Rock of Ages
Published: Friday, October 26, 2007
With her new scent, Deseo, Jennifer Lopez presents a diamond in the rough - or at least, that's what the bottle is intended to resemble. The
fragrance is the first of Lopez's beauty projects to reference her Latino heritage. Due out in February, it could generate more than $20 million at
retail in the U.S. in its first year on counter.
Five years after the launch of her first blockbuster scent, Glow by JLo, Jennifer Lopez is shifting the focus of her beauty business to complement her personal life.
"I have a lot of synergy happening in my life right now that is taking me back to my roots and to everything that I'm about and how I was raised," said Lopez. "This is what I really find my heart is into. It's the first time I have decided to use a Spanish word for one of our fragrances. We really look at where I am at in my life and what is important to me at that time. But the one thing that we have always concentrated on from the beginning is to be as truthful as we can." (And no, Lopez still has no comment on the pregnancy rumors which have been swirling since early September.)
Her new scent, Deseo, references Lopez's Latino heritage, unlike most of her earlier scents - which include Glow, Still Jennifer Lopez and Miami Glow. It will be launched in February.
Lopez admits that her ride through the beauty world has been quite the education. In 2002, she single-handedly revived the celebrity genre by racking up first-year global sales of $100 million with her maiden fragrance, Glow.
Since then, the category has had a rush of entrants, including Gwen Stefani, Sean "Diddy" Combs, Usher, Sarah Jessica Parker and Mariah Carey.
"The celebrity fragrance category is huge now and it's very competitive - it has changed a lot [since my entry into it]," said Lopez. "I really had no clue what to expect when I created my first fragrance, but like every other artistic endeavor I do, I just listened to my gut and made sure that I expressed myself completely. I was lucky that I found the right partner with Coty - who encouraged my creativity and really brought my vision to life."
The feeling is mutual, says Catherine Walsh, senior vice president, American Fragrances for Coty Prestige, who has worked on Lopez's fragrance brand since its inception. "Jennifer has always had a clear and successful vision for her businesses, especially her fragrances, and they've been very successful for us," said Walsh.
The new scent, which Lopez developed with Givaudan's Ellen Molner and Jim Krivda, draws its inspiration from the singer's garden. "The idea for the scent usually comes first," said Lopez. "I always call up and say, I love this or I love that - get this candle or this flower that was in my garden. With Deseo, the inspiration came from a combination of smells in my own garden. So, I called up my friends at Coty and asked them to come take a walk through my garden with me so they could experience it. It was late at night so there was kind of a dew in the air and I took them to an area where there are these beautiful geranium flowers, orange trees, lemon trees, and all this stuff mixing together that was making this beautiful smell."
Deseo's top notes are of watery bamboo leaves, garden yuzu, Sicilian bergamot and freesia; the heart is composed of star jasmine, pink geranium flower, orange blossom and French mimosa, and the drydown is of warm amber, oak moss, sensual musks, creamy sandalwood, atlas cedarwood, patchouli and mineral accord.
The collection will include eaux de parfum in two sizes, 1.7 oz. for $46, and 3.4 oz. for $56. One ancillary, Desirable Body Lotion, will be introduced. It will retail for $27.50 for 6.7 oz.
The bottle, which Lopez designed with an assist from the Coty team, is intended to resemble a diamond in the rough - Walsh calls it "a roughly cut gemstone faceted to show its natural brilliance."
The outer carton is wrapped in shimmery yellow-gold textured linen, with the Deseo name in bright blue. A lush floral pattern is splashed across the inside of the carton.
Deseo will be distributed in about 1,800 U.S. department and specialty store doors.
While neither Lopez nor Walsh would discuss sales projections or advertising spending, industry sources estimated Deseo would do at least $20 million at retail in its first year on counter, and that about $10 million would be spent on advertising and promotion.
Advertising and promotional plans include a national print campaign featuring Lopez, shot in Islamorada, Fla., by Peter Lindbergh. The image is intended to capture a woman at her most vulnerable, said Walsh of the photo of Lopez curled in a hammock. The campaign will break in February fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines.
Deseo samples have been distributed at all of Lopez's stops on her most recent concert tour with husband Marc Anthony. "We hope this will get people excited about what's to come," said Lopez.
No personal appearances are currently planned, although Lopez hasn't completely ruled them out. "I will certainly participate in promoting the fragrance," she said. "It is important to me to support my brand and assure the customers that it is every bit my creation."
Deseo will also be the source of another first for Lopez: her first men's scent, at some point next year. "I've always known that I wanted to launch a fragrance for men, but it hasn't really made sense up until now," said Lopez. "Since Deseo is all about desire and sensuality, it seems perfect to develop a male counterpart for it. But that's all I can reveal at this point."
It's been rumored for years that Lopez would eventually do other beauty categories, but she warns fans not to hold their breath waiting. "Right now I have enough on my plate," she said. "But I would certainly consider it in the future if it made sense."
