com

Indulgent chocolate scents for EVERY taste

As Easter approaches and chocolate eggs beckon from every corner, there’s another way to indulge in the world’s favourite treat – one that lingers far longer than a fleeting bite. Chocolate fragrances have become something of gourmand perfume phenomenon in themselves, offering everything from creamy comfort to enigmatic allure. While the idea of wearing chocolate might once have raised eyebrows, today’s perfumers are deftly weaving this note into scents that are as complex and captivating as the finest truffles.

But how do we get the note of chocolate in a scent? Well, sometimes it’s extracted directly from cocoa beans, but he natural materials – Cocoa Absolute and Cocoa CO₂ extract – are costly and can be too subtle for many compositions. Instead, perfumers often turn to a creative palette of molecules: isobutyl phenylacetate for its waxy, cocoa nuance; vanillin for sweetness; and pyrazines for that roasted, bittersweet depth. Sometimes, even patchouli or tonka bean is used to echo chocolate’s richness, while certain musks can conjure the creamy sensation of white chocolate. The result? A spectrum of chocolate scents, ranging from playful and sweet to darkly seductive, each evoking the irresistible pleasure of chocolate in a new, wearable form.

Why the current obsession, though? Gourmand fragrances, with their edible, nostalgic notes, have been (as we’ve reported, often) utterly booming these past few years; and they truly are continuing that renaissance in 2025. Of the ‘foodie fragrances’, chocolate in particular taps into a collective longing for comfort and sensory delight, while also offering a sophisticated twist when paired with woods, spices, or florals. Chocolate scents can be statements of self-expression, storytelling, and pure olfactory escapism.

For those tempted to explore, here’s a handpicked selection of chocolate-centric scents that prove this note is anything but one-dimensional…

4160 Tuesdays Figs in White Chocolate

Once an insider’s secret for the brand’s ‘Scenthusiasm’ subscribers, this fragrance is now available to all – and what a treat it is. Imagine the green freshness of just-ripe figs, their flesh glistening beneath taut skin, enveloped in a buttery veil of white chocolate. The chocolate here is not cloying but creamy and nuanced, lending a gentle sweetness that caresses rather than overwhelms. It’s a fragrance that captures the anticipation of biting into a chocolate-dipped fruit: lush, inviting, and utterly moreish.

From £70 for 30ml eau de parfum 4160tuesdays.com

Sabrina Carpenter Sweet Tooth Cherry Baby

Sabrina Carpenter’s latest olfactory offering arrives in a playful, chocolate-bar-inspired bottle – its deep red hue hinting at the delights within. This scent taps into the trend for cherry notes, but it’s the dark chocolate that anchors the composition, adding a sultry richness to the juicy fruit. Cashmere wood, peony, and glazed apple swirl around the chocolate, creating a fragrance that is both flirtatious and sophisticated. The chocolate note here is decadent yet balanced, offering a plush backdrop for the cherry to shine – a modern gourmand with irresistible charm.

From £24.99 for 30ml eau de parfum theperfumeshop.com

JUSBOX Fifty Four

Inspired by the legendary glamour of Studio 54, this fragrance is as subversive as it is dazzling. The chocolate note emerges on the dance floor alongside a boozy splash of Piña Colada and rum, soon joined by cinnamon bark and tobacco-infused patchouli. Here, chocolate is not sweet but smoky and mysterious, adding depth and intrigue to the composition. It’s the scent of velvet ropes and disco balls, of midnight escapades and whispered secrets – a chocolate accord for those who prefer their indulgence with a side of rebellion.

£235 for 78ml eau de parfum harrods.com

Fabrica Della Musa Île Bourbon

Named for the vanilla-rich island of Madagascar, Île Bourbon is a gourmand fantasy that swirls dark chocolate with creamy vanilla, spiced cardamom, and clove. The chocolate here is dark and seductive, its bitterness softened by the lushness of vanilla and the warmth of exotic spices. A breeze of Somalian incense drifts through, lending an air of mystery and sophistication. This is chocolate as a passport to faraway lands, a scent that lingers like the memory of a decadent dessert shared under starry skies.

