Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your weekly roundup of the launches, campaigns and expansions driving the industry forward.
In this edition: Aora, Clarins, Cosmetics 27, Jil Sander, Saltair, The Nue Co, RMS Body Care and Ultra Violette.
But first…
Around the age of 23, and during her second marriage to Michael Wilding, Elizabeth Taylor ran into Humphrey Bogart at a party.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He said ‘Why are you following Michael around like a puppy dog? You’re a beautiful woman,” said Tim Mendelson, co-trustee of Taylor’s estate and longtime assistant until her passing in 2011. “She’d fought for her role in ‘Giant’. It was around the point in her life where she’s like ‘I’m going to be my own person.’”
This transformation, from child star into burgeoning icon, inspired a new scent. Almost 40 years ago, Taylor launched into fragrance with her first scent Passion, followed by the wildly successful White Diamonds in 1991. Now, on the latter’s 35th anniversary, Revlon and the Taylor estate are introducing the brand-new White Diamonds Icon, The Business of Beauty can exclusively reveal.
Celebrity fragrances are commonplace these days — just this week, Megan Thee Stallion launched the scent “Hot Girl Summer” with licensing partner Coty — but were practically nonexistent when Taylor launched Passion in 1987. Just seven years earlier, Coty launched its first famous-faced fragrance with Italian actress Sophia Loren. While hugely popular at the time, it has not endured like Taylor’s, which remains the world’s best-selling celebrity fragrance.
“From everything I know of that time, [Taylor] essentially launched ‘True Celebrity’ fragrance,” said Amber Garrison, president of Elizabeth Arden and fragrances at Revlon.
Taylor, who initially launched her fragrances with Revlon stablemate Elizabeth Arden, sought a means to make money that wasn’t as time-consuming as filming and allowed her to focus on her AIDS advocacy, said Mendelson. (A percentage of all of Taylor’s fragrance sales continues to be donated to The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.) Passion’s initial success inspired a follow up, White Diamonds, with a much bigger investment. “The commercial for White Diamonds was like a film in comparison to Passion,” said Mendelson.
The scent, nosed by International Flavors & Fragrances perfumer Carlos Benaïm and inspired by the actress’ love of the narcissus flower, was an unprecedented success, surpassing $1.5 billion in sales by 2018 (Revlon declined to provide newer figures). In 2026, a bottle of White Diamonds is sold every minute, said Garrison.
To create the scent profile for Icon, original perfumer Benaïm returned alongside fellow IFF nose Natasha Côté-Mouzannar, introducing the jonquil flower along with pink pepper, Cristalfizz (a trademarked ingredient) and wild strawberries.
Working closely with Taylor’s trust, Revlon decided to draw upon a fresh era of Taylor’s life, centring the campaign and story on an image of a young Taylor on the set of the movie “Giant”, shot by Frank Worth.
ADVERTISEMENT
Mendelson said he hopes the launch and story will relate to younger women, who more recently have been introduced to Taylor by famous fans like Taylor Swift, who dedicated as song and video to the star. “In her Jimmy Fallon interview, she even said, ‘Everyone should be obsessed with Elizabeth Taylor,’” Mendelson added.
The scent will be launched exclusively on Amazon, the fastest-growing retailer for Elizabeth Taylor fragrances, with Revlon adapting to the channels necessary to ensure the franchise endures.
Beyond how lucrative it is, the fragrance’s longevity is a matter of personal importance for Taylor’s estate, with a portion of proceeds still going to Taylor’s AIDS foundation.
“She said, ‘I hope that people carry on with the things that I started, and that my family and friends are happy and healthy,’” said Mendelson. “That was a very clear message for her AIDS foundation and for her fragrance; she wanted those to go on.”
What else is new?
Makeup
Who: Aora
What: Sephora.com debut
When: July 9
Why: Aora is having a big year: just months after landing at Credo Beauty and serving as the official makeup partner for Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime Show, the Mexican brand is making its Sephora debut online. It will be the first 100 percent plastic-free brand to be sold at the retailer, as Gen Z’s interest in clean beauty is steadily beginning to climb.
ADVERTISEMENT
Skincare
Who: Ultra Violette
What: First global campaign
When: July 7
Why: Suncare brand Ultra Violette is shining worldwide. The brand’s first global campaign features US-based creators Christina Kirkman and Xandra and focuses on the brand’s Hamptons activations, where visitors will receive samples of the Australian label’s SPF. A brand trip will take place later this summer.
***
Who: Clarins
What: Double Serum Eye ($86)
When: July 7
Why: As longevity becomes the North Star for beauty and wellness alike, Clarins is localising the concept for the undereye. Its newest launch is inspired by the label’s bestselling iconic youth serum and aims to combat puffiness and fine lines.
***
Who: Cosmetics 27
What: Credo launch ($60-150)
When: July 9
Why: Credo is amping up its assortment, becoming the exclusive US retailer for rapidly growing French clinical skincare label Cosmetics 27. The retailer will carry eight products in total, including the brand’s hero anti-aging Baume 27 Advanced. Canadian bodycare brand Saltyface and SPF brand Freaks of Nature are also launching into the clean beauty retailer this month.
Fragrance
Who: Jil Sander
What: Olfactory Series 1 ($254 for 100ml)
When: July 1
Why: Coty has introduced six new unisex Jil Sander fragrances, doubling its collection that launched last year. Olfactory Series 1 leans heavily on neo-gourmand fragrances, like Sesame, Salt and Shiso, packaged in the label’s signature minimalist style.
***
Who: The Nue Co
What: Good Spirits ($150 for 50ml, $38 for 10ml)
When: July 9
Why: Functional fragrance has become wellness label The Nue Co’s focus, accounting for 65 percent of the brand’s sales, and allowing it to make a splash on the shelves of Ulta Beauty since spring. The brand is building on its success with a new scent, Good Spirits, designed to evoke joy with every spritz.
Body care
Who: RMS Body Care
What: Kakadu Body Oil ($67), Kakadu Body Butter ($63)
When: June 6
Why: For legs-out season, the beauty label founded by makeup artist Rose Marie Swift has launched into body care with a lightweight oil and whipped butter to hydrate the skin. Both feature Kakadu plum seed oil, purported to be rich in stable vitamin C.
***
Who: Saltair
What: Vitamin C Oil-Infused Body Scrubs ($20)
When: July 7
Why: And there’s plenty more Vitamin C on the menu: Saltair’s newest body scrub combines the ingredient with shea butter for a nourishing scrub, available in the scents Santal Bloom, Salt Water Vanilla, and Coral Coast.
Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day’s most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.
