A range, not a rigid answer.
Creamy, woody, smoky, balsamic, spicy, tobacco-like, powdery or dessert-sweet depending on the route and supporting cast.
Deeper sensory reference
Vanilla / vanillin
Vanilla plant materials, vanillin and the broader vanilla idea overlap but are not interchangeable.
warmwoodyspicedsweet
Why a perfumer may use the effect.
Can add sweetness, familiarity, warmth, body and contrast.
Keep the evidence boundary visible.
A vanilla note need not mean vanilla extract, and vanilla does not have to smell like frosting.
Words that change the way you read it.
Vanillin · tonka · coumarin · balsams · gourmand