The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Double Dates began with Leah Kateb, Skylar's Chief Creative Officer, pulling from her Middle Eastern heritage and a deep, almost devotional love of dessert. Dates, a fruit woven into the cuisine and tradition she grew up with. Toffee, a sweetness that signals something finished and complete. Brown sugar, the warmth that ties the whole picture together. She handed that vision to perfumer Doug Falcone in 2025 and asked for something that tasted like a shared plate, intimate without ever tipping into cloying. The result is a gourmand that wears its sweetness like a soft flannel rather than a costume. It reads as edible and lived-in, the olfactory equivalent of pulling a chair up to a table already set for two.
What makes Double Dates interesting is how it handles the gourmand category without surrendering to it. Cinnamon and walnut shape the opening, giving the sweetness texture and a slight savory bite before pastry notes take over. The heart is where the composition earns its name: toffee and benzoin build a sticky, resinous warmth, while vanilla absolute adds the creamy roundness that keeps everything grounded. Instead of collapsing into pure sugar, the fragrance threads a careful line, letting the darker, spicier elements hold their ground against the softer, sweeter ones.
The evolution
The first ten minutes are the loudest they'll get. Cinnamon cuts through with a dry, almost woody heat. Walnut adds a toasted, slightly bitter edge underneath. Pastry and dates arrive in a soft wave of jammy sweetness that fills the space but doesn't overflow. By the 30-minute mark the heart takes over: benzoin wraps everything in a warm, almost smoky resin, toffee melts into the middle, and vanilla absolute smooths the rough edges. The drydown is where Double Dates settles into its real voice. Brown sugar and cocoa butter take over, leaving a golden, slightly toasted sweetness that wraps around the wearer like a favorite sweater. There's a patience to the way the scent unfolds, each phase easing gently into the next rather than announcing itself.
Cultural impact
Double Dates sits in conversation with Lush's Sticky Dates body spray, but reads more refined and far less synthetic, offering a gourmand profile that feels intentional rather than accidental. The composition treats sweetness as something to be shaped and restrained, giving the sticky-sweet category a polished, modern voice. Where many date-inspired releases lean into pure sugary comfort, Double Dates threads in spice, resin, and a creamy woodiness that adds gravity. It's the kind of scent that asks to be layered over real moments, dinner with friends, a late walk home, the kind of evenings that linger longer than planned.
