BROOKE DEVARD ON HER NEW FRAGRANCEš
THE EPITOME OF BIG ORANGE SUMMER
The color of the year has undoubtedly been green - from mint green to brat green and everything in between - but the color of the summer has been orange. If you look at the top launches and collaborations since the start of the summer, they have all - whether as a key ingredient or the main color in a campaign - featured orange. Letās take a trip down memory lane to quickly refresh ourselves.
This past March, Vacation launched their iconic Orange GelĆ©e product which took the consumer landscape by storm. Fast forward a couple of months to May, and Poppi introduced their āOrange Creamā flavor, arguably the biggest hit in the food and beverage space. As part of the campaign for this new release, they partnered with PopUp Bagels to create an āOrange Cream Cheeseā schmear. In a similar vein, Milk Bar joined forces with Tropicana on āOrange Squeeze,ā a nostalgic cream-meets-citrus soft serve flavor.
June brought us back to the world of beauty when Glossier launched their Summer Capsule Collection, which featured curated staples in bold, bright orange packaging. Today, weāll be staying in the realm of beauty, focusing on a recent launch that has everyone talking. And yes, it has everything to do with the color orange: Brooke DeVardās new āNaked Beauty Fragranceā:
For context, this perfume is an extension of Brooke's brand, Naked Beauty - a platform most known for her podcast, where she discusses all things beauty, from trends to launches, and spotlights many creative forces in the industry. The fragrance itself is inspired by Brooke's new chapter in Los Angeles and is designed to evoke a sensory experience, as described on her website, of "sitting among orange blossoms, sipping green tea, and taking the time to really exhale." Hereās a breakdown of the notes featured in the fragrance:
Top: Bergamot, Neroli
Middle: Orange Blossom, Green Tea, Cedarwood
Bottom: Sandalwood, Iso E Super, Amber, Musk
Unlike many brands in the beauty space, this fragrance is incredibly intentional - a quality that shines through in everything Brooke does, whether it's her social media content, podcast episodes, or one of our favorites, the #NakedBeautyGlobal series, which sheds light on beauty practices from different cultures around the world.
Today, we had the honor of asking Brooke all about the new fragrance - from her decision to launch her own product to the design process, including the bottle branding, creative direction, and everything in between. If youāve ever wondered what it takes to create a custom fragrance, Brooke walked us through the entire product development process in detail. Without further ado, hereās everything Brooke shared:
PEOPLE BRANDS AND THINGS: With so many beauty product categories to explore, what inspired you to launch a fragrance, and why did you feel now was the right time?
Brooke DeVard: Iāve developed my passion for fragrance over the last 10 years ā what started out as casually mixing different essential oils to create personal fragrances ultimately developed into a full on obsession. I love smelling other people and seeing how their choice in fragrance communicates something about their personality.
As a podcaster whoās been interviewing people about their personal relationship with beauty for 8 years now, Iām naturally drawn to storytelling and I feel fragrance is such a rich area for communicating who we are. Skincare and cosmetics can help us feel great but thereās something about fragrance thatās truly transcendent ā scents can evoke emotion and create connection like nothing else can.Ā
PBT: Could you walk us through the product development process? What were the key stages, and what did you learn along the way?
BD: Before I began thinking about a single note, I started by thinking about how I wanted people to feel when they wore Naked Beauty: effortlessly chic, empowered and at ease.Ā
Then I considered what I felt was missing in the fragrance space and where I always struggled as a consumer. So often the fragrances that were marketed to me were overly sweet or too floral or too occasion-specific; the market is flooded with ādate nightā and special occasion perfumes and I really wanted something that could be worn every day. A skin scent that would boost your mood and your confidence ā something you rush to spray on after your morning shower because it makes you feel like the best version of yourself.Ā
Working with the talented noses and perfumers at Modern Magic taught me so much about balance. The most beautiful note in the world can be ruined if itās not balanced properly. Similarly, something that feels quite ordinary like cedarwood can be elevated to the sublime when paired with a delicate neroli. I learned about how the top notes create the first impression of the fragrance but elements like musk in the drydownĀ would help round out the fragrance and provide longevity.Ā For each round, we would have 3-4 versions of the same scent with the slightest difference. For example, we tested adding more or less sandalwood and it was amazing how different the same fragrance profile could be with a higher quantity of just one note. Everything has to exist in such a delicate balance to maintain the integrity of the fragrance.
PBT: We love that this scent is inspired by your "new life chapter in Los Angeles." Could you elaborate on this inspiration and how it influenced the specific notes in your fragrance?
