It’s not the first time Khloé Kardashian has made a fragrance, but it is the first time that she has done it by herself (and for millions of others to enjoy). Her previous scents were collaborations (with her ex-husband or her sisters), but XO KHLOÉ marks her independence. “I feel like I’ve come into my own right now, and that really resonates with the bottle and the fragrance,” she told me over Zoom.
The bottle sparkles like a multi-faceted diamond, and even the notes sound glamorous. Among them, crystallized rose petals, orange blossom water, praline, and soft wood. Below, the reality TV star and burgeoning beauty entrepreneur talks about her favorite fragrance from high school, the scent she associates most with regret, and the importance of feeling and smelling sparkly.
I must admit, your very organized pantry with the cookie jars haunts my dreams.
Oh no, not haunts! I didn’t realize it would go so viral, but that was all the validation I needed. I am so proud of my pantry, but I love doing stuff like that. I love saying to someone, “For your birthday, can I please do your closet?” I’m not dating right now, but I used to do this for a guy when he was gone for the day. But honestly, I would pay someone to let me do that. I’m like one of those organizational home makeover shows.
Do you have a particular organizational method for your fragrances?
I love a Lazy Susan. There are some beautiful ones from CB2. I use those because they’re a muted color. I have them in my beauty closet cabinet, where there are some Lazy Susan turntables you can rotate through.
Do you sort by color?
It’s not always by color, but more by brand. All the Tom Ford will be together. Or for example, all the Gucci. But now, I feel like I should do it by color. Okay, let’s get some more turntables!
Would you alphabetize them?
That’s too much, especially with kids touching everything. With my pantry, I know I have to let go of control. They’re allowed to have snacks, but I’m right in there after they leave. I like to re-fluff everything.
This is your first scent on your own. How does it feel different from the others?
I have done perfumes with my sisters or my ex-husband before, but with those scents, it was always a collaboration. When I worked with Kim, it was her brand, so she would do the main scent. And Kourt and I would do versions that could be in the same family. This was from scratch, and on my own, and is very intimidating. It’s very vulnerable.
We were supposed to come out with this scent months ago, but I didn’t have the right juice. This is now my signature scent that I wear every day. I stand behind it. I love when I’m walking and people tell me that they love the way I smell. At first, I didn’t even tell my sisters I was doing a fragrance and then Kylie was like, “Oh my gosh, I love your smell. What are you wearing?” That’s when I knew I was on the right track.
I’ve noticed that some of your other family members also have scents based on white florals. Where do you think it comes from?
Both of my grandmothers and my mom. I think those are just scents that we grew up around a lot, so it’s nostalgic. But the beauty of scent is that it can transport you back in time. For example, I used to wear Thierry Mugler Angel in junior high. It’s not a scent I would wear currently, but when I smell it, I could tell you about the boy that I had a crush on, or [the memory of] when I was walking down a hallway.
What went into creating it?
Initially, I was asked to bring in the scents that I like. I brought in candles and lotions, and they weren’t meant to be things I would want as an actual perfume, but [rather] scents [that] I identify with. I loved orange blossom and rose, so we blended those together. The perfumer then added moss, which I don’t like on its own at all, but I love it with the contrast of the orange blossom and the peach. This is not a mature fragrance, but it is adult. When it gets too sweet, it can feel a little youthful—like, I wouldn’t want to wear it to a meeting. But this is sexy, musky, and woodsy.
How does this scent relate to how you feel about life right now?
The scent is how I feel in my life right now. I’m light, happy, and really confident. This is really corny, but I just feel like I exude love. I’m about positivity and happiness. I just want everyone to sparkle and be the best version of themselves. I really feel like that is this. It’s light, but still a fragrance. You know that you have it on, but it can layer.
Okay, time for a little scent association game. What scent would you associate with motherhood?
The first that comes to my mind, and I don’t think this is great, is that baby powder scent. It’s a classic.
What about happiness?
Christmas, fir and pine. It’s very woodsy. I only like that pine smell for Christmas, otherwise it’s not a scent I gravitate toward. But it’s the nostalgia. I feel snuggly, cozy, and everything is happy and good in the world—at least for me, because we are such Christmas people.
Hard work?
It’s the gym. For the gym, you get out of it what you put into it. I don’t always want to be at the gym. But I do feel often like, that shit was hard and I did that. I feel accomplished, I feel confident, I feel proud, but the whole hour was hard work.
Is there a scent you associate with photo shoots?
It’s always glamorous chaos. It’s all the scents because there is so much going on. I have long nails, so it’s the smell of acrylics, hair sprays, and spray tans. It is overstimulating, but it’s the most amazing, fun, creative chaos.
How about regret?
I think we all have something we wish we could do over. But we’re supposed to make mistakes, and that’s how we learn. But you definitely have moments of maybe anxiety or cringe. It’s that feeling of: why did I do that? Or, why did I have to say something like that? I don’t know if it’s a smell; it’s more of a feeling. I don’t know exactly what it is [for me], but there could be a something that you smell five years later that brings you back to it again.
Oh, that is a genius answer. Mine was too deep. I take it back. I take it all back.
Khloé Kardashian XO Khloé
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kathleen Hou is the Beauty Director of ELLE, responsible for overseeing beauty coverage across print and digital. Previously, she held the same title at New York Magazine’s The Cut. She’s appeared in publications such as The New York Times Magazine, Vogue India, Forbes, and Allure. She was also a co-founder of Donate Beauty, a grassroots beauty donation project started during the COVID-19 crisis, which donated over 500,000 products to over 30,000 healthcare workers across 500-plus hospitals.