Scent Stories: Horace – Vintage Vanilla

For its fifth fragrance, Horace returns to Grasse with something rich, assured, and quietly seductive. Vintage Vanilla is, as the name suggests, a scent that speaks to things that get better with age — craftsmanship, confidence, and character. It’s a modern reimagining of a classic note, where the warmth of vanilla is met with the rugged refinement of leather and suede.

Since its founding in 2016, Horace has built a reputation for creating accessible yet elevated grooming essentials. The French brand — founded by Marc Briant-Terlet and Kim Mazzilli — takes pride in its straightforward ethos: products designed with, and for, real men. It’s a refreshingly unpretentious approach to self-care, one grounded in community, honesty, and understated style. With Vintage Vanilla, Horace takes that same ethos and applies it to scent — an olfactory expression of quiet confidence rather than overt display.

The fragrance opens with a lively blend of nutmeg, cumin, and pink pepper — a trio that sets the tone with warmth and spice. From there, saffron and violet form the heart, adding depth and texture without losing the sense of balance that defines all of Horace’s creations. The dry-down, where vanilla, leather, and labdanum meet, is where the scent truly earns its name. There’s something familiar yet contemporary about it — rich but not cloying, refined without being old-fashioned.

Co-founder and CEO Marc Terlet describes it perfectly: “Vintage Vanilla is like a beautiful leather jacket aged by time — both rugged and delicate.” That duality — the interplay between softness and strength — runs through the fragrance, echoing Horace’s broader philosophy that self-expression should never feel forced.

Handcrafted in Grasse, the world’s perfume capital, Vintage Vanilla feels like the culmination of everything Horace has built so far: simple design, honest quality, and a touch of French nonchalance. It’s a scent for the man who doesn’t chase trends but appreciates evolution — the kind of man who knows that confidence, like leather, only gets better with wear.