Victoria Beckham has stepped in front of the camera to star as a model for her eponymous beauty brand for the very first time.
The racy new shoot for the star acted to unveil a new collection of fragrances inspired by romantic milestones with husband David Beckham.
The three perfumes included in the range offer a glimpse into some of the Victoria’s most personal memories with David, 48, with the bosses revealing to DailyMail.com: ‘Each scent ‘captures her own recollections of experiences and atmospheres…
‘The euphoric Portofino ’97 evokes Victoria’s first romantic getaway with her husband, the opulent Suite 302 conjures their whirlwind trips to Paris, and the revitalizing San Ysidro Drive embodies the family’s time in California’.
While this is Victoria’s first solo perfume venture, back in 2006, the Beckhams launched a scorching joint perfume campaign back featuring sizzling imagery for the His and Hers collection.
But it is not just the Beckhams who capitalise on the desire to smell like a star… from Sarah Jessica Parker to Elizabeth Taylor, we take a look at who has dipped their toes in the scent market…
Stunning: Victoria Beckham recently sizzled as she unveiled a new collection of fragrances inspired by romantic milestones with husband David Beckham
Victoria & David Beckham – Intimately Yours (2010)
Partnership: After creating Brand Beckham together in the early noughties, the power couple went on to release five hugely successful joint fragrances, such as Intimately Yours and Night
After creating Brand Beckham together in the early noughties, the couple, who married in 1999, went on to release five hugely successful joint fragrances – in 2010, it was reported they made a fortune of over £110million from the brand.
Intimately Yours was released by the Beckhams in 2010, designed to ‘capture the essence of David and Victoria Beckham’s passion and the power of their relationship.’
The fragrance release contained two perfumes separately designed for men and women, following the success of the similarly sold Intimately Night For Her and For Him.
Intimately Yours for Women is an Amber Floral fragrance, with top notes of pear, freesia and bergamot. The male version of the same name is also an Amber-based fragrance, with top notes of blood orange, amalfi lemon and green notes.
The power couple released an iconic smoldering advert for the fragrance, setting pulses racing as the pair kissed and grabbed each other in the lift, with both David and Victoria shedding their clothes as the advert progresses.
Elizabeth Taylor – White Diamonds (1991)
Iconic: Widely regarded as one of the bestselling fragrances of all time, the late actress Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds was released in 1991.
Classic: The chic, powdery notes in the perfume quickly become a classic go-to scent for women – conjuring over $1.5 billion dollars in sales as of 2019
Widely regarded as one of the bestselling fragrances of all time, the late Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds was released in 1991.
The chic, powdery notes in the perfume quickly become a classic go-to scent for women – conjuring over $1.5 billion dollars in sales as of 2019, according to Cools.
As the consummate celebrity fragrance, White Diamonds set the stage for the perfectly marketed juggernaut of desire by way of smell.
In the perfume’s advert, Taylor famously said: ‘Not so fast Von Ryan, these have always brought me luck,’ before casually tossing her diamond earrings to an eager man.
Following the release of the commercial, the iconic, four-bottles-sold-a-minute perfume was born.
Jennifer Lopez – Glow (2002)
Superstar: The enormous success of Glow, as well as its successors Glow After Dark and Miami Glow, can be attributed to various factors – such as Lopez’s surging global fame at the time
Glowing success: Within six months, singer Jennifer Lopez’s debut perfume, Glow, had broken several perfume sales records after hitting the shelves in 2002
Within six months, singer Jennifer Lopez’s debut perfume, Glow, had broken several perfume sales records after hitting the shelves in 2002.
By 2004, JLo clothing and fragrance products were earning the Jenny From The Block singer $325 million annually, around the time the celebrity fragrance boom had well and truly begun.
According to Paper magazine, the enormous success of Glow, as well as its successors Glow After Dark and Miami Glow, can be attributed to various factors – such as Lopez’s surging international fame at the time.
Advertised on billboards, bus stops and glossy magazine pages, an effortlessly ethereal image of the singer seductively posing naked in the shower marketed the product through various outlets in the early 2000s.
The fragrance is soft and feminine, with notes of rose, citrus and white florals – and it appealed directly to its intended market: 15-25 year-old girls.
In an interview with Inc magazine in 2003, the singer recalled having ‘a very clear concept and direction’ for the perfume notes, saying: ‘It was all about being fresh, sexy, and clean.’
Sarah Jessica Parker – Lovely (2005)
Lovely reviews: Noted by The Financial Times as a perfume considered by connoisseurs to be the best celebrity fragrance, Lovely was released by Sarah Jessica Parker in 2005
Huge profit: As reported by Forbes , her collection of perfumes have been a huge moneymaker for her in general – raking in a whopping $18million as of 2010
Noted by The Financial Times as a perfume considered by connoisseurs to be the best celebrity fragrance, Lovely was released by Sarah Jessica Parker in 2005.
