We’re living in an age of fragrance wardrobes and niche perfumes; everybody wants options, and nobody wants to smell the same. If you’ve been twiddling your thumbs and waiting for your next novel scent discovery, fear not! The recently launched Balmain Beauty may be the answer to your prayers. The first collection, developed with Estée Lauder and dubbed Les Éternels de Balmain, consists of eight unique genderless perfumes at $300 a pop; for example, Bronze is inspired by Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing’s recovery from a fire and features notes of patchouli and burning cedarwood. “If you secretly like the smell of burnt things, you’ll like this,” says ELLE beauty director Kathleen Hou.
All of the fragrances fall into four categories: musk, amber, floral, and woody. Rousteing pulled four of the scents (Vent Vert, Ivoire, Ébène, and Carbone) from the Parisian house’s archives and gave them new life, and the four newcomers (Sel d’Ambre, Rouge, Bronze, and Bleu Infini) reflect the creative director’s philosophy on beauty and individuality.
“Beauty is about being yourself and having the confidence to embrace who you are,” Rousteing said in a press release. “Fashion cannot exist without beauty, and beauty cannot exist without fashion….I want to represent all the beauties of the world and welcome everyone without exceptions.”
Balmain’s perfume bottle from 1946.
Even the geometric, sculpture-like vessels that house the fragrances draw from Balmain’s legacy; they resemble the brand’s first perfume bottle from 1946, albeit with an updated shape, new texture, and a color scheme of jewel tones and metallic hues.
From what we hear, this collection is only the beginning for Balmain Beauty—perhaps a line of luxuriously scented body care or (as this writer hopes) a family of lipsticks is in the works. For now, you can check out Les Éternels de Balmain on balmainbeauty.com.
Carol Lee is the Associate Beauty E-Commerce Writer at ELLE.com, where she covers all things beauty and personal care. Before joining the team, she was an editor at Food Network Magazine and HGTV Magazine and ran the beauty section at The Pioneer Woman. Carol received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from New York University and was one of the first customers to visit Glossier’s flagship store in New York’s Soho neighborhood. Over the years, she’s tested countless makeup, hair, and skin care products, and written hundreds of articles covering the beauty space, from pieces about the trendiest launches to roundups of the best products on the market. As a Korean-American, she grew up in a sea of Korean makeup and skin care products and is a bona fide expert on the ever-expanding world of K-beauty, helping lead our coverage. Additionally, she’s also always on the hunt for the perfect lipstick and watches the same few comfort sitcoms (Frasier, Cheers, Seinfeld, New Girl, etc.) over and over again.