TikTok 'clean girls' are obsessed with scent layering thanks to this fragrance

Daily Mirror

20-05-2025

Ever wanted to smell just like a vanilla candle? TikTok's clean girls are going viral for their multiple step scent-layering techniques that have them smelling as good ad possible
The next time you step onto a train, a crowded bus or – more likely – into your nearest matcha -selling outlet, don't be surprised if you get a strong whiff of creme brulee. No, there's no giant free dessert movement happening. It's just that all over TikTok, the girls are dousing themselves in vanilla as part of a whole new 'scent layering' trend.
If you haven't yet stumbled upon #perfumetok, you might have missed the three, sometimes five-step perfume routines where girls are determined to smell as clean and edible as possible. In this frantic bid, they're layering body creams, oils and spritzes on themselves. And the scent du jour is vanilla.
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According to data collected by the deodorant company Make Waves, searches for vanilla fragrances have soared by 406% just over the past year. Meanwhile, the vanillaperfume hashtag has gained over 112K posts on TikTok. They've even been affectionately named the 'vanilla girlies'.
One video by @jslynb, with over 290K views, shows one girl using a vanilla perfume on her neck and wrists. She then uses a caramelised scent by lush for just one spritz over her body. 'Now for a lighter kind of scent to balance all of the strong scents you put on your body,' she continues, before pulling out a vanilla-and-caramel-scented body mist.
It's been linked to the 'clean girl' trend which has been popularised by style icons like Hailey Bieber and Sofia Richie Grainge. It's defined by stripped back makeup, an emphasis on clear skin and minimalist business-casual style.
There are countless videos of TikTok users posting their vanilla body care hauls and extensive perfume collections. They're usually pictured against soft-lit, beige rooms, with captions like 'Clean girl vanilla perfume recommendations.'
Owen Machon is a scent expert and co-founder of Make Waves. He says: 'TikTok in particular has played a big part in the scent's newfound popularity, coinciding with the rise in the 'clean girl aesthetic'. The scent's clean, creamy and warm notes perfectly align with the minimalism of the aesthetic those following this trend are looking to embody.'
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If you're looking to follow the scent layering trend, he recommends combining similar notes to create a well-rounded 'scent profile'. But that doesn't mean you can't add one or two other complimentary fragrances. He adds: "This works well if you are pairing a bold base scent with one or two other lighter scents."
However, he does warn against layering too much of the same product. 'Although layering perfumes works well, layering multiple body moisturisers or deodorants can have the opposite effect and lead to the products not working as intended.'
The trend has also been tied into what has sometimes been referred to as TikTok's 'hygiene olympics' – where girls are outdoing each other to be the 'cleanest'. TikTok user @pickleflipflops went viral after posting her video with an eight-step guide on 'how to never stink'.
She revealed she goes in with soap, body wash and sometimes a shower oil. She then uses a moisturiser and a body oil post-shower with a 'signature scent' – coconut and vanilla – before using glycolic acid as a deodorant, then sometimes another deodorant and (last but not least) perfume.
While she emphasised that all steps aren't necessary, it still makes for a fairly exhaustive routine. But she seems to be just one of many TikTok users going greater extremes to smell as good as possible.