Rarely like vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is a base note, so on application you mostly smell whatever sits above it, citrus, pepper or cardamom. The vanilla emerges underneath as the fragrance settles, and reads as warm, resinous and slightly smoky rather than sweet. What it sits next to changes it completely: tonka pushes it toward almond, amber makes it resinous, tobacco makes it smoky.

Yes. Vanilla is one of the most common base notes in men's fragrance, it is simply not usually advertised as the headline. Of the eleven vanilla fragrances on this page, seven lean masculine and four are unisex. Sinister, Cigar Shop and Golden Ember in particular sit in smoky, woody territory that has very little to do with dessert.

Untamed. Citrus and pepper keep the vanilla in the background, so it works across the widest range of settings and seasons. If you want something more specific, Montreux handles Australian heat better and Sinister is built for evenings.

Concentration is the fragrance-oil load in the blend, and it affects how a scent projects and develops. Every Millian fragrance is blended at a minimum 25%, a higher load than a typical eau de toilette. How long any fragrance stays noticeable on you depends on your skin, the weather and where you apply it, so we do not quote wear times.

The oils are composed in France, then decanted, bottled and finished in Sydney. Doing the final stage in Australia is a large part of why an eau de parfum at this concentration costs $55 rather than the $150-plus the same thing typically sells for here.

Every fragrance on this page is $55 for a 50ml eau de parfum. There is no tiered pricing across the range, the smoky blends cost exactly the same as the fresh ones.