£195 for 100ml eau de parfum libertylondon.com

Sarah Baker Gold Spot

Sarah Baker’s Gold Spot is a tribute to the golden age of celebrity, and its chocolate note is as glamorous as a red-carpet moment. Bergamot and orange blossom bring a sunlit brightness, while butterscotch and a dusting of dark chocolate create a luscious, layered sweetness. The chocolate here is rich and luxurious, enveloped in the warmth of Laos oudh, Suyufi agarwood, and amber. It’s a fragrance that glows with opulence, conjuring the allure of old Hollywood and the thrill of being in the spotlight.

£145 for 50ml extrait de parfum available in our Shop

Chocolate fragrances, then, are far more than a fleeting trend – they are a celebration of perfumery’s power to evoke pleasure, comfort, and adventure. Whether creamy or bitter, playful or mysterious, the chocolate note continues to enchant, offering a deliciously wearable escape for every mood and moment. This Easter – and beyond – why not indulge in a delicious fragrant treat of your own?

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Easter Egg Hunt: WIN a bottle of AKRO Dark!

As Easter approaches, we at The Perfume Society are delighted to offer you the chance to win something far more sophisticated than your average chocolate egg. One lucky winner will receive a full bottle of AKRO Dark, the sumptuous chocolate-inspired fragrance from the house founded by Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp – the very nose credited with popularising ‘gourmand’ fragrances – and his daughter Anaïs.

The Prize: AKRO Dark – A Chocolate Lover’s Dream

AKRO Dark is not your typical sweet confection. This is chocolate for grown-ups – a sophisticated olfactory experience that captures the essence of fine dark chocolate with remarkable authenticity. From the moment it touches your skin, Dark envelops you in a rich, bitter cocoa embrace that feels both decadent and mysteriously alluring.

The fragrance opens with robust, unsweetened chocolate and the caffeinated depth of bitter cocoa. As it develops, you’ll detect toasted hazelnuts bringing their distinctive nutty warmth to the composition. A whisper of cinnamon adds a gentle spice that perfectly complements the chocolate core, while the earthy, woody undertones prevent it from becoming overly sweet or dessert-like.

What makes AKRO Dark truly special is how it manages to capture the adult pleasure of fine dark chocolate – that moment of pure sensory indulgence when a square of 70% cocoa melts on your tongue. There’s something almost primal about it, a sophisticated sensuality that lingers on the skin for hours. Even as vanilla emerges in the dry down, the composition maintains its elegant, grown-up character.

This is not a fragrance that shouts; it smoulders. It’s the olfactory equivalent of that first bite of exceptional dark chocolate – transportive, enlivening, and utterly addictive. Just as the finest cacao can take you to the mountains of South America, AKRO Dark is a journey for the senses that radiates pure perfumed pleasure.

How to Enter Our Easter Egg Hunt

To be in with a chance of winning this stunning scent, we’ve created a special Easter egg hunt around The Perfume Society website. Follow the clues below to find all five Easter eggs hidden throughout our pages. Once you’ve discovered all five locations, simply fill in the entry form with your answers to enter our prize draw.

Your Egg Hunt Clues:

1: Truly Delicious: Our first egg is hiding on a page dedicated to the key ingredient in AKRO Dark. Where might you learn about the history, use and significance of this note in perfumery?

2: Meet the Master: Olivier Cresp is the genius behind AKRO Dark and countless other beloved fragrances. Seek out a behind-the-scented-scenes insight where he discusses his passion for gourmand creations, and you’ll find egg number two nestled among his words of wisdom.

3: An Eggcellent Discovery: The third egg has found a nest in the place where you can explore the story behind this indulgent fragrance house and its unique concept of capturing our greatest pleasures in perfumed form.

4: Egg Head: Your fourth egg is hiding on a page where you can explore all manner of tomes to feed your need for fragrant knowledge. But WHERE? Maybe you need to acquire a Taste for it?

5: Sweet Dreams: For your final egg, seek out our page dedicated to a trend-worthy bean that provides the sweet, creamy foundation to AKRO Dark’s composition. This beloved ingredient has a fascinating history and presence in perfumery, and has been dominating the gourmand trend for some years now…

The hunt begins now and the prize draw closes at midnight on Easter Sunday. The winner will be announced the following week. Remember, only entries with all five correct egg locations written on the entry page in this blog post will be entered into our prize draw.

