Like tobacco? Yeah? How about vanilla? Another yes?
Then you’re in for a treat.
Luckily for us, it seems that Tom Ford saved all of the creativity and brain power for the scent itself, and not the name of this beauty. Like you’d expect, Tom Ford’s Tobacco Vanille is a tobacco and vanilla heavy unisex fragrance, but it’s also so much more. Warm, sweet, and spicy, it’s a scent perfect for picturesque autumn days and winters by the fire.
Often described as the best tobacco/vanilla combo on the market, it’s become somewhat of a landmark offering in the perfume world. In this Tobacco Vanille review, I’ll help you understand why. We’ll talk about some personal impressions, wearability, what it actually smells like, how well it lasts, occasions where it shines, and who I think this perfume is best for.
Without further ado, let’s sniff.
Personal Impressions
Quick disclaimer: I like tobacco and vanilla.
If you don’t, I truly have no idea why reading this review. You’re an enigma, lost on the internet, and maybe a little confused. I’ll save you some reading and let you know that you may want to look elsewhere.
Hearing what other people had to say, and looking at the notes, I did the sensible thing and tested Tobacco Vanille during the autumn. These impressions come from that season and that wear.
Immediately, I could smell tobacco — fresh tobacco, earthy and spicy, and a little bit fruity. It wasn’t really dry, and felt pretty fun and lively. There were also spices, cinnamon and nutmeg with a little bit of ginger. I thought they added an almost Christmas-like festive quality.
A little while later, the whole thing warms up and smoothes out, with the advent of the vanilla and the vanilla, cacao, and tonka bean. Picture freshly baked cookies. That’s what these notes introduce.
There’s also tobacco flower here, which adds a more dry, earthiness to the tobacco note. I thought it was interesting, though it wasn’t too noticeable. The vanilla sits very closely to the tobacco, and these two intermingle in a way that I found captivating.
Later, the spices begin to fade and the dried fruits and woods come out. The smell becomes sweeter, woodier, but doesn’t lose a hint of its tobacco-vanilla identity. I smelled, mainly, cherry. It really added an almost sticky sweetness, and as soon as I smelled it, I knew it was exactly what I was looking for, exactly what the scent needed.
While I haven’t worn this enough to receive compliments, I can absolutely see you getting them. From what I hear, that seems to be true.
Also, I believe that Tobacco Vanille is truly a unisex fragrance; it smells relatively manly on men, and relatively womanly on women. Regardless of what you are, it smells good, and that’s what really matters.
Scent
While Tobacco Vanille’s two main notes are, you guessed it (if I had a gold sticker, it would be yours), tobacco and vanilla, there are a number of other notes that help make this fragrance into what it is: a masterpiece. Here are the notes that make up Tobacco Vanille:
Top Notes:
- Tobacco
- Spicy notes
Middle Notes:
- Vanilla
- Cacao
- Tonka bean
- Tobacco blossom
Base Notes:
- Dried fruits
- Woody notes
Upon first spray, you’re blessed with a spicy blast of tobacco and, well, spices. Seriously, that’s the listed note.
I mainly smell nutmeg, ginger, and a hint of cinnamon, and they play perfectly with the tobacco. Speaking of, the tobacco in the opening is surprisingly fresh and fruity, with some earthiness lending it warmth and depth.
The spiciness really lends the opening a fall-time, chai latte, holiday seasons vibe that I love, and makes it perfect for the fall and winter.
Around 30 minutes after the initial spray, the middle notes start to develop — this is where things heat up and smooth out. If you’re looking for the yummy point, this is it. The onset of the vanilla, mixed with the cacao, gives this a sudden dessert-like quality. It also adds some sweetness, a counterpoint of sorts to the spice in the opening.
The middle also brings tobacco blossom, a more floral tobacco that eggs on the scent’s evolution and keeps it interesting. As a tobacco fragrance, it’s nice to see multiple different facets of tobacco being represented, and the tobacco blossom smells authentic, not to mention extremely dapper.
The base of the fragrance brings in dried fruits and woods — adding a caramelized cherry sort of smell alongside the subtly smoky woods. Some think that the woodiness in the base makes this perfume lean masculine, but I don’t; and I believe that’s probably more a snap judgment of the note rather than anything their nose is telling them.
In my opinion, the base brings everything together wonderfully. It smells as it should, the way your nose would naturally lead you.
The overall vibe of this scent is very warm, very luxurious. The perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and earthy gives it an intoxicating sensuality prevalent throughout its wear. It feels like autumn ideals, holidays spent right, and all the good things about colder weather.
Overall, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is a fantastic smelling perfume, regardless of gender. A hallmark “tobacco and vanilla” scent, it’s also so much more than its name.
For more tobacco heavy scents, check out our comprehensive article on tobacco. For more vanilla perfumes, be sure to check out our vanilla guide.
Performance
Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille has great performance. With just two to three sprays, it lasts around 10-12 hours on the skin. When you spray it on clothing, (or if it rubs off on your collar, sleeves, etc.) you’ll still smell it a few days later.