According to Fragrantica, the product, following its successful marketing campaign, was honoured with the FiFi Award Best National Advertising Campaign / TV in 2006.
Created by Clement Gavarry and Laurent Le Guernec, with Sarah serving as creative director – the top notes of the scent are lavender, martini, bergamot, mandarin orange and palisander rosewood.
The advert for Lovely saw the Sex and The City star twirl and pose in a tulle pink strapless dress, as she suggestively caressed her arms and legs while smiling at the camera.
As reported by Forbes, her collection of perfumes have been a huge moneymaker for her in general – raking in a whopping $18million as of 2010.
Britney Spears – Curious (2004)
Taking over: Pop princess Britney Spears released her debut perfume venture Curious in 2004, which quickly became an international success
Successful debut: InStyle reported that Britney Spears’ first perfume, Curious, was the top-selling fragrance of 2004 – netting over $100 million in sales
Pop princess Britney Spears released her debut perfume venture Curious in 2004, which quickly became an international success.
Her first fragrance in partnership with Coty Inc – who have worked with several celebrities including David Beckham – the floral scent contains top notes of magnolia, pear and lotus.
The advert produced to market the product featured Spears and a male model crossing paths at as they enter adjacent hotel rooms.
The moment then turns into a steamy entanglement as they writhe naked on a hotel bed, before Britney releases she is fantasising behind the wall that separates the two.
In July 2020, Spears’ brother Bryan Spears spoke about the business of Britney on a podcast – revealing that her perfume sales with beauty giant Elizabeth Arden, including subsequent release Fantasy, had grossed $100 billion.
‘My thing was new business development that’s what I kind of focused on which was the branding and creating the Elizabeth Arden fragrance line with her,’ Bryan Spears said on the As NOT Seen on TV podcast on Youtube.
‘Just that alone has done over $100 billion in sales,’ he added.
InStyle reported that Britney Spears’ first perfume, Curious, was the top-selling fragrance of 2004 – netting over $100 million in sales.
Billie Eilish – Eilish (2021)
Sold out: Billie Eilish’s – named Eilish – immediately sold out online hours after it was released, with a follow up launch in March 2022 producing the same success
Billie Eilish – hardly an obvious candidate for a celebrity scent – launched her debut fragrance in the US in November 2021.
According to The Independent, the perfume – named Eilish – immediately sold out online hours after it was released, with a follow up launch in March 2022 producing the same success.
The $68 (£50.13) scent comes in a golden bust-shaped bottle and is vegan and cruelty-free, and has earned the star a cool $1.6 million dollars as of 2023, according to Glossy.
The perfume is described as having top notes of ‘delicate’ sugared petals, accented by vanilla and base notes of ‘sleek woods and alluring musk.’
Speaking to Vogue ahead of the perfume launch, Eilish said she had ‘always been in love with vanilla’ and that it was her favourite scent – which is perhaps why fans raced to get ahold of a scent their favourite artist prefers.
The Bad Guy singer shared a dreamy advert for her eponymous new fragrance on the day of its official launch, with Billie dancing seductively before spritzing herself a dose of the eau de parfum.
The sensual clip begins with Billie approaching a giant bottle of her perfume before playing around with her reflection in the bronze structure.
Sultry: The singer shared a dreamy advert for her fragrance on the day of its official launch, with Billie dancing seductively before spritzing herself a dose of the eau de parfum
How do celebrities cultivate such huge success from perfume launches?
According to Harper’s Bazaar, the potential for ‘psychological closeness’ is one of the reasons as to why celebrities create perfumes.
Although you can’t see a perfume, you sure can smell it – and so most people, who have never met their favourite celebrities and have no idea what they smell like, are offered the opportunity for a tantalising hint.
Launching their own fragrances can give fans an idea of what scents celebrities use and are into, giving the illusion that you can smell just as luxurious as them.
A celebrity fragrance is also an affordable entry point for many fans. Designer clothing, plastic surgery and jet-set lifestyles are mostly out of reach for the masses, yet perfumes are much more affordable.
And, for the cost of one bottle of fragrance, you could be whizzed into the fantasy world of the celebrities you admire or look up to.
Tania Sanchez, co-author of PERFUMES THE GUIDE with Luca Turin, describes the ancient practices of alchemy – where it was suggested you could transfer the essence of rare materials such as gold.
‘The one place the soul of alchemy is still alive is in perfumery – you take the soul out of a jasmine and you apply it to somebody and they smell like jasmine.
‘That’s, in a way, what’s happening with celebrity perfume: you essentially suck some of the essence of, say, Jennifer Lopez and apply it to yourself, and in so doing transform slightly and briefly into her and her world.’
It’s a form of parasocial interaction, where those who wear these scents can feel closer to the celebrity in a completely one-sided way.
Marketing success: Marilyn Monroe became the face of Chanel’s No.5 perfume in 1955, and famously said she ‘wears nothing’ but the fragrance to bed – which surged sales as people rushed to smell like the icon
