Spring is here and so is another Glossier scent. Yes, another. Up until October of last year, Glossier only had one hero fragrance, but things have changed, and quickly. With the new season, they have just rounded out their collection with a new, fourth scent: Glossier You Fleur. Is it overkill? Is it brilliant? Or is it just another fragrance?
A Brief Glossier Retrospective
Glossier reinvented the beauty brand playbook by positioning themselves as not just a makeup brand, but a community, an aesthetic, and a lifestyle. They felt like a moodboard of their users, but for the rest of the beauty industry, Glossier was the moodboard.
The brand that was once too big to fail had lost a bit of its footing, being outshined by other companies that were using the same rulebook that Glossier wrote. In order to remain competitive, they used conventional tactics that were once unheard of for them, including more traditional formulas, big celebrity spokespeople, and doing the unthinkable: going into Sephora. But despite what many critics and one questionable tell-all might try to tell you, Glossier’s story is far from over.
Familiarity, Franchises, & Glossier You
Franchising their hero product not only makes sense, it’s sort of inevitable. Brands go back to what consumers are familiar with because they keep buying. Urban Decay did it with the Naked palette, Summer Fridays did it with Jet Lag, and hell, Taylor Swift just did it with her entire career on the Eras Tour. If consumers like one thing more than newness, it’s what they already like.
Now, let’s get one thing straight: I love Glossier, but I hate Glossier You. And I’m easy to please when it comes to fragrance. There is just something about You that I don’t get, and never have. It’s nearly repellant to me. But, I know I’m in the minority here as countless people love it, many of them even counting it as their everyday, signature scent.
Last fall, Glossier introduced not one but two new scents into the You family: Doux, a soft, musky blonde wood, and Rêve, a sweeter blend of plum butter, iris, and buttercream. The throughline of all three You scents is a base of ambrox, a warm, static-y musk. Though I don’t like the original, I thought the two new offerings were quite nice. Faithful to their predecessor, but unique evolutions could stand on their own.
As of March 27, Glossier has launched their fourth fragrance, Fleur. While I admittedly didn’t get the original and thought the more recent two were solid, this one? This one I love.
Glossier You Fleur Eau de Parfum
Meet Glossier You Fleur
Fleur pulls Glossier out of the musky, hazy, territory and places it squarely into a spring meadow at twilight, with iridescent dew drops clinging to cool green grass and the sky glowing lavender above you.
Fleur opens with a mineral salt accord that’s a bit sea breeze, a bit ocean water splashing against a rocky shore, and a bit skin. “Salty” is a term that gets thrown around in fragrance quite a bit with varying meanings, but this one is actually pretty literal. And it’s really, really nice.
The heart of the scent brings in the florals you’d anticipate in a spring fragrance, but not in the way you’re expecting. It circumvents the airy, soft, petals and goes straight to a heady, fuzzy expression that is less bouquet and more body. The ylang ylang is creamy and rich and the osmanthus is suede-y soft. Pair that with velvety, juicy apricot skin and plush, warm cashmeran for a pulse that is warm, radiant, and melts just enough of the saltiness into the sweetness it sits on top of.
At the base, it has only ambrox, the very thing that makes it a You signature. I would argue that, in Fleur, the ambrox is the silent supporter. Instead of yelling to make itself known as I find that ambrox often does throughout this franchise, it simply gives the notes structure; it maintains an effervescent feel and allows air to flow up through them, preventing the heady heart notes from getting too sticky and keeping it all as airy as an evening summer breeze.
On the skin, Fleur is a warm, hazy, sweet fragrance as hypnotic as the glowing lavender twilight. It’s magnetic, alluring, and complex, but so well-balanced that it feels uncomplicated.
The Verdict
Well Glossier, you got me. I love it. I love it! It’s a lovely evolution of the fragrance that (almost) everyone loves. To me, this is the best version of You thus far.
Fleur may be seen as the reintroduction of Glossier, or their last attempt at relevance, or maybe just another fragrance by a huge brand. But Glossier wasn’t always a huge brand. Over 12 years of massive success, they’ve earned the right to celebrate their wins, learn from their missteps, and come back even stronger, which is illustrated in Fleur. Besides, many of the brands in our makeup bags today only look the way they do because of the standards Glossier laid out, and that includes releasing fragrances.
Don’t call it a comeback. If you were to call it anything, just call it a really great scent. Glossier You Fleur is the next installment of a beloved and successful collection, and it only makes me more excited about what they’re going to do next.
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