Victoria Beckham's New Fragrance Trio Is Inspired By Her Memories With David Beckham
And we tried them.
@victoriabeckhambeauty/Instagram
I used to spend a lot of time on a now-defunct directory of celebrity fragrances; not the fragrances celebrities stamp their names on and say they wear, or the fragrances they endorse in campaigns, but scents they were actually known to spritz on in their real lives. The site may not have been 100% accurate in its important findings, but it was a lot of fun imagining Britney Spears perusing the Victoria’s Secret fragrance lineup and learning that Dolly Parton and Ronald Reagan reportedly wore the same scent, a fragrance called Gendarme. IMO, more celebs should tell us which perfume they wear. If I were a red carpet interviewer, it would absolutely be the first (and only) question I’d ask.
A lot of digital ink has been spilled about celebrity fragrances as a genre; there are some that suck and feel like a cash grab, some that are surprisingly great (Ariana Grande Cloud and Britney Spears Believe, I see you) and some that are instantly forgettable. Some celebs, like Sarah Jessica Parker, are legitimate fragheads, so it makes sense when they test the perfume waters. Victoria Beckham, the Spice Girl-turned-football-wife-turned-designer-turned-beauty-brand-creator, is one such celeb. Given Beckham’s beyond chic aesthetic, which she channels into her clothing line and her beauty line, her foray into fragrance feels like a natural next step.
Ahead, everything you need to know about the Victoria Beckham fragrances, and my honest review.
Victoria Beckham Beauty
The Scents
Beckham launched her fragrance line with a curated collection of three eau de parfums housed in glamorously sleek bottles: Portofino ‘97, San Ysidro Drive and Suite 302 ($200 each). Each one is inspired by a place or an event in Beckham’s life, like an “alluring rendezvous” in Paris, falling in love in 1997 (hmmm, wonder who that’s about?) and a “new beginning” in California. They were developed with perfumer Jérôme Epinette, who has created scents for a diverse swath of clients including Ariana Grande, Byredo, And Other Stories and Sol de Janeiro.
Portofino ‘97 is a woody citrus that Beckham explains is an ode to her early days with her husband; the couple met when Beckham was part of the biggest pop group in the world and David was a massive football star. "In 1997, we decided to take a trip to Portofino,” Beckham shared on her website. “I remember the light, I remember how the hotel smelled and how exciting that time was. I remember it all like it was yesterday." It’s a more traditionally masculine scent with bergamot and pepper top notes that slowly fade into a woody base of vetiver and patchouli.
Victoria Beckham Beauty Portofino '97 Eau de Parfum ($200)
Suite 302 is another ode to her love story; according to Beckham, Paris is the couple’s “happy place,” and Suite 302 is a smoky, alluring woody fragrance best worn with lacy black lingerie under a trenchcoat. The scent opens with a spicy, peppery cherry like a cocktail in a bar, then blooms into a rich rose and musk heart atop rich leather and tobacco. It’s reminiscent of an encounter with a mysterious stranger or a moment of heart-stopping passion—the kind that happens so fast you don’t even take your leather jacket off. (Hey, we’ve all been there.)
Beckham’s first two scents may be all about seduction and romance, but San Ysidro Drive is all California vibes: bright, sunny and obsessed with mindfulness. It opens with zippy passionfruit and peony with a touch of ocean air, plus the golden warmth of vanilla and amber at the base. If Suite 302 was about romantic getaways in a sexy hotel room and Portofino ‘97 was inspired by new love on a sunny day, San Ysidro is a nostalgic nod to a new chapter of life. (Remember when the Beckhams moved to L.A.? That was a huge deal.)
Victoria Beckham Beauty Suite 302 Eau de Parfum ($200)
My Review
Nothing bugs me more than when a celebrity fragrance doesn’t fit the celebrity, like you know they’re absolutely not wearing the scent on a daily basis. Victoria Beckham’s scents don’t do that; they feel like a natural, thoughtful extension of the woman and her brand. The Victoria Beckham Beauty customer knows luxury and wants to feel luxury in all parts of their day, starting with their eyeshadow and ending with a spritz of their chosen scent.
The scents also feel cohesive. Launching with a refined palette of three scents—a cologne-inspired citrus; a smoky and spicy peppery, leathery rose; and a woody floral—was a smart move. The fragrances aren’t guaranteed crowd-pleasers, like a light fruity floral or a sweet gourmand would be; these are scents for people who are interested in perfume but are also intimidated by the niche fragrance world and prefer to stick with a brand they’re more familiar with.
Victoria Beckham Beauty San Ysidro Drive Eau de Parfum ($200)
I wasn’t surprised by Beckham’s fragrance lineup in the slightest, especially not the rich, sensual amber, rose and musk notes. I knew she liked Vilhelm Parfumerie’s Room Service; she once posted it on Instagram and called it “super chic,” and her scents share a similar glamorous, timeless DNA. Nothing about Beckham’s scents is shocking or groundbreaking, but that’s not really what you expect from a celebrity perfume; that’s something you get from a niche brand or a perfumer-led line like Frederic Malle. And that’s not a bad thing, either!
Portofino ‘97 has a definite gender neutral appeal thanks to its woody base and peppery citrus notes, and Suite 302 is ideal for anyone who gravitates toward smoky, leathery scents—one of the more popular fragrance genres of the 2020s. To me, San Ysidro Drive feels most aligned with Beckham’s clothing line: elegant but not fussy, with a little cheekiness under all that glamour. Beckham could easily keep her line at just these three scents or expand alongside her ready-to-wear and beauty empire and it would feel organic and thoughtful.
The fragrances are available to shop now at victoriabeckhambeauty.com.
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