BD: This fragrance is so rooted in this new life chapter that an early name I was playing around with for the scent was āLife in LAā. Moving to LA in 2023 as a lifelong New Yorker brought an entire lifestyle shift. Suddenly I found myself taking long hikes in the afternoon, enjoying matcha tea in my orchard as I worked outside, simply taking deeper breaths and breathing more intentionally!Ā
In the springtime, the orange trees in our backyard flower and the scent of the orange blossoms is so heavenly ā I knew I wanted that to be a core element of the fragrance. Bergamot and Neroli are beautiful compliments to orange blossoms and together they create the top notes of the fragrance for an instant spark of happiness. I wanted the fragrance to feel grounded, so adding woody notes like Cedarwood and Sandalwood rounded out those citrus elements perfectly. The amber and musk in the drydown add a warm creaminess to the scent that gives me so much comfort.Ā The green tea was the last note we added in our final round of testing and it really brought the fragrance to such a special and unique place. The final factor that sets the Naked Beauty fragrance apart is the inclusion of Iso E Super ā a note that renders the fragrance different on every single person who wears it because it interacts with everyoneās body chemistry slightly differently.Ā
One of my favorite things to do is spray Naked Beauty on people and see how it smells on them after 30 minutes or so ā itās always slightly different but consistently amazing. Even the way it smells on my husband, who loves wearing this when we go out for dinner, is different from the way it smells on me. Ultimately it felt right that a scent called Naked Beauty would adapt and be personal to the person wearing it. Iāve truly never smelled a fragrance like this one.Ā
PBT: Weād love to learn more about the branding behind the new fragrance. Could you share the creative inspiration and the thought process behind specific design choices, like the color palette and logo?
BD: At the top of the year, I took on the task of designing a brand universe for Naked Beauty. I knew Iād be expanding my podcast into product and experiences so I partnered with strategic design firm Utendahl Creative to bring the vision to life. We focused on creating a brand that felt glamorous and nostalgic but not stuffy and elitist ā it was important that Naked Beauty felt accessible. I learned so much about how to communicate that desired feeling of connectedness via font and color choices. The key color for Naked Beauty is a rich, powerful cherry red and as I thought about the notes of Neroli and Orange blossom, an orange bottle just felt so right.Ā
There are so many ways you can approach designing a fragrance bottle. I liked the idea of being able to see some of the juice at the bottom of the bottle ā an element of nakedness that also had a functional benefit of being able to see when you were running low and needed to stock back up! The orange cap matches the glossy orange of the bottle for a seamless effect which gradually fades as you travel down the bottle. Before we landed on orange, my designer and I were experimenting with a matte silver that felt timeless and chic but wasnāt as connected to the citrus notes in the perfume.
When deciding on the final bottle, I placed both the glossy orange and the matte silver bottles on the vanity where all of my fragrances live, and the glossy orange just spoke to my soul. I got my audience involved as well, asking them to vote on their bottle preference with a poll on Instagram ā the response to the orange bottle was overwhelmingly positive. A great reminder that color evokes emotion and the orange specifically brings out the joy I wanted the fragrance to communicate.Ā
The incredible Steven Simione shot the campaign images on location in a canyon by my house. I discovered this spot shortly after moving to LA and itās been a total haven for me. Having access to nature like this is something I donāt take for granted, and was a major inspiration in crafting the scent. I couldnāt be happier with how the images came out; I feel like they perfectly capture the ease, release, and lack of stress encapsulated in Naked Beauty.
PBT: Could you talk about the role your Naked Beauty community played in the creation of this fragrance? How do you envision this product helping to further build and connect your community?
BD: Iāve built my audience through podcasting, which is also a sensory experience. I love thinking about how many of us put our headphones in each Monday to hear the stories I bring to Naked Beauty, and now creating something that people can hold in their hands and put on their bodies is another powerful sensory dimension to add to someoneās life. It feels significant to help people build memories with this scent and while it's so connected to this new life chapter of living more slowly and mindfully in LA for me, it will have entirely different and new associations for the Naked Beauty community members who wear it, and that brings me such joy.
PBT: Do you have any further plans for this launch, such as events, activations, or partnerships?
BD: Iām launching the fragrance with an intimate dinner party for some of the people who have helped me build my new community in Los Angeles ā a place where I was told people ālacked depth,ā which couldnāt be further from my experience! You can purchase the fragrance here starting August 16th. That same day, Iāll be at the Thirteen Lune shop on Larchmont to meet everyone who wants to come by and experience the scent in person. As a Black woman entering the fragrance space, I couldnāt be happier to partner with Thirteen Lune, a retailer that champions BIPOC founders, at their shop on historic Larchmont street. Iām excited to meet more of the Naked Beauty community in LA and smell the fragrance on everyone who comes by to see how it transforms on their skin!
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A huge thank you to Brooke for taking the time to chat with us. The Naked Beauty Fragrance is now available for purchase on Modern Magic Fragranceās website. While you're at it, be sure to follow Naked Beauty on Instagram and subscribe to the podcast. We listen to new episodes religiously - itās one of our favorite podcasts right now. 100/10!
Want to submit a pitch? Email (or DM) us: peoplebrandsandthings@gmail.com