Established in 2022 through a partnership between the fashion house Balmain Paris and The Estée Lauder Companies, Balmain Beauty is launching a collection of eight all-gender eaux de parfum named: “Les Éternels de Balmain.”
This fragrance experience was inspired by Pierre Balmain’s Parisian legacy and by the vision of Olivier Rousteing, the fashion brand’s Creative Director since 2011. Aiming to the lead architect of Balmain Beauty from inception, and in every aspect of creation from concept to scent development, to package design and campaign imagery, he studied perfumery, learning the creation process through hands-on training.
Powered by a richly crafted duality of ingredients, the inaugural collection includes eight multi-layered scents from four distinctive olfactive families – Musk, Amber, Floral, and Woody.
Indeed, after consulting Balmain’s storied archives, Olivier Rousteing handpicked four of Balmain’s legacy scents to be reinvented for the modern era: Vent Vert, Ivoire, Ébène, and Carbone. Four brand new fragrances — Sel d’Ambre, Rouge, Bronze, and Bleu Infini — complete the collection.
“Olivier Rousteing is one of the most accomplished designers of his generation, inventing revolutionary concepts at the confluence of past, present, and future. It has been an extraordinary journey bringing his vision for Balmain Beauty to life,” highlighted Guillaume Jesel, who oversees Balmain Beauty as the President and CEO, Tom Ford and Luxury Business Development, The Estée Lauder Companies.
As far as packaging is concerned, the collection is inspired by Balmain’s first flacon created in 1946. Duality was expressed in the design with contrasting elemental shapes of the circle and square, signature black and gold colours, and the label spread over two facets.
Building on this foundation, the new flacon delivers a multisensory and luxurious modern experience. The square is elongated into a lozenge; the Balmain signature rayure covering the glass echoes the gold collar’s existing texture; a new finish and color palette flatters the touch and the eye. On the cap, a graphic PB monogram symbolizes Balmain, extracted from the iconic 1970 brand labyrinth motif.
“The beauty of craftsmanship is exuded in both the packaging design and ingredients used. Our fragrances hold tension, power, and strength – they are quintessentially Balmain, rooted in diversity and inclusivity,” said Nathalie Berger Duquene, SVP, Global General Manager, Balmain Beauty, The Estée Lauder Companies.
The new fragrance collection thus becomes the first beauty chapter of a new book for the brand, to expand globally into new categories in the future.