Gap Looks to Nostalgia to Sell a Modern Perfume

Scent and memory have always been inextricably linked, but that’s only one of the reasons why Gap is relying on nostalgia for its forthcoming fragrance launch. It’s also become a core marketing strategy for the American mall mainstay.

For recent blockbuster marketing campaigns featuring the likes of model and entrepreneur Hailey Bieber, singer Tyla and girl band Katseye, it tapped the power of reminiscence, harking back to its heyday, reviving classic Y2K styles with viral ads. Now, with the revival of four scents originally sold in the 1990s, it’s using the same playbook.

“We’re taking our best guess at knowing where the strength of our heritage is, and then also knowing how to reimagine [it],” said Mark Breitbard, president and chief executive of Gap global brand.

In addition to the four reimagined versions of classics Dream, Grass, Heaven and Om, is an entirely new scent, Harmony, with notes of apricot and amber. All the scents are $52 for 50mL, and will be available from July 30 in the US on its website, TikTok Shop and in Gap stores. The launch campaign features American actress Victoria Pedretti, star of shows like “You” and “The Haunting of Hill House” among other models. Titled “Wear What You Feel”, the campaign will encourage customers to layer the scents for a personalised finish; in-store displays will feature product testers as well as QR codes that unlock curated playlists for each fragrance.

Demand for these retro scents, originally launched in 1994 and gradually removed from core retail since 2010, has been building, according to Deb Redmond, head of beauty at Gap Inc. However, tweaks were needed to modernise the offering: the fragrances were made longer-lasting and more contemporary ingredients have been used.

“We didn’t want to just dust something off from the archive and put it back on the shelves,” said Redmond. “We had to make sure it was the right time and space.” The new range’s scents were created by DSM-Firmenich and are bottled and packaged by Arcade Beauty. (Various licensing partners, including Give Back Beauty, made fragrances under the Gap brand between 2010 and 2025.)

Launching perfume without a presence in specialty retail is unconventional, but Gap has built-in reach with more than 500 stores throughout the US. But their offering arrives at a time of shifts in the sector: Other mall brands like Bath & Body Works and Urban Outfitters are also expanding their fragrance and beauty businesses. Gap’s scents will be competitive with other accessibly priced brands like those from Sol de Janeiro and Phlur.

Breitbard said the brand wants to capitalise on the momentum it has built in fashion.

“We’re looking at this as a foundational launch,” said Breitbard, adding that the stakes are high. “We’re generally always excited and a little bit nervous when we’re doing something big.”

(Re-)Building a Beauty Business

The scents have a pedigree: crafted by acclaimed perfumers Honorine Blanc and Nicole Mancini in partnership with DSM-Firmenich, they have been tweaked for the modern customer. The original iterations were eau de toilette, a less-concentrated perfume, while the new versions are eau de parfum, a stronger, more contemporary style. The long, rounded bottles of the original line-up have been replaced with shorter, stouter rectangular bottles with matte black lids.

The launch is part of a corporation-wide push into beauty. In September 2025, The Business of Beauty reported that the group had tapped beauty veteran John Demsey to lead its cosmetics foray. Gap also dipped its toes into the beauty world again in Dec. 2025 with a collaboration with skincare maker Summer Fridays featuring limited-edition loungewear and beauty gifts with purchase.

A return of some of its best-loved scents will likely make a splash. But securing repeat customers and establishing the scents in the modern climate will be more complex.

“It’s very, very competitive,” said Fabiola Torres, global chief marketing officer at Gap. While social media didn’t exist when the scents originally rolled out, this time around, the brand will need its fragrances to break through on TikTok and Instagram, which have their own dialects, trends and top creators. Torres said it will be seeding the products to both fashion and beauty creators, and that it has created more playful, irreverent content for TikTok.

Nostalgia has worked so far, and despite being essentially off-market for decades, older shoppers haven’t forgotten about the assortment. But fragrance’s growth has also cooled as shoppers have loaded up on eccentric niche indies or gourmand-heavy body mists. And for Gap, sales are just one resonance indicator they’re looking at.

“Culture dialogue is a success marker here,” said Breitbard. “Are we in the conversation? Who are the people talking about us?”

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