VANILLA VIRTU

I’ve been wearing Vanilla Virtu for a couple of days now, and it completely subverts what you’d usually expect from a vanilla fragrance (there are no cupcakes here). It opens with a heavy, prominent wave of incense that instantly reminds me of wandering through medieval 13th-century buildings in Tallinn. Beneath that dark, atmospheric smoke, there’s a really interesting savoury warmth that smells a bit like hot cross buns or raisin bread.

Curiously, the vanilla itself is pretty elusive to my nose. I'm so used to associating the note with standard gourmands that it’s taking some retraining to spot it here. But it really does live up to the "medieval vanilla" concept — it's atmospheric, dark, and deeply comforting without being sugary.

I am often not impressed by your typical, run of the mill vanilla scent. Thankfully, Vanilla Virtu is not that. It is a sexy, cool, and nuanced woody vanilla scent. This is promoted as a ‘medieval vanilla’. It makes me think specifically of that Heath Ledger classic ‘A Knight’s Tale’ 😜 and the most recent Game of Thrones series ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’. You’re sitting next to a beautiful rebellious princess or the daughter of a duke, and the first joust just commenced. The lances just split into a thousand pieces and you can smell the freshly splintered wood. There’s a waft of vanilla emanating off the princess nearby, and fresh loaves of bread and cups of beer and mead are being sold to the attendees. That’s the vibe!

Also before we start splitting hairs about how vanilla wasn’t available in Medieval Europe - it came much later after Mexican colonization - let’s remember, this is a fantasy scenario. Much like A Knight’s Tale and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. It’s olfactive fiction, yall!

Purchased with a discount code from the sample set (thanks to which I was able to discover and confirm my love of this fragrance before committing to a full bottle), my perfume arrived in packaging as thoughtful as the scent itself.

My new favourite perfume, and I have a sizable collection. I don’t want to wear anything else. This smells like a delicious warm butter tart (or something else with a lot of brown sugar) in a spice market in a walled medieval city.

Spicy, leather, incense, patuchli, warm, cozy.
I bought it for my husband, but I also like wearing it. So we might have to share.

Great projection, not an overpowering smell but it lasts and drys down with a background vanilla essence. Not a vanilla forward smell.

Bottles are beautiful design.

Also shipped super fast. Thank you!

Now I wanna try more from Paraphrase...

Spiced raisin bread in a candlelit tavern. It's incredibly deep and transportive.

Amazing lasting scent, it smells like the perfect end of summer early fall perfume. The scent has so much depth, and I love every note. Sometimes I can even smell it the next day

Definitely a winner for both me and my partner.

On me the scent shows more of the sweet (tonka bean, vanilla) along with the cumin.

On him, vanilla notes are still present but the leather is much more expressive.

I would love it if they released an oil version too so I can add it to my hair throughout the day.

I think this is genuinely one of my favourites. On me it starts of Spicy, almost peppery. Then it matures into a bready vanilla, then into a mature deep vanilla. It’s exactly what it reminds me of. Medieval vanilla, old time world. A rich bakery from the 1600s. Absolutely beautiful and deep. Plus I love supporting Canadian businesses, so I will definitely try out more scents in the future.

I love this scent. It is beautiful and interesting. When i first spray it, I get a warm leather that settles into a sweet (not cloying) vanilla. This is not your basic vanilla, it is complex. I also appreciate the simple bottle. I will definitely need to reorder because this jas become my go to scent.

I am loving this fragrance more and more every day. Its deep vanilla and spice combine perfectly with this humans skin. Its more nuanced as the day progresses! Love all your scents. Thankyou. So proud you’re Canadian!

Really nice scent. Not overly food-like. Good staying power. Very warm and inviting.

The bottle itself s good quality and it looks good on the shelf.

Ordering and delivery were hassle free and prompt.

Quite pleased overall.

Just received my 50ml bottle. I have never bought scent online so wasn't sure what to expect.

First impression: I don't know much about perfume beyond "Hey I like that" so I will simply say it's it is warm and invites intimacy. The bottle is also quite nice. One never knows from just a photo.

Nitpick/suggestion. If at some future date you could convert to refillable bottles, that would be awesome.

Let me start of by saying I LOVE vanilla perfume. I have a ever growing collections and I was excited to have this one. So I bought this knowing I’d like it. Paraphrase has literally outdone itself. Vanilla virtue envelops you in a spicy warm vanilla. I feel like a witch walking into a 1000 year old church that’s been left to ruin when i wear this. It smells like ancient burnt out incense, sweet breads, worn in leather, and sticky vanilla bean. Not vanilla flavour but the bean itself. It’s earthy and old. There’s is nothing like this fragrance in my collection and I don’t know if anything could exist like this. It’s truly transformative and it makes me nostalgic for something I’ve never known. Its magic in a bottle.

I'm not a perfume person – or, rather, I don't have perfumery language. I know I rarely like gourmand or vanilla scents, but this one's redeeming vanilla for me. It's toasted, cozy. The "lusty peasant" cumin and saffron doesn't tip full sweat accord (at least on my skin); instead, it makes the perfume smell tangibly warm. I jokingly called it "trustworthy" to a friend but I stand by that. If someone smelled like this perfume naturally, I'd expect excellent hugs and nonjudgmental warmth.
Translated to literal smell: bran loaf, toasted spices, vanilla from a spice cabinet instead of a dessert.

