I love a good musk scent. Although the word musk has Sanskrit roots meaning “testicle,” romantic—I know, I simply cannot get enough of it. I’ve written so many musk-focused articles at this point I’ve lost count, but I’m sure my past self, or even better, the search bar, can help you dig them up.
So how did we get here—to me willingly shoving my beloved skin-like musks to the back of the shelf in favor of… marshmallow? One word: Squishmallows.
Because yes, your emotional support plushies just launched full-on perfume: Whisked Away, Pink Possibilities, and Moonlit Mist, all packed in pastel bottles that look like they belong in a Lisa Frank altar.
Whisked Away
Whisked Away smells like your favorite café order turned into a giant, comforting hug. Think steamed milk and caramel drizzle melting into vanilla latte foam, softened by white peach and tiger orchid, then grounded with creamy sandalwood to keep it from floating off into pure sugar. Yes, you’re an adult, but you’ll love everything about this, and even give the bottle the best place on the vanity table.
Pink Possibilities
I know Pink Possibilities is officially inspired by Patty the Cow’s springtime farmer’s market booth, very wholesome, very strawberry-stained picnic blanket energy. But to me? It smells less like fresh produce and more like the first bite of a strawberry sugar ribbon at a county fair: Sun-warmed strawberries, kiwi candy slices, and a cloud of pink crystallized sugar that sticks to your fingertips and refuses to let go.
Moonlit Mist
On that same website that gave us the Patty-the-Cow-at-the-farmer’s-market backstory, we learn that Moonlit Mist is inspired by Zumirez the Bat’s enchanted forest home. This one really does smell like a nighttime orchard, with crisp green apple nectar, tart cherry skin, and lychee petals floating on cool air, making us believe that someone has the power to squeeze the breeze in a secret garden lit only by moonlight, turn it into an essence, and we can wear it. Oh, the powers of dreams, right?
And once you open the door to marshmallow fragrance territory, there’s no going back. Suddenly, you’re emotionally invested. You’re knee-deep in KILIAN Love, Don’t Be Shy, also known as Rihanna’s rumored favorite scent, i.e., the perfume that allegedly made Lil Nas X say she smelled like “heaven” and made every celebrity who’s hugged her whisper “what are you wearing?” into the void. It’s a sweet, sweet swirl of orange blossom, vanilla, neroli, and gooey marshmallow, like candied floral crumbs dusted over warm skin. Who wouldn’t want to smell like Rihanna?
Then there’s Juliette Has A Gun’s new Powder Love, and if this is the kind of powder Juliette’s gun is shooting, go ahead, aim it at my pulse points. It feels like Love, Don’t Be Shy’s quieter, pastel-pink cousin who journals in cursive and collects antique lace. Marshmallow, cotton candy, orange blossom, sugared almond, musk, and tonka, like someone dusted powdered sugar off a mochi or a Ladurée dragée and decided it should live on skin forever. Cozy, hazy, and just the tiniest bit melancholy, totally in that cinematic, staring-out-the-window-on-a-train way, being present in the moment.
Ok, but before you drown in sugar… layer responsibly
Marshmallow needs contrast to really hit. Like:
- With smoky woods — go for cedar, guaiac, or by-the-bonfire incense to give toasted edges. Our recommendations: Drift Frontier and Confessions of a Rebel Rugged Roots.
- With sandalwood — creamy meets creamy, but in a grown-up cashmere sweater kind of way. We stan: Scents of Wood Sandalwood in Oak, Shay & Blue Salt Caramel, and Scents of Wood x Scentbird Strength in Santal.
- With coffee or espresso notes — so it smells like you live in a café that only plays French jazz. Go for: Chris Collins Sweet Taboo, Montale Intense Café, Mancera Paris Amore Caffe.
- With leather or smoke — for when you want to smell like a roasted marshmallow, with loads and loads of attitude, and leather edge. Our winning picks: Une Nuit Nomade Sugar Leather, Memo Paris French Leather
