Celebrity fragrances ain’t what they used to be. The category has been in steady decline for several years. According to Women’s Marketing, sales of celebrity scents in the US crashed from $150 million in 2011 to just over $50 million in 2014. In the UK, according to Cosmetics Business, sales of celebrity fragrances plummeted 22% from £56.5m in 2015 to £44.2m in 2016. Despite the grim figures, the business model for this sector is quick-in, quick-out. So new scents are still being launched.
Would you wear celebrity fragrances? Such a simple questions can provoke a flurry of reactions ranging from the downright “Never, too common!” and “Yeuch, too tacky!”, to the more measured, “Yes, great value for money” and, “Of course, they are sometimes created by top perfumers”.
Speaking for myself, I know that my decision to wear a particular celeb’s fragrance was sometimes partly based on my pre-existing ideas about that star. Do I like him/her based on interviews I had seen/read and their contributions to popular culture? So Kim Kardashian would have got a big fat “No!” from me.
THE VOICE OF REASON: But do I like you, Adam?
So I decided to put my prejudices and preferences to the test by wearing several celebrity fragrances created for a variety of stars. The results were, to say the least, revealing.
Where known, the name of the perfumer is listed in brackets after the name of the fragrance. Interestingly, quite of a few of these celebrity fragrances don’t have a listed perfumer. Perhaps to create the illusion that the celeb concerned created it?
“Do I like him/her based on interviews I had seen/read and their contributions to popular culture?”
Adam Levine For Him EDT (Yann Vasnier)
What I was expecting from the rock musician: A middle-of-the-road scent featuring an inoffensive rock ‘n roll sensibility, with hints of darn-I’m-so-sexy smugness.
What I got: A huge (and surprising blast) of guava from start to finish that completely dominates all of the other listed notes. This is classic love-it-or-hate-it-stuff that stays put for hours. Depending on your reaction, this is a very good or very bad thing.
R495 for 30ml and R695 for 50ml.
Britney Spears VIP Private Show
What I was expecting from the seen-it-all pop star: Kinda sweet, kinda trashy (in a good way), kinda fun, kinda young.
What I got: With all that initial sweetness, the equivalent of an olfactory filling, courtesy of blood orange, mango nectar and red apple notes. However, the pleasant dry-down of raspberry wood, golden amber and velvet musk brought me to my senses. I have to admit I even found myself thinking, “What’s that nice smell”, after the initial onslaught had thankfully subsided.
R585.00 for 50ml.
Gold Jay Z (Illias Ermenidis)
What I was expecting from the hip-hop mogul: Bling-meets-street cred, loud and proud.
What I got: An unexpectedly sophisticated, albeit sweet, scent that features a very agreeable pink pepper note front and centre. Other discernible notes in the eclectic mix include: blueberry, violet leaf, vanilla, cardamom, lavender and grapefruit. It’s good to be wrong (sometimes).
R620 for 90ml.
Pitbull Man EDT
What I was expecting from the Latino hit machine (or, more accurately, what I was hoping for): A hot number infused with the passions and rhythms of Cuban Miami.
What I got: A fairly standard woody-aromatic vibe, with notes of woods, cardamom, sage, violet and tonka, lending a familiar-ish (and strangely bitter) vibe. Sorry, Armando Christian Perez, a lost opportunity. Congrats, though, on the solid and slick bottle design.
R620 for 100ml.
Nude by Rihanna EDP
What I was expecting from the R&B superstar: Something provocative, sexy, perhaps even raunchy.
What I got: Featuring notes of guava, pear, gardenia, sambac jasmine and orange blossom, it’s a pretty fruity-floral that’s very much in tune with current trends. If Fenty wanted to show her softer, sweeter side, this is a case of mission accomplished. It’s a quick fader, though, which is not something I would associate with the Bajan.
R620 for 100ml.
Antonio Banderas Power of Seduction EDT
What I was expecting from the seductor Spaniard actor: I’d – shameless self-promotion alert – interviewed the man before (read here) and was familiar with several of his fragrances. So I had a head-start compared to the other celeb fragrances I’ve covered in this post. I won’t go into that here.
What I got: He’s been in the biz of seduction for 20 years and is one of Puig’s big money-spinners. So Banderas knows what will have commercial and relatively enduring appeal. Power of Seduction, his latest fragrance, opens with a fresh ’n fruity blast of bergamot and apple notes. It then morphs into an aromatic focus, with notes of lavender and sage. There’s also a big patchouli note lurking in here. While this typically masculine fragrance won’t be winning any awards for originality, it’s undeniably good quality at the price.
R505 for 50ml and R630 for 100ml.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA GLAM X EDP
What I was expecting from the American singer: Considering the name of this fragrance, it would have to be lashings of grown-up glamour.
What I got: The caramelised peach note opening doesn’t make for a very glam start. But things pick up when the floral aspect – freesia, lily of the valley, heliotrope and jasmine – slinks in. The base is all warm and cosy with notes of musk, amber and sandalwood. This is a nice-enough fragrance, but doesn’t push the glam-o-meter sufficiently to warrant its name.
236ml fine fragrance mist for R199, 30ml for R299 and 60ml for R429.
I haven’t tried any of these, but I really like Adam Levine for Women, also by Yann Vasnier. Fragrantica lists notes: top: saffron, citruses, marigold and spices; middle notes are indian jasmine, australian sandalwood and rose petals; base notes are benzoin and vanila. Very good value for money!
I think, the only modern celebrity fragrance that I like and wear is Stash. Other than that, I usually don’t even try whatever is released by the “stars” that mean absolutely nothing to me. On the other hand, I wouldn’t mind to get a bottle of vintage Deneuve perfume.
I’ve heard so many good things about Stash, but haven’t had the opportunity to smell it. Yes, I would love to try the Deneuve one.