It’ll be a nice surprise, I promise you.
Projection is good too; you’ll get very strong projection for around 1-2 hours, more subdued projection (but still quite noticeable) for another 2 hours, before it settles into a nice bubble around you.
Overall, performance is really good.
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Who Is This Scent Good For?
Well, this scent is obviously for you if you like tobacco and vanilla together, in the same place. It’s also for you if you like smelling like autumn, the holidays, or a particularly high-quality eggnog.
Fresh baking cookies also come to mind, with someone rolling cigars in the background.
If you’re the kind of person who lives all year for the autumn, and the feels that come with it, this scent is for you.
If you like to smell delicious just for yourself, because it makes you unreasonably happy, this scent is for you.
If you’re the kind of person who sits in the dark sometimes, thinking about the coulds and the ifs, and the what nows, this scent is for you.
Or honestly, if you’re looking for a warm and charmingly mesmerizing cold weather perfume, Tobacco Vanille is for you.
When To Wear It
Autumn days, wintertime, around the holidays, and on cold nights. Stick to these and whoever you’re with will stick to you.
Seriously though, by wearing Tobacco Vanille on a hot summer day, you’re doing its magnificence a great disservice. As a scent that exudes warmth and spice, it shines in the cold, drawing people in with its heat. On a summer day, who wants to be more warm? Instead, you’ll smell out of place, the only naked man in the senior’s pool, an eggplant in a candy shop. Trust me on this one.
I don’t think there’s much of a distinction in occasion, however. Tobacco Vanille is simultaneously elegant and classy enough to work in professional settings, and warm and fun enough to be worn casually. It is, however, a great romantic fragrance, and works wonders on date nights.
Stick to these tenets and you’re sure to enjoy great wear after great wear with this scent.
Similar Men’s Fragrances
If you’re looking for a men’s scent similar to Tobacco Vanille, we have a few options for you to choose from:
- Herod by Parfums de Marly is another landmark “tobacco vanilla” perfume, though it does it differently than Tom Ford. More peppery-spicy, with a fit more fruitiness throughout, Herod stays true to the tobacco note, showing a deep and very compelling rendition that shines in the colder months.
- Tom Ford Noir Extreme is another captivating vanilla scent from Tom Ford. Cozy without ever becoming cloying, Noir Extreme is sexy in the warmest way. Performance and longevity are also fantastic — on clothes, this juice lasts for days. If you’re looking for a cozy-up scent for the winter that’ll get you noticed, check this one out.
- Dior Homme Intense is a supremely classy, distinguished perfume for men. Similar to Tobacco Vanille, it’s a great cold weather cologne, and shines particularly in date night or other romantic situations. Dior Homme Intense is also a superb compliment getter. The only thing we warn is that it isn’t the most masculine fragrance — and therefore, a definite “try before you buy.”
- Spicebomb Extreme by Viktor&Rolf is, well, spicy. Really, aside from the obviousness of the name, Spicebomb and Tobacco Vanille share a similar “spiciness offset by sweet and lusciously creamy vanilla” formula. They’re both good, but if you’re looking for something less tobacco-ey or just want a more spice driven scent, give Spicebomb Extreme a try.
Similar Women’s Fragrances
If you’re looking for a women’s scent similar to Tobacco Vanille, we have a few options for you to choose from:
- Tom Ford Black Orchid is a women’s perfume offering similar warmth and depth as Tobacco Vanille. However, Black Orchid is more feminine and damp-earthy, giving it a sort of decay-like quality. The dry down, however, is sweet and complex. It’s a fascinatingly polarizing scent that you’ll either love or hate, so try it before you commit to a full bottle.
- Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium is a creamy and alluring feminine perfume. Leaning heavily into vanilla, you also get creamy almond, licorice, and coffee. Suffice to say, it’s a very compelling scent. Like Tobacco Vanille, Black Opium is perfect for cold weather, and is a perfume I can’t recommend highly enough.
- YSL Libre is a women’s perfume that offers similar vanillic vibes, but is much softer and smoother than Tobacco Vanille. Libre is also far more floral, with notes of jasmine, lavender, and orange blossom. I’d recommend Libre if you’re looking for a more floral, musky vanilla.
- Dior Hypnotic Poison is a great alternative to Tobacco Vanille if you want something heavy, dark, and woody, without leaning too far into spice. Hypnotic Poison presents a very realistic, upscale vanilla; it’s not in any way synthetic or screechy, and the tuberose is sweet without being sickly. If you’re looking for a darker, mysterious women’s perfume for the cold weather, give Hypnotic Poison a glance.
If This Was A Color…
It would be a sepia, the color of the old movie you inexplicably find yourself living through.
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Conclusion
Overall, Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille is an amazing perfume that we think deserves its reputation as one of the best cold weather scents out there. Dynamic, warm, and wearable, it’s a cinch to put you in the holiday spirit almost instantaneously. We also believe it to be deserving of its unisex label — no matter what, we recommend you give it a try on your skin.
Thanks for reading this Tobacco Vanille review, and we wish you the happiest of smells.