This is one of the most striking, seductive, beautiful and complex vanillas I’ve ever smelled. There’s a bit of spice, a lot of depth, a some sweetness.
It’s just stunning

My newest obsession.

Vanilla Virtu surprised me. They absolutely nailed it with the “Medieval Vanilla” description. I expected something much heavier, but instead I’m met with a fragrance that feels like a gentle, comforting period piece.

The opening immediately reminds me of artisanal cola syrup—rich, spiced, and slightly herbal—but it fades almost as quickly as it arrives. Syrup melts into dark molasses spread over hearty bran bread on a rustic wooden table, while incense burns softly in the next room. The incense is never centre stage; it drifts through the composition, adding warmth and atmosphere.

It’s different from what I expected, yet somehow exactly what I was hoping for. Every time I wear it, I feel like a medieval peasant in the very best way.

I rarely like vanilla in fragrances, but this vanilla is different. It’s deeply spicy, warm, sophisticated, and delicious. A soft embrace that envelops me – sensual and light, yet full of power. Wonderful!

Vanilla Virtue by Paraphrase isn’t a sweet, modern vanilla. It’s the kind of vanilla that feels as though it slipped through a crack in time. So glad it’s my time.

Imagine a great stone hall four hundred years ago, lit by firelight when vanilla itself remains an impossible dream. This fragrance is that deep, dark, and beautifully layered legend. There are echoes of warm bread, spices in chests, smoke rising from a hearth. Nothing shouts. Every note unfolds with quiet confidence, revealing another beautiful layer beneath the last.
This isn’t dessert. It’s warmth without being simple, sweetness without being sugary, and dark mystery without ever becoming heavy. Elegant and masterful, rich and utterly gorgeous

As a perfume student, I am smelling hundreds and hundreds of scents and this is something special to aspire to.

Best vanilla fragrance out there. There is a hint on insense and it is such an amazing scent!

I'm always apprehensive with parfumes since I'm a full on natural girl who prefers essentiel oils to strong perfumes. But I was looking for something safe regarding my allergic reactions to some essential oils and something that would last longer.
I took a firm 3 weeks to search and look for what would be a good match. I hate powdery and flowery scents when they are not essential oils. I like strong, unisex, warm, spicy, with a hint of sweetness scents.
When the new formula of Vanilla Vertu was announced I knew I had to try it.
It starts off with vanilla and curcuma, leaves a molasse sweetness and finalky the richness of bread and a buckwheat crepes kind of vibe. It's warm and sweet but spicy. It works beautifully with my personality.
I also received very good comments from.other people saying I smelled good but not overwhelming. My husband constantly want to bite me. So I guess it's really a winner!
The scent stays long, approx 6 hours minimum and my clothes keep on smelling. It doesn't turn bad on the skin either.
It's my favorite of all time !

Sexy and bodily vanilla that smells ancient but wears in a modern way due to its airiness.

Paraphrase never disappoints. This is a great take on a vanilla scent, it’s exactly how it’s described. Each time I breathe in, I notice a different component - the sweetness, the spice, the warmth.

I have long loved gourmands & can't imagine who id be if not someone who smells good enough to eat. That said; I have been longing for a gourmand that had more of a story to tell for years now. One that felt less like an over sugared morning at the bakery & instead breathed life into my senses, promising excitement if i just lean in a little closer for a better whiff. I have found what i was looking for in Vanilla Virtue; a deeply enticing & intoxicating resinous/spiced opening that I can't help but take an indulgent breath of, desperate to get closer to the warmth it leads with. Quick on the openers heels is the ripe & almost cutting sweetness of what i consider an honest vanilla, one that allows the bitter nature of pure vanilla to find its place with the woody spice that continues to develop in the dry down. As i live in vanilla virtue & it lives on me, I am left so pleased with the stickiness of its profiles mixed with my scent; I always find on myself personally it leaves a sweetness that reads as a delicious molasses, one that once again invites me to breath it in like it's the one thing I need more than anything else in the world. It never fails to make me feel dreamy & delicious, while also making me excited to live in it & feel the summer heat on my skin, curious how it will mix with me & the world around me, especially as the seasons continue to change!

Got here very fast, the scents are delightful!

Within moments of wearing Vanilla Virtu for the first time, my wife looked up at me and said, "this is what I always hope every other vanilla perfume released in the past few year would be" and I couldn't agree more.

It's also much more than that as I'm not even sure I would consider it one if it wasn't already in the name. There is always a spicy or leathery amber note just ahead of the vanilla at every turn. Hints of smoke and incense that lead you to something far more enchanting and daring. And the bread, for sure, is wafting through here and there and its more the toasted flour and cracking crust just after being pulled from than oven than anything from a patisserie. It reminds us far more of something legendary from Guerlain or Serge Lutens than you would find during the current run of vanillas in the 2020s.

We will be wearing this regularly for long time to come.

I was incredibly fortunate to sample this a while back and I have been counting down the days until its release. I’m a huge spicy vanilla lover and this is easily one of the most beautiful takes on that profile I’ve smelled.

It opens with this gorgeous blend of warm spices and almost savory sweetness from the molasses and bran that feels rich and textured. The vanilla and tonka are deep and elegant rather than sugary, and the incense and patchouli in the base really do give warm medieval atmosphere.

It’s giving candlelight on stone walls, spiced cakes, worn leather, warm skin, and a luxurious feast at midnight. Rich and sweet but not gourmand. Just absolutely stunning.

If you love spicy vanillas with depth and atmosphere, this is top tier.