Happy hunting, fragrance lovers! May the most dedicated chocolate aficionado win this most sophisticated of Easter treats – a fragrance that captures the essence of dark chocolate indulgence in a bottle that will last far longer than any Easter egg, and allow you to indulge in chocolate-laden decadence every single day!

Easter Egg Hunt – WIN Maison Tahité Cacao2 worth £90!

We’ve set a fragrantly themed trail of clues to lead you around our website – simply follow your noses, find the hidden easter eggs and in our fragrant prize draw, one lucky person will WIN a 100ml bottle of Maison Tahité Cacao2, worth £90!

Maison Tahité is a new niche house specialising in stunning, contemporary versions of gourmand fragrances – using deliciousness rippled through every creation, the collections span Cocoa, Coffee and Vanilla. As it’s Easter, of course we’re focusing on the chocolate, and their Cocoa collection investigates the aromatic universe of this divine raw material, also known as “the food of the gods”. By stimulating the release of endorphins, Cocoa pushes us to listen to our senses and indulge in hedonism. Its enveloping aroma is an invitation to enjoy every moment of life, without the guilty feelings often connected with the “sin” of eating chocolate.

Perfumers such as David Maruitte, Paul Guerlain and Luca Maffei have developed this theme for Maison Tahité in a series of tempting creations; and we know you’re going to fall hard for the sumptuous Cacao2, created by David Maruitte. Maison Tahité says:

‘For those who love strong sensations. An enveloping and reassuring, still intensely emotional fragrance. Fully embodying the Cocoa collection, it sublimates all the nuances of this divine ingredient: Cinnamon reveals its spicy side, Toasted Notes fascinate us, while Cedar and Vetiver enhance its character. Just like biting a bar of extra dark chocolate.’

You have until midnight Wednesday 3rd April to enter – simply list your answers of the pages you’ve found the eggs on:

Terms & Conditions: No cash alternative to the prize will be offered. The prize is not transferable. Only entries accepted from U.K. residents, prize cannot be posted elsewhere. Entries only accepted until midnight Wednesday 3rd April 2024.

Fragrant clues to egg hiding places around our website:

1 – This house specialises in deliciousness, with collections of Cocoa, Coffee, and Vanilla scents to tempt you…

2 – This Fragrance Family is the most recent, and these ‘foodie’ fragrances smell almost edible!

3 – This ingredient is found in Maison Tahité Cacao2 – rich, smooth, and meltingly delectable…

4 – Reading this taste and flavour-full book (originally developed for people who’ve lost their sense of smell / taste due to Covid) will have you drooling…

5 – Historically, this was the sweetest-smelling king, who presided over a perfumed court…

Don’t forget you have until midnight Wednesday 3rd April to email us your answers. So, we wish you all a very happy Easter, and good luck!

Easter Egg Hunt to WIN Atelier Materi Cacao Porcelana, worth £210!

We’ve set a fragrantly themed trail of clues to lead you around our website – simply follow your noses, find the hidden easter eggs and in our fragrant prize draw, one lucky person will WIN a bottle of Atelier Materi Cacao Porcelana, worth £210!

Cacao Porcelana is an incredible, ultra-chic gourmand scent – it’s chocolate, but NOT as your nose thinks it knows it. If you don’t think you’re one for gourmand creations, be prepared to have everything you think you know about chocolate turned on its head when Cacao Porcelana reveals the bitterness of the beans, rippled with rum and swathed in rings of tobacco…

White cacao beans are a rare ancestral variety of cacao also known as the ‘Nectar of the Gods’. The beans are removed from the pods, fermented, then sun-dried and roasted. White cacao yields sensuous notes of walnut and milk with hints of tonka bean.

After opening on sweet, syrupy top notes, Atelier Materi’s Cacao Porcelana unpacks its bitterness, sustained by powdery and woody notes. Light tobacco, patchouli and sandalwood scents give Cacao Porcelana a sensual, even fleshy signature.

We are sure you’ll fall hard for this delicious scent – surely the chicest way to enjoy chocolate, ever?! Here’s how you could be in with a chance of smelling delectable this Easter…

How to hunt: Simply read the scent-themed clues and set off in search for all the colourful eggs pictured below (FIVE in total) scattered across our website, then enter your details and answers telling us the location of each egg below. We will only contact you by phone if you are a winner.

One winner will be chosen – due to postal restrictions, only entries from U.K. residents, sorry!

