Star-studded scents are making a comeback & beauty editor Tara Ledden wants you to know there’s more to them than just the name on the bottle
I still remember the first perfume I ever bought. It was Britney Spears Curious and when it launched two decades ago, the retro, bulb-shaped atomiser made this tween feel like an adult. The jewel-shaped, turquoise perfume was Britney’s first foray into the fragrance world and was a major upgrade from the near-noxious body sprays that had polluted the air of mine and my sister’s bedrooms, eliciting dramatic coughs and wheezes from our younger brother before school.
If it hadn’t disappeared from shelves, would I still wear it today? Depends – it sparked a lifelong love affair with tuberose, vanilla and musk, but the loud, saccharine notes of magnolia and pear were everything people claimed to be wrong with celebrity scents. When I canvassed my fellow beauty journalists for their opinions, plenty of them said as much, calling the vanilla and oud ‘sickly sweet’ and ‘overpowering’, and that ‘every single one smelled the same’. Yet, for all the naysayers, there were just as many fans in my DMs: ‘I don’t care if they’re aimed at teens, I love them’, ‘the best perfume I’ve ever tried is a celebrity scent’, ‘every time I wear one, I get compliments’.
And these days, the numbers speak for themselves. ‘Ariana Grande and Kylie Jenner have dominated the celebrity fragrance category in 2024 with hugely successful new launches,’ explains Chelsey Saunders, director of Fragrance, Skincare and Haircare at Boots. ‘LOVENOTES by Ariana Grande Vanilla Suede, launched exclusively at Boots with one fragrance selling every two minutes on launch day*. We also saw incredible success with Cosmic Kylie Jenner Eau de Parfum, which was the fastest-selling new fragrance launch at Boots in 2024**.’
Don’t call it a comeback
‘Celebrity fragrances from the 90s and 00s emphasised accessibility and affordability, featuring scent profiles designed for mass appeal,’ explains perfume influencer, Sopreye Thompson. ‘In contrast, today’s celebrity fragrances often feature more complex and unique ingredient profiles.’
This is important in a world where we all want to smell unique, but it’s not the only reason celeb scents are having a renaissance. ‘Influencer culture has breathed new life into the category. Celebrity fragrances are experiencing a resurgence, particularly those fronted by stars with a social media following and strong personal brands,’ explains Chelsey. Nostalgia also plays a major role, especially when it comes to the enduring popularity of scents that launched decades ago. ‘With the revival of all things Y2K in recent years, the superstars of the 00s are just as iconic as ever,’ adds Chelsey. And, according to Sopreye, many people who once wore these fragrances as their signature scent continue to do so because of the sentimental value they hold.
Perfume influencer Hayley Clough agrees: ‘I can spray Britney Spears Fantasy and suddenly I am back in the 00s. I love how nostalgic certain fragrances are and I feel that is why so many people stay loyal to their trusted favourites.’
Unlike the marmite world of celebrity skincare and make-up, celebrity fragrances aren’t promising to change your image, and you can often tell whether you’re going to like the product before purchasing, which makes them a far safer investment for consumers. And then there’s the kudos of owning your icon’s scent. As an Era’s tour-attending Swiftie, I’d love to get my hands on a long-discontinued bottle of Taylor’s Wonderstruck perfume, despite having no idea what it smells like – and I’d wager good money that if she launched a new fragrance today, it would sell out immediately.
The quality myth
‘Typically, celebrity fragrances are still more affordable than traditional designer fragrances,’ observes Hayley and while it’s often believed the price of a perfume reflects its quality, that’s not always the case. ‘All well-known brands are held to the same industry quality and safety guidelines, regardless of the cost of the fragrance,’ adds Hayley.
However, according to Christina Kamester, head of fragrance for So…?, some of the more affordable brands may use more commonly available raw materials and synthetics and at lower percentages. ‘We follow the same standards as the expensive brands and use the same materials – we may just use them at a lower concentration or avoid the exorbitant marketing spend of a prestige brand,’ says Christina.
Given celebrities already have a captive audience of fans ready to support their next venture, the marketing cost is cut considerably. ‘By marketing their fragrances themselves, they come across as more relatable,’ says Sopreye.
If you’re still not convinced, what if I told you many high-end perfumes are made by the same people behind the celebrity lines? Renowned nose Jérôme Epinette works closely with niche fragrance house Floral Street, but has also created many of Ariana Grande’s perfumes. Perfumer James Krivda is responsible for Britney’s Fantasy perfume, as well as working with Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger, while Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud has a portfolio spanning Calvin Klein, Dior, Armani, Jean Paul Gaultier and Fenty. Astonishingly, there are only 600 perfumers in the world (fun fact: there are reportedly more astronauts than there are perfumers), so working across the board is the rule, rather than the exception.
So, the next time someone asks what you’re wearing, say with pride that it’s a celeb scent and that you love it.
