I Had Total Gourmand Fatigue Until I Smelled Kayali's New Take on Vanilla

I’d say I have a serious sweet tooth. Scratch that—I’m a total dessert fiend. And, for a while, I also wanted to smell like the most sugary confections. (Think: Caramel, vanilla, butterscotch, praline... is your mouth watering yet?) I’ve been able to endlessly indulge my sweet tooth thanks to the gourmand perfume craze, but I swear 2026’s fragrance launches have gotten more syrupy, honeyed, and honestly, just too saccharine. You know what they say about too much sugar, right? You’ll end up with a stomachache.About halfway through this year, I reached my gourmand perfume breaking point. A whiff of any scent swirled with buttercream, marshmallow, cotton candy, or frankly, even a touch of sweetness sent me spiraling. I’m not sure if I experienced sugar overload or if my scent preferences simply shifted and matured. All I know is that the perfumes I used to reach for regularly—along with nearly every new launch that appeared by my desk—began collecting dust on the shelf as gourmand fatigue fully set in.Despite my newfound aversion to gourmands, I found myself at an exclusive scent lab experience with Kayali in the Maldives. The brand is arguably best known for its richly sweet perfumes—like Vanilla 28, Yum Pistachio Gelato 33, and Yum Boujee Marshmallow 81—but I was hoping that the sneak preview of their latest fragrance would deviate from the expected.I’ll admit it took everything in me not to roll my eyes when the gilded serving platter in front of me lifted to reveal Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108. I thought to myself, “really, another vanilla?” Much like books, however, you should never judge a perfume by its cover (i.e., name or bottle) because one waft of this joyful scent instantly boosted my mood and transported me to cloud nine.Mary Honkus“There is something so comforting about scents that remind you of your favorite desserts, especially when they’re connected to happy memories,” Mona Kattan, founder of Kayali tells Cosmopolitan. “With Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108, I wanted to explore that connection through the experience of a cupcake: The sweetness, the creaminess, the frosting, and the excitement of making a wish before you blow out your candles.”What does Kayli Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108 smell like?Key notes: Lemon sugar, rainbow sprinkles, pink pepper, white caramel, coconut flakes, sweet milk, buttercream, vanilla frosting, white amber, Kayli signature accordConsidering the notes, you might expect Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108 to smell extra sugary (and perhaps a bit juvenile), but it’s beautifully layered and unexpectedly bright in a way that is much more elevated than many gourmand launches from this year.Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108 opens with a dazzling burst of lemon sugar that adds a zingy dimension that’s much more playful than plain old sugar. The dainty rainbow sprinkles note creates a nostalgic aroma while pink pepper elevates the composition—it’s punchy and smile-inducing, just like that first bite of a cupcake.As this wears, it turns velvety smooth and creamy with layers of white caramel, sweet milk, and buttercream. On my skin, a waxy-smokey aroma peeks through, creating the sensation of freshly blown-out birthday candles. While those notes aren’t listed on the bottle, my fellow beauty editors—including Keeks Reid at Cosmopolitan UK—caught the same traces on their skin, which help the scent feel more mature (in a fun way!).The dry down is the most indulgent layer thanks to musky white amber, whipped vanilla frosting, and Kayali’s signature accord—a combination of vanilla, praline, tonka, and musk, FYI. This luxurious finish makes me feel like a high-end dessert at a Michelin star restaurant, the kind that takes hours to prepare and is almost too good to finish.Mary HonkusMy review of Kayali Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108Remember how I mentioned I had gourmand fatigue? Well, that vanished into thin air the moment I smelled Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108. I think my issue with a majority of gourmands is how one-dimensional and heavy they smell. This scent doesn’t just smell sweet for the sake of being sweet. It tells a story from beginning to end—the joy that comes with making a wish as you blow out candles; the first delectable bite of a perfect vanilla cupcake; and the satisfaction you get after treating yourself—all while maintaining a wispy lightness that doesn’t become overwhelming or cloying, even in tropical weather.I find myself spritzing this whenever I need to get pumped up. I’m usually against wearing sweet perfumes to the gym, but this helps me power through intense strength training days without disrupting anyone else’s senses as they’re pumping iron. Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108 has also proven to be a quick mood booster—I swear it’s impossible to feel down in the dumps when I catch a whiff of this, which is exactly what Kattan was aiming for when she created it.“I want people to feel happy, comforted, and celebrated [when they wear this],” Kattan says. “Fragrance is such a personal experience, and I love that the same scent can mean something completely different to each person.”Final verdictSo, do you still think you hate gourmands? You can’t definitively say that before you try Kayali Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108. This scent gives me a heavenly sugar rush that’s tough to beat. I’ve yet to brush the dust off my other sweet scents simply because none of them make me as happy or energized as this perfume. All it takes is a single spritz, and you’ll understand exactly what I mean.Why trust Cosmopolitan?Mary Honkus is a beauty contributor for Cosmopolitan with over eight years of experience researching, writing, and editing beauty stories. She is an authority in all beauty categories, but has a sweet spot for fragrance with a collection of over 600 scents. For this story, she got a sneak preview of Kayali Yum Vanilla Cupcake 108, and tested it out for a month to share her honest opinion.Mary Honkus is a freelance writer who covers beauty, home, fashion, health, and wellness (just call her a jack of all trades!). She has held staff roles at Real Simple, People, and InStyle, and her bylines can be found in numerous other publications. When she's not testing the latest and greatest products, she can be found chilling on her Hell's Kitchen rooftop, checking out NYC's hottest new restaurants, or recording her podcast Good Trouble NYC. Follow her on Instagram.