I still have my original bottle of Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift. It was a gift from my parents to celebrate my eighth grade graduation. I remember spritzing the glittery purple bottle for the first time, smelling the notes of blackberry and hibiscus and peach and sandalwood.
I knew even as a young teenager that Taylor did not craft this fragrance herself; she probably had several meetings with her team to describe what she envisioned and what she wanted out of this scent. I imagine her telling these perfumers what her favorite notes were and what she thought of when she heard the term “wonderstruck.” But even that feels so personal. This is what my favorite artist believes is the essence of her album and this era of her career.
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I still have my original bottle of Wonderstruck by Taylor Swift. It was a gift from my parents to celebrate my eighth grade graduation. I remember spritzing the glittery purple bottle for the first time, smelling the notes of blackberry and hibiscus and peach and sandalwood.
I knew even as a young teenager that Taylor did not craft this fragrance herself; she probably had several meetings with her team to describe what she envisioned and what she wanted out of this scent. I imagine her telling these perfumers what her favorite notes were and what she thought of when she heard the term “wonderstruck.” But even that feels so personal. This is what my favorite artist believes is the essence of her album and this era of her career.
Celebrity fragrances are not new in our industry, but they have seen a resurgence in recent years. Just last year, Ariana Grande’s lineup of perfumes received 941,000 searches in the past month, with a month-over-month growth of 65%, according to online beauty platform Fresha. Other top-searched lines include Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Kylie Jenner and Paris Hilton. These launches not only give artists an additional revenue stream, but they also give consumers a small glimpse into their favorite artists’ favorite scents.
There are so many small details and decisions that go into a celebrity fragrance campaign. From finding the right beauty marketer to the formulation to the packaging, each decision reflects the collaboration between artists. And as celebrity perfumes begin a kind of second renaissance, I took a deep dive on what goes into these decisions and how the success of a celebrity fragrance is measured.
Ariana Grande's fragrance portfolio was the most searched celebrity line in 2025, according to Fresha, and is considered one of the most successful celebrity fragrance campaigns.Courtesy of Luxe Brands
The Brief
When I asked my experts about the process of creating and executing a celebrity fragrance, I wanted them to walk me through the process from beginning to end. This, of course, starts with the brief. Stakeholders come together and determine what the fragrance story will be, what the marketing will look like and other considerations for the campaign.
“We strive to understand what is the relationship between the celebrity, whom we prefer to call an ‘artist,’ and their olfactory sensibility,” said Steve Mormoris, chief executive officer of Scent Beauty. “This is related to memory, childhood, important milestones and joyful/traumatic experiences in their life. This is critical as it comes from a place of authenticity of the artist him/herself, and not a construct to fit into the marketplace based on some abstract concept which will generate sales.”
Scent Beauty is the mastermind behind several well-known celebrity brands, including Kylie Minogue, Dolly Parton and, most recently, Sabrina Carpenter. The company works with renowned perfumers at dsm-firmenich, one of the leading fine fragrance developers in the world. Mormoris told me that the key is to truly get to know the artist on a deeper level and create a scent they will actually want to wear.
“This provides the initial foundation of the brief to the perfumer, and then after many submissions of olfactory variations, once the artist has lived with the scent, the journey begins to hone in on the perfect scent that reflects the artist, the concept and is commercially and artistically salient.”
It also helps to have an artist who is truly passionate about fragrance. If they come to the table with some ideas, that will help match them with the proper marketers and perfumers.
Kylie Jenner's COSMIC fragrance line is known for its unique bottle shape. Courtesy of Kylie Cosmetics
When negotiating terms, Spilka said it is important to make sure the artist is paired with the right beauty marketer. These marketers need to have the bandwidth, creative talent, digital talent and social media presence to be able to market the fragrance to both consumers and retailers. In this stage, he said, communication is key.
“The more they know, the more they know what to expect,” Spilka explained. “I talk to them about what is customary in the business and what’s customary in a license agreement, what are the points of extreme importance as it relates to both financial as well as time commitment.”
The Build
Once the agreements have been signed and the terms are negotiated, the creative work begins. A perfumer is assigned to the project and begins the formulation process. Clement Gavarry, principal perfumer at dsm-firmenich, said that this is about really getting to know the artist and understanding their vision.
