Burberry Taps ‘Barbie’ Actor Emma Mackey for New, Refillable Fragrance
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LONDON — Burberry is burnishing its green credentials and releasing its first fragrance in a refillable bottle, Goddess, with a campaign shot by Mario Sorrenti.
Burberry Goddess eau de parfum, made under license by Coty, will be released on Monday, July 31 with “Barbie” and “Sex Education” star and beauty ambassador Emma Mackey as the face.
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Caroline Andreotti, chief commercial officer, prestige, at Coty, described the refillable bottle as an “important milestone” for Burberry, and for Coty.
“Packaging is key to transporting our products and protecting our formulas — but it also contributes to our environmental footprint. That’s why we have identified refills as one key element of Coty’s sustainability strategy. We want to empower our consumers to make environmentally conscious choices while indulging in our most luxurious fragrances,” Andreotti said.
She added that Mackey was chosen “because she is a powerful embodiment” of strength, confidence and empowerment.
Mackey features in the campaign with a pride of lionesses. It was created with live footage of lionesses in their natural environment and CGI technology. The vocals feature Shygirl, a longtime Burberry collaborator.
“Fragrance has always been a great love of mine, and I am fascinated with the power that scent can have and the way it can immediately transport you to a specific time and place in your life,” Mackey said.
“Lionesses represent female unity and strength. They are confident and move together. Much like them, we stand on the shoulders of the women who came before us and those who bolster us throughout our own lives,” she added.
The song “Goddess,” which features in the campaign, was written and performed by Teisha Matthews and Blane Muise, whose professional names are TSHA and Shygirl.
Burberry describes the juice as a “gourmand aromatic fragrance” led by a trio of vanilla notes.
The beans are collected by hand and spend five to seven weeks drying in the sun. They are later stored in wooden boxes to mature and develop their sweet aroma.
“My initial goal for Burberry Goddess was to expand upon the common use of vanilla to deliver a new kind of rich olfactive experience,” said the perfumer Amandine Clerc Marie.
She used a vanilla infusion, “which provides the brightest, woody vanilla possible.” She also used Firgood, also known as vanilla caviar, for the first time in a fragrance. She said the new ingredient adds a “sweet, rich and animalic” note.
Vanilla absolute, added a darker and richer — milkier — angle, according to Clerc Marie, who also added notes of bright lavender diva essence from Provence and earthy notes of cocoa and ginger roots.
The bottle is inspired by the Burberry archives and has been updated with a gold medallion.
The fragrance is available in 10-, 30-, 50- and 100-ml bottles, and the refill capsules are available separately.
Coty said Mackey will be celebrating the launch of Burberry Goddess at an exclusive launch event in the U.K. in September.
Coty will also be taking a Burberry Goddess pop-up experience to New York and to Hangzhou in October.
There is also a full, out-of-home, TV, print and digital ad campaign, as well as local events and activations targeting press, influencers and consumers.
Coty has already tested the fragrance and said the feedback has been positive.
On July 1, a month before to the official release, it unveiled the product in travel retail.
“The response was amazing — travelers had the exclusive opportunity to shop Goddess at our immersive pop-up stores in major airports around the world,” Andreotti said.
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