Gourmand fragrances have trained us to crave rich, indulgent notes—and now hair color is following suit. The perfect balance of luscious and luxe, these shades are all about rich dimension and glazed finishes. With fun, tempting names like caramel, coconut, chocolate and ice cream, they’re creating a category of their own. Ahead, we tapped five hair experts to share the gourmand hair colors they’re seeing everywhere right now.
Featured Experts
- Dimitris Giannetos is a celebrity hairstylist
- Nicole Leal is a celebrity hairstylist and colorist
- Johnny Ramirez is a hairstylist and Redken artistic ambassador
- Rogério Cavalcante is a colorist, hairstylist and owner of The Second Floor Salon in New York
- Sierra Kener is a celebrity hairstylist and colorist
What Is a Gourmand Hair Color?
Gourmand notes in fragrance mimic sticky sweets like vanilla, caramel and chocolate. In hair color, that same inspiration shows up as rich, glossy, dessert-inspired shades, like chocolate cherry, honey blond, chantilly cream or caramel ribbon highlights.
Celebrity hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos says the naming also helps clarify the vision. “They also help clients better visualize the warmth, depth and tone they’re craving,” he adds. For colorists, those extra details are crucial to creating a dimensional result clients are happy with, but they can be hard to communicate during a consultation.
Why They're Trending
When celebrity hairstylist and colorist Nicole Leal hears the phrase “gourmand hair,” she thinks of “super rich, blended color.” These indulgent hues, she explains, are “like pressing the reset button, adding shine and an all-over glaze to the hair.”
Beyond their visual impact, gourmand shades also tap into a sense of comfort. “These tones feel cozy, familiar and reassuring yet still look elevated,” says hairstylist and Redken artistic ambassador Johnny Ramirez.
The shades are also highly versatile, working across a wide range of hair types and tones. "There is truly a color for everyone," says celebrity colorist Sierra Kener. "Icy vanilla will make blue eyes pop, while rich espresso is super flattering for someone with warmer undertones."
Celebrity hairstylist Rogério Cavalcante agrees, stressing the importance of matching your hair color to your natural undertone. "The more harmonious choice will always be to follow your natural undertone and respect your natural contrast," he explains. "That means that if a person has a cool undertone, they will look better with cool shades of hair color and if they have a warm undertone, they will look better with warm shades of hair color."
Gourmand Hair Colors to Try