“It really comes down to communication and collaboration,” he explained. “Many artists have a clear vision of what they want their fragrance to express, even if it starts out abstract. Through discussion and feedback, I translate those ideas into olfactive directions, notes and tonalities. When the artist is able to clearly express what they like and what they would like to change, it becomes much easier to capture what they envision and turn it into something tangible.”
Momoris described the collaboration process as a mix of “psychiatry, cuisine, marketing, competitive analysis and olfactory experience.” There are several back and forth conversations between the marketers, the artist and the perfumers He also said it’s important to have conversations with supply chain specialists to make sure the fragrance can be produced with consistent olfactory quality and meet regulatory requirements worldwide.
And, of course, there is constant testing of scents. The perfumer will often make several olfactive variations of the concept. This allows for better communication between the perfumer and the artist, allowing for a true creative collaboration.
“The process is very involved and collaborative,” Gavarry said. “I develop an interpretation of the brief, we review it together and then continue to evolve the formula based on feedback.”
Just as important as the fragrance itself: the packaging. 
Sabrina Carpenter's Sweet Tooth collection is known for its distinctive candy bar packaging.Courtesy of Scent Beauty
Take Sabrina Carpenter’s SWEET TOOTH fragrance line as an example. The bottle itself is shaped like a candy bar, and the carton looks like the classic candy bar wrapping. Each of the five fragrances (Sweet Tooth, Caramel Dream, Cherry Baby, Me Espresso and Lemon Pie) feature vibrant colors. Even the 10 ml size is called “bite sized,” further evoking the candy metaphor.
“Sabrina conceptualized and led the creation of the package, which was clearly around her love of things that are sweet, and an underlying obsession with decadence, irreverence and luxury,” Momoris explained. “The package is always important because it carries the emotion of the scent and thus must have some type of sculptural emotion itself. The genius of a colored bar of chocolate for Sabrina’s SWEET TOOTH brand works on a level without her name but is amplified by her signature.”
Press releases typically mention the unique packaging of the fragrance as a way to set themselves apart from other celebrity fragrances. Billie Eilish’s Your Turn and Your Turn II feature a stacked dice design with a soft-touch matte finish. Kylie Jenner’s uniquely shaped bottles for her COSMIC fragrance line come from her and her sister hugging over a pot of spinning clay.
All of these decisions complete the package of the campaign: a desirable fragrance, eye-catching packaging and compelling marketing imagery. The marketing of the fragrance often focuses on the emotion behind the scent, as scent is something so personal.
“The artist is always the center of the campaign,” Momoris said. “Campaigns focus on their image, attitude and use of the fragrance because it is, in fact, their creation. The promotion of the innovation/trend behind the scent is often emotional - a word, a gesture, a color, a vignette, a scene, a challenge. Like all promotions, this is affected by media investment, digital plans and in-store and DTC platform mechanics.”
The Payoff
There are several metrics that can determine whether a celebrity fragrance was successful or not. Of course, sales metrics are an obvious indicator of success; big numbers means that a lot of consumers are buying that product. But social conversations and retailer interest can show signs of a good partnership as well.
“The other metric involves how the retailers and, more importantly, the distributors around the world are reacting to a product,” Spilka said. “If they’re all lining up to carry it and to vie for the exclusive rights to distribute that fragrance, you have a successful business on your hands.”
Spilka also said there is a certain amount of ego that comes with having your own fragrance; after all, this is something that will live on forever and always have the artist’s face attached.
“Our intent is never to create something fleeting, but something that lives on in the grand panorama of the fragrance market and stands out, and has an indelible signature immediately associated with the artist.”
Billie Eilish Fragrances saw its fifth launch in 2025 with Your Turn II. Courtesy of Billie Eilish Fragrances
“Working with Billie Eilish from the very beginning has been a true partnership rooted in creativity and authenticity,” said Lori Singer, president of Parlux, in a press release for the launch of Your Turn II. “With Your Turn II, we’re not simply extending the moment of Your Turn; we’re deepening the story of Eilish Fragrances as a master brand, continuing to push creative boundaries while honoring Billie’s unique vision that makes this collaboration so extraordinary.”
From all of my conversations and research, one thing is clear: the celebrity perfume is very much alive and well, if not thriving. Consumers are even more keen on fragrances inspired by their favorite artists, and there is an incredible opportunity to tap into this demand.
“The success of the fragrance shows that the idea of celebrity scents being less sophisticated is outdated,” Gavarry concluded. “Now, it’s about authenticity, emotional storytelling and creating high-performance fragrance that truly connects with consumers.”
