Horace Vintage Vanilla Fragrance Review – Why This Is Their Best Yet

Autumn/Fall is in full swing, Christmas is just around the corner, and I’m enjoying my favourite time of the year. And just when I thought the season couldn’t get any better, Horace dropped a brand-new fragrance: Vintage Vanilla. I received it for review and have been testing it for the past few days — and let me tell you, this might just be the best Horace fragrance so far.

Packaging & First Impressions

No surprise here — Horace keeps things simple, as always. The fragrance comes in that familiar blue box we’ve come to associate with the brand, instantly recognisable and beautifully understated. The flacon follows the same minimalist design as the rest of the Horace collection: clean, timeless, and effortlessly elegant.

After the bright burst of citrus found in Vetiver Primavera, Vintage Vanilla feels like a natural evolution — a warmer, spicier, and more intimate scent, perfectly suited for the autumn and winter months.

Fragrance Notes:

• Top: Nutmeg, Cumin, Pink Pepper
  → a trio of warm, dry spices that immediately create a comforting yet bold opening.

• Heart: Saffron, Violet
  → a leathery and powdery accord that adds depth and sophistication, evoking the inside of a vintage leather jacket.

• Base: Vanilla, Leather, Labdanum
  → rich, enveloping, and subtly animalic, combining sweetness and sensuality in perfect balance.

My Experience

Since the beginning, I’ve loved Horace’s approach to fragrances. They’re not trying to follow trends — they’re trying to create something unique. Until now, Oud Rose was my favourite: that perfect balance between the masculine power of oud and the delicate charm of rose. It’s bold, sensual, and in my opinion, the perfect date-night fragrance.

Then came L’Étiquette, which took a classic lavender accord and turned it into something undeniably modern and masculine, with just a whisper of tobacco.

But with Vintage Vanilla, I genuinely believe Horace has created the masterpiece that was missing — the kind of iconic scent every brand dreams of having in their collection.

After a few minutes on the skin, the vanilla, leather, and labdanum take the lead. The blend of vanilla and leather is simply magical: warm, confident, and unapologetically masculine, while the labdanum deepens everything with a woody, spicy edge. It’s the kind of fragrance that turns heads for all the right reasons.

As soon as I sprayed it, my wife was hooked — and I’ve already had a few friends ask what I was wearing. Imagine the scent of a classic car interior, a pair of well-worn leather boots, and that effortless French chic all rolled into one bottle.

The performance is equally impressive: around 6–7 hours on my skin, and when sprayed lightly on clothes, the scent lingers well into the next day. Honestly, this is the best fragrance I’ve tried this year — and without a doubt, the best Horace fragrance so far.

Conclusion

I’ll be honest — I was a little disappointed with Vetiver Primavera. It felt more like a citrusy summer fragrance with just a faint trace of vetiver. Pleasant, yes, but it didn’t quite have that emotional impact I’ve come to expect from Horace.

With Vintage Vanilla, however, Horace has completely nailed it. This is the kind of fragrance that reminds you why you love perfume in the first place — rich, warm, sophisticated, and full of personality. If you’re thinking of adding one new scent to your collection right now, this is the one.

It’s everything a great fragrance should be: powerful yet refined, modern yet timeless. And honestly, it would make the perfect Christmas present — whether for someone you love, or simply to treat yourself.

Horace has truly outdone themselves with Vintage Vanilla. Available at Horace.com (here)

Jerome.

Disclaimer: Horace kindly sent me the Vintage Vanilla fragrance for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links — if you purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions are entirely my own.