Closing date: Sunday 9th April 2023 at midnight.

Fragrant clues to egg hiding places around our website:

1 – Brush up on your history to this ‘sweetest smelling king of all’…

2 – This Working Nose‘s first scent memory is of cakes that ‘…smelled like Anis and Vanilla, made by the Carmelite nuns in my town.’ (He’s famous for creating some of the world’s most-known scents, and now has his own house, Mizensir).

3 – This ingredient is found in Cacao Porcelana – an unexpected soft smokiness adding to its sensuality?

4 – This Fragrance Family is the most recent, including the note of chocolate, these ‘foodie’ fragrances smell almost edible!

5 – Reading this book (originally developed for people who’ve lost their sense of smell / taste due to Covid) will have you drooling…

We wish you all a very happy Easter, and good luck!

Terms & Conditions: No cash alternative to the prize will be offered. The prize is not transferable. Only entries accepted from U.K. residents, prize cannot be posted elsewhere. Closing date for entry is midnight 09/04/2023. After this date no further entries to the prize draw will be accepted.

Luxuriate in The Velvet Collection Discovery Box

Our latest Discovery Box has to be the most sumptuously indulgent yet! The Velvet Collection has just launched, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to share a little more about it with you, here… Prepare to sink into a state of scented bliss!
One of the most incredible powers perfume has is to make us feel swathed in luxury, as though we could reach out and stroke it. So when describing a perfume, we borrow language that evokes how they make us feel when wearing them, and most often those words are textural – suede-like, supple leather, soft cashmere, crisp cotton… and the most luxurious of all: velvet.
So how perfect to use this utterly sumptuous word in the title of our latest Discovery Box – The Velvet Collection…

In our latest curated collection of fragrances and scented goodies – nine perfume samples, two extra beauty treats AND a full-size Green & Blacks Velvet Edition chocolate bar in this one! – ‘velvet’ becomes a stepping-stone into exploring a sensuously scented world. Velvet makes us think of joyous opulence, abundant allure; richly hued and silky to the touch, but with enough of a fur-like feel to make us purr contentedly. Reassuring to wrap around you and reassuringly expensive, velvet also reflects the light with subtle nuances and complexity of character.
We’re so privileged at The Perfume Society to meet and interview some of the top perfumers in the world, and we always ask them what we can do to improve our sense of smell, to enhance the way we perceive a perfume. We feed these tips back to our How to Improve Your Sense of Smell Workshops (see Events section for news of these), and the most consistent advice is that we should try to think of textures, colours and places to envisage and ‘fix’ a scent in our mind.
And we wonder: which of these will become your second-skin, the fragrance you want to reach out and stroke as you fix the scent-sensation in your mind…?
Map of the Heart Gold Heart – a warm gleam of comforting spices
Avery E – frosted red fruits swathed in swags of flowers
Vince Camuto Amore – frozen clementines wrapped in amber
Lalique Reve d’Infini – white roses powder-dusted by a swansdown puff
Connock London Andiroba – rainforest fruits discovered in lush greenery
Valeur Absolue Rouge Passion – precious flowers tingling with ginger
Ruth Mastenbroek Firedance – scarlet roses smouldering shamelessly
Floral Street Chypre Sublime – bohemian romantics artistically cavorting
Atkinsons Pirates Grand Reserve – dashing cads plundering exotic goods
PLUS: the exquisitely scented and ultra-nourishing Cochine hand lotion (in White Jasmine & Gardenia) a handy travel-size of Philosophy’s iconic Purity 3-in-one-cleanser and Green & Black’s scrumptious new Velvet Edition chocolate bar!
All of this can be yours to try in the comfort of your own home – no high-pressure, zero hassle and the time to make up your own mind, and for just £19 (VIP price £15) + P&P
So we suggest you treat yourself, close the curtains and give in to the luxurious allure of The Velvet Collection Discovery Box…

The first gourmand: Brillat-Savarin – an 18th Century chemist who knew you are what you eat (and smell!)

Long before ‘gourmand’ foodie-inspired fragrances were even dreamed of and while smell was still perceived as the poor cousin of our other senses, one 18th Century polymath was championing the exquisite pleasures that taste and smell bring to everyday life. And more than mere pleasure alone: in fact, he heralded the proper appreciation and scientific study of these long-foregranted senses…
‘Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.’ So said Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, 1755-1826, a French lawyer and politician whom, apart from law, studied chemistry and medicine, and eventually gained fame as an epicure and gastronome.

