Every week, regardless of our content, a handful of you DM us asking for a deep dive into the fragrance industry—new product launches, innovative campaigns, and new key players in the market, especially when it comes to celebrity-founded ventures.
Recently, we've covered a wide range of news related to your favorite fragrance brands, including: Glossier’s You Perfume cameo in Fletcher’s “Pretending” music video, Kylie’s new galactic-themed perfume “Cosmic,” and investment and product updates from D.S. & Durga:
But yes, it is true that we've been saving other important news, like Bella Hadid’s new brand, “Orebella,” and details on Harry Styles’ brand, “Pleasing,” for a bigger moment. Well, today is your lucky day.
Instead of hearing from us (how boring, we know!), we had the honor of chatting with someone who is a true expert in the beauty industry across various categories: Sara Spruch-Feiner. You probably know Sara from her writing for Glossy. She oversees their Pop vertical, which covers the intersection of beauty, fashion, and culture.
Today, we asked Sara all about the fragrance boom, her thoughts on the recent influx of celebrity-founded perfume brands, and which brands she thinks are winning. She also shares insights into how social media has contributed to this boom, consumer responses to these brands so far, her favorite marketing in fragrance and body care, and more. Without further ado, here’s everything Sara shared:
PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS: Why do you think fragrance is having such a moment right now? How long do you think this boom will last?
Sara Spruch-Feiner: Like anything in beauty, trends trickle in and out.
After celebrity fragrance “went away” for a spell, I am not surprised to see it come back. In general, fragrance is having a moment. With the rise of #perfumetok, and the boost the industry saw (surprisingly) during the pandemic — fragrance sales are still up, so it makes sense that celebs/influencer-types want in on the moment.
The thing about fragrance is that a perfume can be launched separate of a brand in a way that is different than say, launching an eyeliner. In most cases, if a celebrity launches makeup, it is with the implicit expectation that there is more to come — that is to say, that they will build a full brand. With a brand, comes the necessity to continue to churn out newness (one of the perennial dilemmas of the beauty industry in general).
Though Kylie’s new fragrance comes on the backs of years (literally, in her case, a decade!) of drops from Kylie Cosmetics, other celebs — think: Beyoncé’s fragrance, the underhyped fragrances from Troye Sivan’s brand Tsu Lange Yor, launched without the expectation that Sivan would follow up his scents with a full-fledged brand. Ariana Grande had fragrance for years before launching r.e.m, though, it’s worth noting that her fragrances are managed by parent company Luxe Brands, and r.e.m. was, originally, launched in partnership with Forma (Morphe’s parent company). Grande has since purchased the brand’s assets back.
PBT: What you think of these celebrity brands, namely Kylie's Cosmic and Bella's Orebella? Why do you think they're entering the space now and who do you think will win?
SSF: As for Kylie, I think we’ve seen that the Kar-Jenner clan will continue to grow their business empires virtually without limit. As far as I know, her new scent “Cosmic,” launched within days of her launching her entirely new canned cocktail brand, Sprinter.
Orebella has gotten mixed reviews so far (as far as TikTok reactions go) — It’s too soon to say if it’s going to “win” anything. The packaging has also gotten mixed reviews — I think people want their perfume to stand up, not lie flat, but it’s chic and pretty. The price point is approachable — $35 for the smaller sized bottles — but I don’t love that you have to pay $35 for a stand (would have loved to see that come with the bottle).
As for the “skin care” element — I’m super curious if a dermatologist would say this would be beneficial for people sensitive to standard perfumes — or totally unnecessary.
I have a bottle of Blooming Fire, which — not that my personal scent opinion matters here — scent is SO subjective — I have mixed feelings about. As the brand has only launched three perfumes so far, I think it’s too soon to tell.
All that said, It’s a good time to launch oils and lotions — body care is still booming. Glossy Pop was one of the first to predict this boom back at the end of 2022 — and it’s still going strong. I know Hadid has tapped some beauty veterans from big companies like L’oreal — this is a good move. Rare Beauty was also built by true industry veterans.
Like any celebrity launching a brand in 2024, I think Hadid will have a decent amount to prove to her potential customers — she might have over 60 million followers on Instagram, but how many of those will convert?
PBT: Speaking of Rare Beauty, what are some celebrity brands you think are doing well right now?
SSF: To be successful as a celebrity-founded brand, it’s imperative that the product be able to stand on its own, separate from the celebrity. Of course, most consumers know that Rare Beauty is Selena Gomez’s brand — but it’s not “Selena Gomez Beauty” for a reason. My favorite celebrity marketing in fragrance/body care of late, was the Rare Beauty Find Comfort campaign, which Pop exclusively reported on here. In addition to IRL pop-ups, Rare built out an online hub with partners like Open (meditation app), Beyond Yoga, The Now massage studio etc. to offer moments of self-care (or as they called it, comfort) to its community base, regardless of their geographical location. The brand’s ability to stay true to its mission of promoting mental wellbeing while also promoting a new product was a testament to why it is doing so well in a crowded market with a lot of celebrity brand fatigue. For its body mist, Rare Beauty tapped famed perfumer Jerome Epinette.
Like Rare, I’ve been impressed with Pleasing. Like Gomez, Harry Styles resonates on a deep, emotional level with his fan base. Even before the brand launched fragrance — a category it seemed to do well — it tapped fragrance house Robertet for its three debuts into the space — Pleasing pop-ups (IRL, again!) were gaining blocks-long lines. In March 2022, I interviewed young people waiting online around 9 in the morning hours before one such pop-up opened. They spoke about how Styles made them feel accepted and seen, regardless of gender-identity, etc. Even though intellectually, they understood Styles did not need their money — they literally wanted to support his brand. It takes a certain kind of celebrity to build that affinity. Pleasing is still DTC so it’s harder to say how the brand is doing, than say a Rare Beauty where we know it’s a top-performer at Sephora…but his fans’ undying loyalty would suggest it is doing well.
Finally, I’d point to Victoria Beckham — who also turned to Epinette — to launch her three luxe fragrances. Back in November, Beckham told me she’d worked on the three scents for eight years — aka, before her makeup even launched. She has suggested the brand will continue to grow in fragrance and it’s a category she is clearly passionate about.
Once a brand has a scent people love — take Missing Person by Phlur, which was an existing brand, relaunched and totally reimagined by Chriselle Lim in 2022 — there is so much room for them to create a franchise. Each of the products mentioned above can become a body oil, candle, lotion, perfume oil, roller ball — what have you. So, once again, the opportunities for growth are rife for brands.
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