The Hottest Spring Scent Is Totally Unexpected (& A Little Nutty)

Heady florals, lush green grass, and freshly fallen rain are just a few of the gorgeous aromas we associate with springtime. As winter comes to a close, many of us pack away our comforting winter scents in favor of brighter bouquets. Spring is the perfect time for experimenting with new scents, and no one knows this better than those with their fingers on the pulse of the latest trends in perfume.

These days, a perfume's trendiness can be measured by the volume of accompanying chatter and hashtags in online olfactory-minded communities. The hottest scent trend this spring? Well, it's fairly nuts. Many of us love pistachio-flavored ice cream, lattes, and even the fluorescent green 1970s dessert Watergate salad — but pistachio perfume? Yes, judging by the latest best-selling scents, it's genuinely a thing now.

After years of relative obscurity, the quirky gourmand note has entered the mainstream, and it's generating lots of buzz amongst perfume fans across social media. So what's all the fuss about pistachio perfume? And which of these trending scents are worth exploring this spring? We'll fill you in on everything there is to know about this unexpected rising star in the fragrance world.

The dried pistachios that many of us are acquainted with through our local grocers are a far cry from the harvests produced by pistachio farmers. Freshly picked pistachio kernels are fruitier and more delicate in flavor and scent than their store-bought counterparts. If you can't take a trip to the fruit groves of California or Europe, experiencing pistachio-laced fragrances may be the next best thing. Pistachio is the latest in a series of sweet-smelling accords to garner the attention of fragrance fans. After TikTok's vanilla girl aesthetic led to an explosive surge of interest in sweet perfumes last year, it was only a matter of time before consumers yearned for richer gourmand scents.

You're not alone if you're wondering what to expect from pistachio perfumes. Some scent profiles, from solar fragrances to powdery perfumes, are a bit harder to describe than your run-of-the-mill floral compositions. Although every pistachio fragrance is a little different, the defining traits of the notes are green and sweet with a touch of sophisticated nuttiness. You may even recognize the smell of pistachio in popular perfumes of the last decade, from Urban Outfitters' Pistachio Brûlée to Elie Saab's Girl of Now Shine. More recently, Sol de Janeiro's 2017 release, Brazilian Crush Cheirosa '62, made a name for itself with soft pistachio and almond notes supported by sweet melodies of heliotrope, jasmine, and caramel.

Recent pistachio-based perfumes, like Hermes Un Jardin à Cythère and Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato, have won over countless fans with complex takes on the tiny fruit. Many describe the trending Yum Pistachio Gelato as having a deliciously sweet fragrance with incredible longevity and sillage. "[Kayali smells] exactly like spumoni ice cream from an Italian restaurant. The pistachio is strong, but I also get a bit of cherry, cream, and a whiff of chocolate. Hours later, one of my students said I smelled like ice cream," wrote one wearer. With delicate top notes like Italian bergamot, rum, and cardamom, it's no wonder that Kayali is developing a cult-like following with beauty lovers.

Judging by the recent wave of pistachio-scented launches from perfumers, this is only the beginning of the latest fragrance trend. Pistachio fragrances run the gamut from dark and moody, like Viktor & Rolf's Spicebomb Night Vision, to playful and sweet, like Demeter's Pistachio Ice Cream. Some perfume houses, like D.S. & Durga, have even shown that pure pistachio is a hit with perfume buffs. Just look at the success of their aptly-named Pistachio eau de parfum, a straightforward formulation released in 2022. The possibilities for future pistachio releases are seemingly endless, and we can't wait to see what's next for this nutty fragrance note.