The Collection Exhilarating Vanilla

The Collection Exhilarating Vanilla is a two-note vanilla from the German brand Hugo Boss, released in 2024 and worn by anyone. Gourmand and woody are the two words everyone uses for it, in equal measure, which is exactly what a formula of vanilla and woods would lead you to expect.

Vanilla is the whole point of the scent, and it is a rich, creamy, slightly boozy vanilla rather than a thin, sugary one, with the faint smokiness that good vanilla carries. It sits on dry woody notes that keep it from becoming dessert: pencil-like, slightly resinous and clean, they give the vanilla a frame and a dryness that make it feel like a fragrance rather than a flavour. With nothing else in the formula, the woods are slightly more prominent early on and the vanilla settles into a warm, soft drydown that stays close to the skin.

It is a scent for cooler weather and evenings, worn by anyone who wants vanilla kept plain, warm and grown-up, without fruit, flowers or spice.

The Collection Exhilarating Vanilla — unisex fragrance by Hugo Boss (released 2024). Notes: Vanilla, Woody Notes. — Parfica open fragrance database