An independant publication on the cultural life of fragrance.
APRIL 23, 2026
Reviving the Past Through the Scent of Dolls
BY DAMIANA CHIAVOLINI
A seasoned perfume writer and collector shares an intimate look at her cherished childhood toys, and how they informed her favorite doll fragrances.
Defined by personal expression, neon colors, and bold fashion choices, the 1980s are having a moment of full resurgence, permeating many aspects of today’s culture.
The famed television series Stranger Things, starring heartthrobs such as Joe Keery, catapulted the cultures’ longing for the 1980s, setting it ablaze in the mainstream with preppy outfits, stylized retro sets, and peak pop culture references to the ‘80s. Electronic and experimental music is making a comeback through contemporary synthpop bands (think Passion Pit and Future Islands) plus classic pieces being played on the radio– and going insanely viral on socials— after gaining new exposure in Stranger Things and other media we’ve been seeing lately (my heart hums when I hear Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush). In fashion, oversized pants, lace and tulle blouses, and bold print patterns are back in style, radiating a mix of punk and glamorous aesthetics that were embodied by Madonna and Cyndi Lauper. In beauty, black-rimmed eyes, glossy and glittery lips, and voluminous hair (and perms!) are once again defining trends, resonating with the pop and rock style of the looks showcased by Cher and Whitney Houston.
This nostalgic wave also extends to the toys from that era. My Little Pony, Care Bears, and Strawberry Shortcake are being revived and reissued in the few toy stores that are still standing, for the joy of children (and people like me). Those who, just like me, lived through the 1980s are expected to outgrow dolls and toys and focus on what is considered to be more suitably adult. I welcome and embrace more typically grown-up and sophisticated themes and items (I collect vintage perfumes for a reason), but there is something undeniably wistful, honest, and disarming about toys. They remind me of everyday joys and offer a tactile, visual, and olfactory comfort in difficult and complicated times.
The memories of these dolls and the way they smelled are etched in my mind as a child of the late 1970s and 1980s. I collected scented dolls, action figures, and erasers, and I still have many as part of my current collection.
The 1980s doll nostalgia has even permeated the perfume universe, tapping into the recollections I and others have. The doll-fragrance link is especially meaningful to me as a lifelong perfume collector–fragrances that aim to reproduce or hint at the peculiar and familiar scent of dolls, their heads, and other toys are offered by both mainstream brands and unique independent houses. So, I went on a little quest and acquired as many fragrances marketed as mimicking the scent of dolls as I could find.
In 2025, the brand Boy Smells released, a limited-edition body mist in collaboration with the fashion doll line Bratz, more recently re-marketed as Doll Mist. The scent is a combination of fruity, powdery, and sweet vanilla notes, with a lightly accented plastic accord that doesn’t quite hit the mark. In my scented opinion, other fragrances more evocatively capture the scent of dolls and better embody the revival of ’80s nostalgia.
Doll Head by Hexennacht (2019) is soft, cozy, and powdery. This fragrance is a seamless blend of marshmallow, heliotrope, and plastic (with a hint of scented paper), reminding me of the comforting powdery smell of the large baby dolls I cradled as a child. In Italy, we called them bambolotto, and they usually came with their own set of accessories, which included bottles, bibs, and pacifiers. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, look up Big Baby from Toy Story 3.
Perfumer: Caroline Blicq
Poup’ee by Rochas (2004) makes me think of a doll’s dress— more specifically, of traces of a tuberose fragrance on an old doll’s frilly dress. Dusty and subtly musty, it reminds me of Roberta, my first doll. The note of nutmeg can smell quite textural, earthy, and animalic. Here, it seems to fuse with the pineapple and amber to confer the waxy scent of aged plastic.
Perfumer: Anne Flipo
Poup’ee (left), and Roberta alongside Cinge the cat (right), by Damiana Chiavolini.
Scented Dolls by Amorphous (2017) is all about strawberry, rose, and a fresh vinyl-leather accord, which mingle to create a delicately sweet scent evocative of the plastic used to build the skin and hair of a Strawberry Shortcake doll. I’m also reminded of the delectable scent of Custard, Strawberry Shortcake’s cute cat with the pink fur and white spots that was included in the same box.
Perfumer: Kalliope Amorphous
Photo by Damiana Chiavolini
This is Not a Love Spell by Sorce (2024) is typically described as a blueberry jam gourmand with a floral backbone. I get whiffs of Blueberry Muffin and Plum Pudding, the scented friends of Strawberry Shortcakes, especially as the fragrance settles and the powdery violet facet surfaces and intermingles with the sugary cloud.
Plastic by Xyrena (2017) opens with potent cherry and strawberry notes entwined with a slick and addicting plastic accord, invoking the scent of a newly unwrapped doll. The Barbie-esque bottle and whimsical Blockbuster VHS packaging creatively play upon the toy fantasy and cinematic nostalgia of the past.
Perfumer: Killian Wells
Barbie by Lush (2023) was created as a limited edition after the release of Greta Gerwig’s movie, Barbie. Instead of including more typical fruit notes such as cherry and strawberry, the fragrance creates the doll effect through fizzy sweet orange rounded by velvety almond and vanilla, with no distinctive plastic or vinyl notes. I think of the gentle scent I breathed in when smelling a doll’s hair.
Perfumer: Alina Gliwinska
Kewpie Doll by Pearfat Parfum (2022) was created to honor a perfumer’s memory of playing with her dolls by her grandmother’s orchard. The fragrance is more atmospheric than literal, uniquely combining a vinyl accord with tomato leaf, along with other bitter green and earthy notes. Reminiscent of toys left outside after a day spent playing in the dirt, it is initially bracing and sharp, evolving to smell like heated plastic with hints of aromatic herbs.
Perfumer: Alie Kiral
The Pink Bedroom by Marissa Zappas (2023) was conceived to be paired with artist Portia Munson’s eponymous exhibition at the Sex Museum in New York City. Now part of Marissa’s permanent collection, this perfume oil includes a blend of candied strawberries, roses, and heliotrope, conjuring up the collection of scents projecting from “styling head dolls”— a blend of fruity lip glosses, powdery blush, and pink eyeshadows. Under the fragrance’s seemingly innocent and carefree surface lies a musky undertone, suggesting a vaguely haunted and sinister feel to match those slightly creepy 1980s styling heads.
Perfumer: Marissa Zappas
Maybe you’re just like me, living your nostalgia, or maybe you’re much younger but nevertheless drawn to the 1980s revival. Either way, the singular scent of doll-mimicking fragrances may offer an emotional and sensory throughline or simply a way to wear something fun, playful, and transportive.
There are other doll-inspired fragrances I look forward to trying. Some sound like nostalgic renditions of beach toys baking in the sun, such as Holy Hell by Universal Flowering, others may be more abstract and stylized like Dolls by Moth & Rabbit.
I’d also love to see more fragrant interpretations of haunted dolls, or maybe something that evokes the scent of the old-fashioned toy stores of my childhood, which smelled like dust, furniture wood, books, and the faint sweetness of scented plastic and crayons.
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