Antique Vanilla

Antique Vanilla opens dark and intriguing: a juicy, slightly metallic plum wrapped in soft musk - the unexpected lead of Byredo's Vanille Antique (2022). The heart turns woody and resinous with dry white woods and a smoky-sweet labdanum, keeping the composition mature rather than dessert-like. The base finally settles into vanilla - smoky, charged, more nuanced than syrupy - over a warm golden amber. Perfume Parlour's interpretation captures Vanille Antique's sophisticated, plum-and-woods take on vanilla convincingly, but it reads a fraction flatter and a touch sweeter than the niche original, the dusky complexity and salty-metallic edge thinner. Where the Byredo extrait offers above-average longevity, here it is moderate with a close projection. The effect stays grown-up and dusky - a dark, ambery woody-vanilla for autumn and winter evenings, at home on dates, dressier occasions and cosy cold nights.