His seminal work Physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste), contains Savarin’s philosophies and observations on the pleasures of the food, which he very much considered a science – long before the birth of molecular gastronomy and serious studies of taste and smell had begun. And smell was very much at the forefront of the gastronomique experience, Savarin had worked out; exclaiming:
‘Smell and taste are in fact but a single composite sense, whose laboratory is the mouth and its chimney the nose.’
Previously considered the least important of the senses – indeed, smell remains the least scientifically explored, though technology is making huge leaps in our understanding – Savarin proclaimed that,’The sense of smell, like a faithful counsellor, foretells its character.’

Published only two months before his death, the book has never been out of print and still proves inspirational to chefs and food-lovers to this day.

Preceding the remarkable leaps in knowledge high-tech equipment has allowed and revealing how entwined our sense of smell is to the taste and enjoyment of food, Savarin also observed how our noses protect us from eating potentially harmful substances, explaining ‘…for unknown foods, the nose acts always as a sentinal and cries: “Who goes there?”‘ while coming to the conclusion that a person’s character may be foretold in their taste and smell preferences… ‘Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.’
We devoted an entire issue of our award-winning magazine The Scented Letter (now available in print, and with online subscriptions worldwide!) to taste and smell – as of course we are gourmand fans in ALL the senses. And so it is heartening to know that Brillat was on our side here, with this extremely useful advice we selflessly pledge to carry through life:
‘Those who have been too long at their labor, who have drunk too long at the cup of voluptuousness, who feel they have become temporarily inhumane, who are tormented by their families, who find life sad and love ephemeral… they should all eat chocolate and they will be comforted.’
Wise words, indeed. We plan to enjoy all the sweet temptations that come our way, in scent form and in chocolate. Talk about having your cake and wearing it, too!
Written by Suzy Nightingale

Charlie & The Chocolate Olfactory – 7 Easter scents for cocoa addicts

We could have begun by saying ‘instead of an Easter egg this year, why not treat yourself to a new fragrance…?’ But sod that, life is too short: buy the choccy egg AND the perfume. For those of us who not only enjoy the softly yielding slide of chocolate as it melts in our mouths, but would quite frankly like to bathe in the stuff, it is to the Gourmand family we turn – pulses quickening, pupils dilated and ready for the dose of dopamine (a pleasure-inducing neurotransmitter released by the brain when we eat – or perhaps even smell – chocolate).

Indeed, scientific researchers have concluded that chocolate doesn’t have to be eaten to stimulate that hit of happiness and promote a sense of wellbeing – it seems the mere whiff of chocolate alone may lead us by the noses to react favourably to a situation. A team of scientists led by Lieve Doucé at Hasselt University in Belgium conducted a study that involved releasing the scent of chocolate in selected bookstores, and noting particular changes in their customers purchasing habits. The scent was subtle yet strong enough to be noticeable, and dispersed for half of the shop’s opening hours. Apparently customers not only spent longer browsing the shelves, on average, but spoke to the staff more frequently, too. Published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, their conclusions were that ‘…customers were 2.22 times more likely to closely examine multiple books when the chocolate scent was present in store, compared with the control condition.’ Sales of books related to food and drink along with romantic novels reportedly increased by a whopping forty percent, suggesting a sniff of chocolate had a direct influence on the genre of books they were buying, too.

It seems that smelling of a chocolate-like fragrance could well have you perusing bookstores and being more loquaciously friendly, while also being more romantically inclined – a win-win-win situation if we ever heard it. Though perhaps make time to eat some chocolate, as well. Just to be doubly sure, you know…

Inspired by Mugler‘s childhood memories of fairground smells, this candy floss, caramel and chocolate concoction was groundbreaking when first launched in 1992 – often cited as the first true ‘gourmand’ – and retains that power to this very day. Once sniffed, never forgotten, it’s the much copied mixture of berries and patchouli that cuts through the sweetness and swaggers onwards for hours, years, miles…

Thierry Mugler Angel £50 for 25ml eau de parfum
At Boots

Originally released as a limited edition for Valentines Day it quickly sold-out, and when chocoholics across the pond began demanding it from American perfume retailer Luckyscent, indie-perfumer Sarah McCartney took the hint. Made with an intense dose of pure cocoa absolute mixed with a touch of strawberry, the sugar’s cut through with a tart tingle of bergamot. It’s the next best thing to writhing around in a huge box full of reassuringly expensive chocolates while being dusted with cocoa powder, but don’t let us stop you trying that, too.

