Rihanna's Fenty Fragrance Smells Even Better Than Her Go-To Baccarat Rouge
Rihanna allegedly smells so good, there’s a corner of the internet devoted to discussing it, so it’s safe to say expectations for Fenty’s first perfume are high.
If you’ve been waiting patiently for the Fenty Eau de Parfum to finally hit our shores, we have an early festive treat for you, because that anticipated bronze bottle is finally ready to cross the continents – and could be in your hands before Christmas.
Really, Rihanna’s takeover of the perfume world was easy to predict. First came Fenty Beauty in 2017, with its agenda-setting inclusivity. Then, 2020 welcomed Fenty Skin to our shores, rewriting the beauty industry’s overly gendered blueprint to deliver something every one of us can get on board with. So, will Fenty Eau de Parfum change the game in a similar way?
Of course, celebrities coming for fragrance is nothing new – every 00’s teenager doused themselves in a saccharine cloud courtesy of Paris Hilton, Britney Spears or indeed Rihanna in their teenage years (there’s still a place in our heart for Reb’l Fleur).
But Fenty EDP is different. Marketed with a more sophisticated angle (and a premium price tag to match), it represents the evolution of the celebrity scent: gone are the blockbuster ad campaigns, generic juices and shouty packaging, with quality, craft and consideration arriving in their place.
Rihanna sourced the raw materials for Fenty EDP from Grasse, and enlisted LVMH Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletru (the nose behind Issey Miyake, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton’s most accomplished perfumes) to craft the scent. According to the brand, the composition (which sits outside the traditional olfactive families) revolves around top notes of blueberry and tangerine, a heart of rose and geranium, and musk and patchouli in the base.
So, what does it actually smell like? With no physical stores boasting stock just yet, there’s an element of risk involved in ordering it. However, after managing to sneak a very exclusive first spritz of the scent, we can confirm it’s quite the surprise.
Firstly, it's not as fruity as the top-line info suggests: the blueberry and tangerine notes are fleeting (which will be welcome news for anyone who can still remember the lingering fruit-salad sweetness of those 00’s celeb scents). The floral notes are minimal too, with a deep, powdery rose blending seamlessly into a musky base, sweetened by coconut and a hint of earthy (not cake-like) vanilla. Warm, cosy and sensual, it’ll make you smell like you, only sexier.
Less surprising is the fact that Fenty EDP might just be the fragrance to unite us all. A truly masterful scent, it moves beyond the traditional gender boundaries of the fragrance world: not obnoxiously sweet, nor aggressively woody, and easy for anyone to wear day or night. In fact, we've worn it to work meetings, casual brunches and big nights out, and can confirm it works in every scenario. Welcome to the new era of the celebrity scent.
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