I have a confession. I can’t tell you with a straight face that the Gisou Honey Infused Hair Perfume has transformed my hair. What I can tell you is that I have walked the school run in the rain, come home, caught a whiff of my own hair and thought, “oh, that’s nice.” Still. Hours later.
So here’s my honest Gisou hair perfume review. I own two scents, Vanilla Glaze and Wild Rose. One of them I adore and one I like, and I’ll tell you which is which. I’ve also done the boring homework on the ingredients, the sizes and the prices, because there are a few things worth knowing before you spend your money.
What is the Gisou Honey Infused Hair Perfume?
Gisou is Negin Mirsalehi’s honey-led haircare brand, built around her family’s beekeeping (You may know I’m already a huge fan of the Gisou lip oil!). The hair perfume is a lightweight mist you spray onto dry hair, and the brand says it’s enriched with Mirsalehi honey and argan oil to add shine and a bit of hydration alongside the scent.
There are quite a few scents now. The original is a wildflower honey, and there’s a floral edition (Wild Rose), Lavender Berry, and a run of seasonal “glazed” gourmand ones including Vanilla Glaze, Sticky Toffee, Milky Mocha and Coco-Cacao.
The one thing to keep in mind is that this is a perfume. It sits in the same part of your routine as a body mist, not a mask or an oil. Gisou’s own suggestion is to use the hair oil first, then finish with the perfume.
Vanilla Glaze: my favourite
Vanilla Glaze is the one I’d save in a fire.
Gisou lists it with vanilla at the top, cedarwood in the middle, and milk and musk at the base. On my hair it reads as warm, creamy and slightly powdery. Think a cosy blanket rather than a cupcake. It’s sweet, but it has enough softness to it that I don’t feel like I’m wearing pudding.
And the staying power really is the headline. It survives the school run, rain included, and I can still smell it the next day. Not as strongly, but it’s there when I turn my head or tie my hair up. I use 2 sprays, applied to freshly blowdried hair.
It’s a limited, seasonal scent, so it comes and goes. Several UK retailers had the 15ml out of stock when I looked, so if you love the sound of it, check availability before you get your heart set.
Wild Rose: nice, but not my favourite
Wild Rose is lovely. I just reach for it less.
The notes are wild rose and honey with vanilla and bergamot. It’s lighter and more floral than Vanilla Glaze, and a bit more “polite”. Other reviewers have compared it to Parfums de Marly Delina, which I can see, and a few say it leans more honey than rose.
For me it’s pretty and wearable, but when I’m choosing, I’m choosing the vanilla every time. But that’s just a personal preference.
If you’re a floral person, you’ll probably prefer it. If you love anything sweet, creamy and gourmand, go straight for Vanilla Glaze.
Does it actually do anything for your hair?
I want to be honest here, because the marketing and my own experience don’t entirely match.
Gisou says the perfume hydrates and adds shine. I’m not 100% sure it’s making any difference to the condition of my hair. My hair doesn’t feel worse for it, but I couldn’t hand on heart say it feels better either. It definitely smells a lot better. Maybe I’m just not adding enough of it to see a visual difference.
I treat this as a lovely scent with a side order of maybe. If you want shine and softness, use a proper hair oil or mask, and let the perfume be the finishing touch.
What to know before you buy
I went digging so you don’t have to. A few things worth knowing.
It’s alcohol-based. Alcohol denat. is the first ingredient. That’s normal for any hair mist or perfume, and it’s what makes it dry quickly, but it can be drying if you drench dry or fragile hair. Spray it from arm’s length across the lengths, not directly onto your scalp. A woman&home reviewer also warned that too much can leave hair looking a bit oily and flat.
It contains fragrance allergens. The lists I found include linalool, coumarin, cinnamyl alcohol, citral and geraniol, which are among the fragrance ingredients that have to be labelled separately because they can trigger reactions in some people. If you have a sensitive scalp, eczema or a known fragrance allergy, patch test first and keep it off your scalp. Check the box on your bottle, because the full lists differ a bit between scents.
It’s pricier than it looks per ml. The 15ml is £20, which is about £1.33 a ml. The 50ml is £34, which is about 68p a ml. If you know you’ll love it, go for the big bottle.
Let it dry before heat. This is my own rule rather than Gisou’s. It’s an alcohol-based spray, so I wait until it’s fully dry before going near straighteners or curling tongs.
How I use it
I spray it from about arm’s length onto dry hair, which is also what Gisou suggests. Applied after my hair has been dried and styled, as a finishing touch. I find it most useful as a mid-week refresh when my hair needs perking up, and it’s a very easy way to feel put together on a day when I’m really not.
Is the Gisou hair perfume worth it?
For the scent alone, yes, I think so. It lasts and it smells expensive. That’s my idea of everyday luxury: small, affordable, and used every single day.
For hair care, no. It isn’t a treatment, and the honey and argan are doing very little. If you buy it expecting your hair to look and feel transformed, you’ll be let down.
My advice: pick the scent you actually love (for me, Vanilla Glaze), buy the 50ml if you know you’ll use it, and enjoy it for what it is.
FAQs
How long does Gisou hair perfume last?
On my hair, a full day, including walking in the rain, and I can still smell it faintly the next day. Reviews vary, and some people say it fades faster, so it depends on your hair and how much you use.
What does Gisou Vanilla Glaze smell like?
Creamy vanilla, with cedarwood, milk and musk. Sweet and cosy, with a soft powdery feel.
Which Gisou hair perfume smells the best?
It’s personal. I prefer Vanilla Glaze. If you like florals, Wild Rose or the original are the better bets. Lavender Berry is the herbal one.
Is Gisou hair perfume bad for your hair?
It contains alcohol, so heavy use on dry or damaged hair could be drying, and one reviewer felt her hair was drier afterwards. Mine has been fine. Spray from a distance and don’t overdo it.
Is it safe for sensitive skin?
It contains fragrance allergens, so patch test first and avoid spraying onto your scalp if you’re sensitive.
Can I use it as a body perfume?
Reviewers do, and it’s a popular layering product. Gisou sells it as a hair perfume, so I’d test it on a small area first.
Is the 15ml or 50ml better value?
The 50ml, by a long way: about 68p a ml against about £1.33 for the 15ml.
Is Gisou Vanilla Glaze limited edition?
Gisou has described it as a seasonal scent, and it has been out of stock at several retailers. Check current availability.
Are there cheaper alternatives?
Yes. Scent-matching sites list lots of vanilla and gourmand body and hair mists at lower prices, though none will smell identical.
I’ll update this post as I use it more. If you’ve tried a different Gisou scent, tell me your favourite in the comments.
You can fins more reviews and products over on the beauty section.
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If you like the sort of recommendation that still holds up six months later, leave your email below and I'll write to you on Sunday.
Most Sundays, once the house has gone quiet and it's edging towards nine, a letter goes out. It's the one I'd write to a friend with good taste and not nearly enough time: one thing worth reading, one thing worth buying, and one thing to skip. No noise, no pressure to spend, just the considered version of what I've actually been using, loving, or quietly sending back.
