Gourmands aren’t my thing, but I have a sweet spot for Prada Candy. Really, I’m following the benzoin, and moving from Prada Infusion d’Iris to Prada Candy.
What Infusion d’Iris has as one of its base notes, Candy makes the focus, highlighting the caramel and vanilla aspects of benzoin with actual caramel and vanilla top notes. Did you know that Prada Candy supposedly came out of a specific request from Miuccia Prada for a scent with a caramel note? Daniela Andrier added benzoin to a fragrance that ended up being similar to the original Prada Amber perfume but not the same. Benzoin has a sweetness but it’s also kind of powdery and fluffy, and Prada Candy (at least in its original formula) has 12% of it, reportedly the most ever put in a fragrance at the time.
Candy reminds you of sweets but it doesn’t make your mouth water. The caramel and toffee in the top notes are delicious. It’s sweet, yes, with elements of vanilla and caramel, but the benzoin and musks in the dry down make this more refined and easy to wear. It’s not syrupy or cloying. On paper, Candy reminds me of cupcakes, but the magic is when it’s on my skin.
