I have previously written about a new movement. About how the world is heading in a new direction where uniqueness is leading, and about how exhausting "fast everything" is becoming for everyone. Because of social media, the whole world is instantly aware of every new trend and every new launch anywhere in the world. As fun as it sometimes is to hop on a hype or a trend, it is also incredibly tiring to simply no longer be able to be unique.
That people are looking for uniqueness is clearly visible on social media. Vintage sellers are popping up everywhere, accounts with vintage clothing, people scouring antique fairs to then show how to make a home truly unique, and even accounts that revisit herbal remedies and old beauty techniques as a counterbalance to today's fast-paced beauty industry.
Old style icons reappear, with lists of their timeless clothing style, beauty routine, and even their perfume choices. I frequently see Princess Diana, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, some old French celebrities like Jane Birkin, and very often I see Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. The minimalist, timeless clothing style of this last lady appears to be gaining enormous popularity, and it is always mentioned that she used two stylish perfumes. One was said to be a musk perfume oil she simply bought from street vendors, and the second was CK One by Calvin Klein. Needless to say, CK One is making a huge comeback. Not strange at all, of course, with its unisex citrus-like notes, this scent is anything but the heavy fragrances you smell on the streets now.
We want to go back to the past, we want something that brings a certain class. I think that's exactly why Guerlain is releasing a 2026 edition of Guerlain L'Heure Bleue right now. Releasing yet another sweet or oriental fragrance simply makes no sense in a world of millions of perfume releases; it doesn't even stand out anymore, not even if you are Guerlain. While the original L'Heure Bleue is certainly still wearable today due to its sweet powdery nature through the use of vanilla, amber, violet, and iris, and doesn't smell nearly as vintage as, for example, Mitsouko or Chanel No.5, I can imagine that the distance for a young audience between this perfume and Le Petite Robe Noire is very, very large.
It was therefore to be expected that the 2026 edition is not so much a flanker as it is more of its own creation. I think it's also more about being able to say that you wear L'Heure Bleue and therefore a classic perfume and thus exude a certain uniqueness, rather than wearing the actual creation. Bold of Guerlain, because many lovers of the original will totally disagree with this new, divergent composition. In my opinion, however, it is necessary to appeal to a younger audience.
Earlier, in 2011, Chanel pulled a similar stunt with the launch of a flanker to their iconic Chanel No. 19. They released Chanel No. 19 Poudre. Poudre was a distinctly younger sister with the same androgynous and bitter notes as the original; it was just a bit more powdery. Besides the fact that in 2011, people were not yet ready for this type of fragrance, marketing-wise, it didn't at all appeal to the younger generation of the time, who were still fully into fruitchoulis.
So if Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and other timeless ladies of the eighties and nineties are now very popular, and scents like CK One are making a comeback, how would you design an L'Heure Bleue 2026? Exactly, by refreshing the old powdery iris with vanilla formula with CK One-like notes, by adding aquatic elements that were very popular at the time, and of course citrus notes like neroli, bergamot, and orange blossom. And to make it a little bit contemporary, Ambroxan is very cleverly used, which then makes it old and familiar again for the current young generation.
Whether you praise or hate the 2026, I think it's a very clever move by Guerlain, what do you think?
Judith,
Founder