4160 Tuesdays Silk, Lace & Chocolate RRP £40 for 30ml eau de parfum (currently on offer at £24)
At 4160 Tuesday

Redolent of dipping just-cooked cinnamon-dusted churros into an unctuously glossy pot of chilli-spiced chocolate sauce, wearing this perfume conjures colourful Mexican festivals and sultry dances that sashay long into dawn. The unmistakably carnal tang of hot-body-like cumin and night blooming jasmine lend a distinctly animalic edge that could well lead to other dopamine-inducing activities, we feel duty bound to warn you.

Arquiste Anima Dulcis £125 for 55ml eau de parfum
At Bloom

There are times when one wishes to smell as though you have glided straight from a couture catwalk – an immaculately put together, properly grown-up lady with clicky heels, a perfect coiffure and very likely carrying one of those handbags that snaps shut with a terrifying metal clasp. I’m not going to lie to you – this is not the scent for that occasion. But yet there are also times when one wishes to smell like a Bourbon biscuit (yes there are, be quiet ye snobs) and revel in childhood memories of licking the spoon clean of cake batter and then skipping giddily around the garden dressed as a fairy on a sugar high. And this is my incredibly pocket-friendly guilty pleasure for exactly those kind of days.

Al-Rehab Chocomusk £1 for 3ml perfume oil
At Al-Rehab

Milk chocolate aficionados are sure to love the cocoa absolute mixed here with meltingly creamy Brazillian Cumaru wood, infused with marzipan-esque tonka bean, smoothed with comforting vanilla, gently warmed by an amber accord and wrapped in a silver foil-like white musk. A sophisticated way to enjoy your favourite treat, we suggest informing the family they can cook their own flippin’ Easter banquet if they want it, and ramping up the pleasure of freedom while wearing this, retiring to a velvet chaise lounge with a good book and a bar of chocolate, the better to indulge your frivolous side. And don’t forget to lock the door.

Parfumerie Générale Musc Maori £81.50 for 50ml eau de parfum
At Les Senteurs

Sometimes you need a scent that simply does what it says on the tin (or, well, bottle) and The Library of Fragrance excel in this, with a huge selection of perfumes made to be worn alone or layered-up to create your own bespoke blend. Perfect for those who wouldn’t dream of purchasing a bar that doesn’t scream 80%, shudder at the mere mention of white chocolate and raise an eyebrow while silently judging those who prefer the milky blends; here’s a hit of satisfyingly chocolate noir. You needn’t fear an overdose, either, as the formula’s subtle enough that it can be re-sprayed whenever the need arises. Layering suggestions include trying it with their Musk scent for a crisp white sheet freshness, or with the Fig for a fruity finish; but a favourite combo is dousing with Frankincense for a smoky incense wallow in chocolate as a spiritual awakening.

The Library of Fragrance Dark Chocolate £15 for 30ml eau de toilette
At Boots If you have ever experienced lifting the gilded lid of a beautifully packaged box of Charbonnel et Walker‘s Sea Salt Caramel Truffles, you’ll know the smell can immediately transport you to a world of soon-to-be satiated lust. Chocolatiers to the Queen, no less, we imagine HRH doesn’t leave these hanging about the place too long, and bet they don’t make it to a Tupperware container, either. Nothing is more disappointing than lifting that lid only to find the sad rustle of empty paper casings because some blaggard has beaten you to it, so huzzah for Shay & Blue founder Dom De Vetta for enticing perfumer Julie Massé to create this photo-realistic longer-lasting fragrant interpretation of the addictive cocoa confection. Caramel and bourbon vanilla rock on the precipice of sweetness before being dashed through with a hint of freshly-hewn sandalwood and an ultra-intriguing definite note of the salt crystals to set your taste buds salivating.

Shay & Blue Salt Caramel £30 for 30ml eau de parfum
At John Lewis