Vanilla is not one smell, and this row proves it. The Maker Dream is warming vanilla bourbon with creamy cinnamon butter, white sandalwood and magnolia in a ribbed-glass bottle. Maison Louis Marie No.15 Vanille Infinie is a perfume oil with a rollerball, built on citron, jasmine, heliotrope, sugared amber and creamy tonka around golden vanilla. KAYALI Vanilla 28 is the sweetest here, with Madagascan Vanilla Orchid, brown sugar, tonka and amber woods.

The others lean away from sugar. Chambre52 Soleil Tonka mixes sea salt, coconut water and vanilla with tonka bean and musk. Reservation Parfums Chambre Secrète is pure vanilla absolute with incense. Diptyque Eau Duelle uses Madagascan vanilla with pink peppercorn and cypriol and the product text calls it sophisticated without being overly saccharine. Heretic Dirty Coconut pairs coconut with sandalwood, cedar and vanilla, from the perfumer Douglas Little. Fabbrica Della Musa Ile Bourbon is an extrait with chocolate, caramel, vanilla, cardamom and clove, made by the perfumer Hamid Merati Kashani and his wife, Barbara Adelmann.

If you liked Alien Goddess but want less floral, try Eau Duelle or Soleil Tonka first.

What I would skip: Vanille Infinie when you want a big spray. It is a roll-on oil, so it belongs on the wrist and behind the ear.

Alien Goddess is a jasmine and vanilla perfume, and these are the other houses that do the same pairing. Viktor&Rolf Flowerbomb whirls rose and jasmine over warm patchouli in its grenade bottle. Valentino Donna Born in Roma puts jasmine grandiflorum with bourbon vanilla, blackcurrant and woody cashmeran. Chloé L'Eau de Parfum Lumineuse blends rose with Madagascan vanilla and jasmine sambac, and the bottle wears a hand-tied ribbon. Burberry Her Elixir de Parfum has strawberry and blackberry accords, jasmine, vanilla, amber and sandalwood.

Then the more grown-up ones. Tom Ford Vanilla Sex is vanilla tincture, bitter almond and sandalwood. Prada Paradoxe Intense is jasmine with Ambrofix and moss, in a flacon that rests on its side. Gucci Flora Gorgeous Jasmine is mandarin, grandiflorum jasmine and sandalwood, and Marc Jacobs Perfect Intense puts night-blooming jasmine with daffodil and roasted almonds.

How to shop this row: Alien Goddess shares bourbon vanilla and jasmine grandiflorum with Born in Roma, so that is the closest match. Flora Gorgeous Jasmine is the one that puts jasmine first.

What I would skip: Vanilla Sex or Flowerbomb for a hot day. I would save them for evenings.

Choose by the base, not the front. Sweet and round is Angel or KAYALI Vanilla 28, floral and golden is Alien Goddess, and salty or spicy is Soleil Tonka or Eau Duelle. For a warm jasmine, Born in Roma is the nearest to Alien Goddess and Flora Gorgeous Jasmine leads with jasmine. Apply to the creases of your elbows and knees, where body warmth brings a scent out. Test on skin for a day before you commit to a full size, since vanilla can change a lot once it warms up.

If Mugler Alien Goddess is the warm floral you reach for, the gourmand side of the shelf is where I would wander next. For coffee, KILIAN Paris Midnight Espresso pairs coffee and rum with chocolate and bourbon vanilla, DedCool Mocha Magic is built on espresso, mocha and tonka bean, and Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium puts black coffee against white flowers and vanilla. For caramel, KAYALI Boujee Kitty Caramel Milk layers caramel milk, white chocolate and salted caramel, Prada Candy mixes a caramel accord with benzoin and white musk, and Rare Beauty Rare uses caramel, vanilla and sandalwood.

For something softer, Maison Margiela REPLICA Afternoon Delight has a madeleine accord over sandalwood and Madagascar vanilla, Summer Fridays Sunlit Vanilla leans on bergamot, caramel and vanilla, and PHLUR Vanilla Canyon grounds vanilla in oak wood with velvet plum and wild honey. Florals sit close to Alien Goddess: Miu Miu Miutine has wild strawberry and gardenia, and KILIAN Love, Don't Be Shy opens with marshmallow sugar and orange blossom. Penhaligon's Changing Constance goes spicier with cardamom and caramel, while Maison Margiela REPLICA By the Fireplace smells of roasted chestnuts and clove.

What I would skip: wearing two gourmands at once. Pick one and let it sit on skin for a day.