Bubblegum perfume: surprisingly chic sweet scents

By Sarah Joan Ross on 13/9/2021

Perfume houses have raided the sweetie jar with new scents loaded with the candied notes of bubblegum, but mixed with erotic notes of musk or cosy cashmere elements to make truly scent-sational spritzes

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A new kind of bubble

Perfume houses have raided the sweetie jar with new scents loaded with the candied notes of bubblegum. But, trust us, don't dismiss them as saccharine sprays for pre-teens.

On the contrary, the gum elements, when mixed with heady florals, amber and musk, deliver a mouthwatering and edible gourmand quality to your spritz, which is undeniably alluring.

For his latest creation Romani Ricci, founder of Juliette Has a Gun, describes his latest spray, Lili Fantasy, as: 'Carefree as a bubble of champagne, frivolous and disobedient and an extravagant cocktail of white flowers and ambery notes, perverted with a gourmand twist.'

Other sophisticated-yet sultry bubblegum scents include London perfume house Bel Rebel's Bubblegum, where they cleverly weave in clove and cashmeron to counteract some of the saccharine. Plus, the perfume house has some great eco-credentials, making it a double win.

Frédéric Malle's Sale Gosse Eau de Cologne is not cloying or syrupy sweet – simply a light, fresh scent with the notes of Hubba Bubba and Parma Violets that intermingle among the lightness of neroli.

James Heeley goes heavy down the fruity-floral route with Jasmine OD, an indolic or animalimistic take on the candy.

The draw of bubblegum perfumes is that they trigger emotional and nostalgic memories and transport you back to the carefree days.

They cut through the brain chatter for a mere moment, flooding your brain with feel-good thoughts - from summer holidays and sweet shops to first kisses – those early endorphin-releasing happy places.

You could call the bubblegum brigade 'the pursuit of pleasure perfumes'. After the initial sweet high, there is a dry down that settles nicely onto your skin, with the freshness of neroli to the cosiness of cashmere or sensual musk. It makes them strangely erotic and free-spirited.

Here's our pick of the sophisticated bubblegum spritzes to douse from neck to toe – they're guaranteed to make you smell good enough to eat but without the calorific or cavity-causing consequences.

Enjoy.