10 Successful Celebrity Perfumes

Ever since the gorgeous and classy Elizabeth Taylor, actress and social activist, came out with her own perfume, White Diamonds, in 1991, there’s been an upward trend in celebrity perfumes. After all, why not branch out from acting or music with your own classic scent? It can certainly be lucrative.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, of the top 100 fragrances of 2012, 31 of them were celebrity perfumes. Celebrity perfume is on the rise with 85 being released in 2012 compared to 10 in 2002. Some celebrities even have multiple perfumes to choose from, a scent for every occasion.
What makes a celebrity perfume a success? Not only should the scent entice fragrance-lovers, but it should also show off the personality of the celebrity. And, of course, a successful celebrity perfume needs to make a good deal of money. That’s why they’re doing this, right? Read on for our list of 10 successful celebrity perfumes you can get on the market right now.

10. Someday by Justin Bieber – $3 Million in the First 3 Weeks

When you consider that Justin Bieber‘s Someday fragrance earned $3 million in the first three weeks after its release in 2011, it must be doing something right. Aimed at his younger fans, the target market for Someday is ladies aged 14 to 18. Still, the scent draws inspiration from more mature perfumes. It starts out with fruity notes of wild berry, mandarin and pear, moves on to a floral note of jasmine and finishes with warm vanilla. Whether you’re getting this for a young woman or want the sweet scent for yourself, you can pick up Someday by Justin Bieber for $65 suggested retail price.

9. Antonio by Antonio Banderas – $13.4 Million in 2011

Most celebrity perfumes are created with women in mind. Still, men’s colognes can have a big impact on the market as well. That’s where actor Antonio Banderas comes in. While he has released a dozen fragrances in the last decade–both for men and women–his most popular is Antonio by Antonio Banderas, a celebrity fragrance for men. It earned $13.4 million in 2011 alone, four years after its initial release. This masculine scent has spicy notes of bergamot, nutmeg, cinnamon, sandalwood, thyme, mint and musk. You can find Antonio by Antonio Banderas for $37.95 suggested retail price.

8. Unforgivable by Sean John – 17.2 Million in 2011

He’s been known by lots of names. Puff Daddy, P Diddy, Sean Combs…this hip hop mogul has his hands in many different ventures. He started his career in music but has since branched out into other things. For his clothing and accessory line, Sean John, Sean has released an array of fragrances. While there’s a women’s version of the Unforgivable scent, the original men’s version is more popular and successful. So successful, in fact, that it earned $17.2 million in 2011, proving that men like to smell good, too. This scent has notes of bergamot, juniper, lemon, clary sage, amber, rum and sandalwood. Pick this up for $78 suggested retail price.

7. Harajuku Lovers by Gwen Stefani – $18 Million in 2011

The thought of releasing five separate scents at once would seem daunting to most celebrities, but not Gwen Stefani of No Doubt fame. In 2008, the singer released the Harajuku Lovers fragrances. Rather than one scent, this line had five: four of which are based on the Harajuku Girls characters of Japan and one for Gwen herself. The bottles were even in the shape of these characters. Though released in 2008, Harajuku Lovers continues to be a successful venture for Gwen, earning $18 million in 2011. Each scent has its own personality. You can find these scents for $45 suggested retail price.

6. Fancy by Jessica Simpson – $18 Million in 2011

 

Jessica Simpson started her career in music, but she has since spent most of her energy in clothing, accessories and fragrance sales in recent years. Her very first fragrance, Fancy, launched in 2008, was such a success that it spawned several new fragrances in the line, including Fancy Love and I Fancy You. But it’s the original Fancy that has shown the best success. It earned $18 million in 2011, several years after its initial release. Fancy has notes of pear, jasmine, apricot nectar, caramel, sandalwood and almonds. You can pick this up for $59 suggested retail price.

5. White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor – $61.3 Million in 2010

You can’t have a list of celebrity perfumes without mentioning Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds. According to The Daily Mail, White Diamonds continues to be the best-selling celebrity perfume more than 20 years after its launch, earning $61.3 million in 2010. White Diamonds is delicately floral with notes of gardenia, narcisse and lilies. If you want something classic and glamorous–just like how Elizabeth Taylor was in life–then you should check this one out. You can find it for $68 suggested retail price.

4. Reb’l Fleur by Rihanna – $80 Million in First Year (Projected)

Launched in 2011, Rihanna‘s Reb’l Fleur is meant to bring out the daring diva in whoever spritzes it around their person. Rihanna channeled her Barbados roots for this fragrance along with her new life as a successful pop star in New York City. You can even see from the bottle that this perfume plays with both light and dark. It has both fruity and floral notes with plum, peach, violet, tuberose and hibiscus. According to Rolling Stone, Reb’l Fleur was projected to earn over $80 million in its first year. Get this bold fragrance for $59 suggested retail price.

3. Curious by Britney Spears – $100 Million in First 5 Weeks

Although she’s had a controversial life in the past, Britney Spears still has success when it comes to her fragrance line. Britney has released many perfumes in the last decade, but one of her most successful was her very first: Curious by Britney Spears. This floral fragrance was released in 2004 to quite a bit of fanfare. In fact, the scent earned $100 million in the first five weeks alone. Because of this success, Britney has created quite a career in the celebrity perfume game. Curious has notes of magnolia, pear, tuberose, jasmine, musk and sandalwood. You can still find it on the shelves a decade after its release for $49.50 suggested retail price.

2. Glow by JLo – $300 Million by 2004

Jennifer Lopez is known for having multiple successful side jobs. She started her career as dancer and actor, but is now known best as a musical artist and TV judge. It’s only natural that she’d make the foray into the celebrity fragrance game. Glow by JLo released in the early 2000s and became almost immediately successful. It earned $300 million by 2004 and continues to be a favorite today. Jennifer has even released other fragrances in the Glow line. Glow has notes of orange, jasmine, grapefruit, iris, vanilla and musk. You can find this for $58 suggested retail price.

1. Heat by Beyonce – $400 Million Globally in the First 3 Years

Over recent years, Beyonce has seemed less like a traditional pop star and more like a sophisticated woman and musical artist. Perhaps it’s her marriage to Jay Z and her adorable daughter Blue Ivy that keeps her so grounded. It makes sense that she’d come out with an elegant and sultry line of fragrances–at least that’s her intention when it comes to Heat.  Heat quickly became a popular celebrity fragrance, earning $3 million in the first month after its release in 2010 and $400 million globally in the first three years. It starts with notes of orchid, magnolia and peach and moves on to notes of almond macaroon, honeysuckle, milkwood and amber. You can pick up Beyonce’s Heat for $59 suggested retail price.