(Celebrity)

Everything About Beyoncé’s New Perfume Was Curated By The Superstar Herself

The Bey-all, end-all.

by Amanda Ross
@beyonce
Beyoncé dress with sequined hood
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Oh, the sweet smell of superstar success. For years, the internet’s chattered and speculated about Beyoncé’s signature scent, but no one guessed that she was quietly hard on work on a totally new fragrance designed to capture the spirit of her multimedia Renaissance project. Beyoncé’s Cé Noir perfume — her first release in this product category in more than six years — was only just formally announced on the singer’s Instagram page, but the early fan reactions alone are already enough to cement the scent as a 2020s classic.

In true Beyoncé fashion, this release is one she’s been cryptically teasing for a while now. At one Renaissance World Tour date earlier this summer, members of her team passed out itty-bitty samples of the then-yet-to-be-revealed perfume while Beyoncé sang. Later that evening, a new, tiny section of her website mysteriously alluded to an upcoming release. Now, though, all the details are finally coming into focus. Cé Noir — which means “this black” in French — is an olfactory representation of her Renaissance album and tour, from the name to the featured notes and even the sharp, mirrored packaging. The silvery, mirrored box feels as much like a vessel from space as anything, reflecting the Afrofuturism themes of her groundbreaking album cycle and concert series.

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As the “Cuff It” singer’s first fragrance since 2017, Cé Noir feels like a reset for Beyoncé’s entire perfume empire — this newbie makes her 15th scent ever. Her website reveals the symphony of notes that put Cé Noir in a league of its own. The fragrance’s base in a heady, warm amber mixed with Namibian myrrh, while its heart is romantic rose and jasmine sambac. The top, initial notes feel the most signature, though — you’re instantly greatest by zesty clementine and (drumroll, please) golden honey. The honey probably isn’t sourced from Bey’s at-home hive — she does keep around 80,000 of them at her home, though — but this is basically the next best thing.

Beyoncé is a benevolent queen, too — she’s making sure the preorder, available now, ship out in November, just in time for the holiday party circuit. She once sang “it’ll cost a billion to smell this good” on “PURE/HONEY” but, fortunately, her superstar scent is priced much more accessibly than that at $160.