Star concentrate

Haute-couture houses were the first to ‘democratize’ fragrance, then came the designers. Today, a different phenomenon has taken over in cosmetics and fragrance: celebrity brands. In the USA, the stars have turned into brand names, and they are everywhere. When the trend got started, three years ago, you could have thought it would just be a passing fad. Wrong. In Europe, the trend is more restained, although Céline Dion, Kylie Minogue and the Beckhams have encountered a certain amount of success. But in the USA, following in the footsteps of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Jennifer Lopez, 2006 saw the launch of fragrances from Sean John (P Diddy), Hilary Duff, writer Danielle Steel and even the series Desperate Housewives. Among the newcomers for fall 2007: Gwen Stefani (with her brand LAMB), Mariah Carey, Usher and Prince. And that’s not even counting the latest fragrances from Britney, Sarah Jessica Parker and Antonio Banderas… A star-studded horizon.

Bad girls

With celebrity fragrances, image is the key to success. Stars like Céline Dion, Kylie Minogue and Shania Twain have huge, faithful audiences and a sweet, reliable image. But there are plenty of famous bad girls too, and gossip magazines love to flaunt them . Paris Hilton’s been to jail, Britney Spears has had periods of ‘confusion’, and Kate Moss (who recently launched her first perfume) is no paragon of good behavior either. But that hasn’t hurt their careers: Kate Moss is still the face of several brands, and Britney has sold over 10 million units of her perfumes . So expectations are high for her latest fragrance, B elieve – a floral shaded with exotic fruit and ambry patchouli .