Phlur’s Vanilla Skin Perfume Smells Like My “Lover’s Era”

You know a fragrance is special when you get your first whiff in a diluted body mist and you’re like, woah, I want more of that. Phlur’s newest fragrance, Vanilla Skin, was initially sold as a hair and body mist, and it blew up. Early shoppers (myself included) were obsessed with the combination of vanilla and musk, some took to PerfumeTok to post their reaction videos and asked, nay begged, for a Vanilla Skin perfume. Now, it’s out in the world and tracking to be the scent of summer. 

Phlur Vanilla Skin smells even better than it sounds: It’s a balanced layered blend of pink pepper (spice), lilies (floral), vanilla (sweet), and sandalwood (musk) at its core, which saves it from being too vanilla-y. “I think a lot of people experience vanilla as obvious,” explains Chriselle Lim, Phlur’s creative director. “It's sweet, feminine, and likable — ours is that, too, but it doesn't stop there. It keeps taking you on a journey.” Fans have taken to TikTok to share their Vanilla Mist reviews. “There’s no better vanilla scent on this earth,” says one. “Woody, skin, sensual,” comments another. I find it opens up sweet and slightly spicy — this is hard to describe but it’s a complexity that most vanilla scents are missing, IMO — and dries down into something more musky and bare. 

What’s more interesting than the fragrance notes is the inherent emotionality behind Vanilla Skin. Fans will remember Missing Person, Phlur’s inaugural perfume that broke the internet. It resonated with so many people — and had them crying on TikTok — because it evoked loss, longing, and nostalgia, like the smell of heartbreak bottled up. That was intentional. At the time, Lim was going through a divorce. “With Missing Person, I was going through my heartbreak and was longing for love and to be loved,” she explains. 

Vanilla Skin is an evolution. It’s similarly deeply personal and intimate, but warmer, sweeter, like being in love. “I'm in my lover's era now,” explains Lim, a lightness in her tone. She speaks to vanilla being a part of her “healing journey.” With Vanilla Skin, she wanted to achieve a duality: the warmth and sweetness of vanilla combined with the sensuality and individuality of someone's skin. “It smells like that warm hug my partner gives me in the morning,” Lim describes. 

That’s what people are latching onto if you ask me. Skin scents (fragrances that mimic skin’s natural smell) are super popular. Consider the consistent and continual hype around Missing Person, Glossier You, or Molecule 01, a pheromone perfume that the perfumer Geza Schoen describes as a “love potion.” [It’s] “one of those scents that makes you want to nestle into it. It’s comforting and cocooning.” Lim also leans on the word “comforting” when describing Vanilla Skin. “It's a more sensual take on Missing Person,” Lim explains. 

I asked Lim if she thinks Vanilla Skin is resonant because it smells romantic. Let’s face it, many people are over the dating apps but research shows they want to be in love — maybe this sweet-and-comforting perfume trend speaks to that craving. “Absolutely,” she says. “I love to wear a combination of vanilla and skin scents when I'm going on a date night or when I just want to feel sexy,” she says. “Vanilla Skin is subtle but super captivating, and it's the perfect thing to wear when you want to feel close to someone special.”

Generally, I find the concept of a “date-night perfume” a little cringey. That said, I would wear Vanilla Skin on a date, but I’ll also wear it to meet friends for happy hour tonight — it’s versatile. I prefer the Vanilla Skin perfume to the body mist for a few reasons: the bottle is glass, which feels precious and special, and the scent is more potent and lasts longer on my skin. I apply it, as Lim recommends, to my pulse points: inner wrists, behind my ears, the base of my throat, and inside of my elbows. “These areas generate heat, which diffuses the fragrance as you wear it,” Lim explains. 

While I respect Missing Person, I prefer Vanilla Skin in smell and vibe. It’s sweet and complex, layer-able and soft. I don’t have another fragrance like it in my medicine cabinet. Maybe it’s the Brat influence, but I want to be sweaty, vulnerable, and in love this summer.