We had our office smell the new Glossier You perfumes – our honest thoughts
FROM meals and hotels to batteries and toothpaste, there are many things we buy for we try.
Perfume shouldn’t be one of them.
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But the hype surrounding Glossier’s hit perfume You, released in 2017, is so great that as many as a quarter of people who buy it do so without even spraying it on their skin first. And for €62 no less.
Why has it become such a hit? Well, the celebrity endorsement doesn’t hurt, we see you Olivia Rodrigo, but the scent itself is pretty special. It’s designed to work with and enhance your skin’s natural scent, meaning it smells different on everyone.
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Shinier You EDP, £62
Seven years after its release, sales are still up 73% year over year, making it Sephora’s best-selling fragrance, but Glossier isn’t resting on its laurels.
Instead, the beauty giant has launched two new fragrances, both based on and inspired by the OG.
Enter Doux and Rêve, the older, more refined sisters of Glossier You. Here’s the Fabulous team’s verdict.
Shinier you Doux
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Glossier You Doux EDP, £62
Since I got my hands on this fragrance, I’ve smelled it so many times that I’m at risk of getting light-headed (perfume drunk is one thing). This is definitely my favorite of the two new Glossier fragrances.
Where the OG Glossier You is cheerful and casual, Doux is sultry and elegant, with warming, cozy notes that linger on your skin for hours.
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Glossier You Doux EDP, £62
“I would wear this scent if I were meeting wealthy in-laws,” says Lifestyle Editor Catherine Bennion-Pedley.
It smells like the hand lotion you find in a fancy restaurant restroom or the scent that greets you when you enter a new hotel room.
When sprayed on my skin, it has an even richer, slightly spicy aroma – it smells almost identical to a Brandy Alexander (brandy, nutmeg, cream), one of my favorite cocktails.
“This is one sexy fragrance, which has woody, oud-like notes – I would wear it with dressed up tailoring,” says Sarah Barnes, Associate Editor of Fabulous.
Are dupes worth it?
THE Sun asked an independent perfume expert to carry out blind smell tests on popular perfumes and their high street ‘dupes’ to see if the budget versions stood up to the originals.
Noemie Maury is a senior fragrance evaluator who has worked with major fine fragrance and toiletry brands for over a decade.
“High street chains can make perfumes cheaply by purchasing them from major fragrance manufacturers who grow their own ingredients in-house,” says Noemie.
“Because they use oils from flowers they grow themselves instead of importing ingredients, they save on costs and can create fragrances for well-known brands at a reduced price.”
It means they may lack the depth and complexity of more expensive brands that use a wide variety of pricier ingredients.
Shinier Rev
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Glossier You Rêve, £62
Every time I clean out my closet, I take out a dress that I haven’t worn in months, and it still smells like the perfume I wore That night.
I think Glossier Doux Rêve is destined to become one of these fragrances – it immediately conjures up images of calling friends, jumping into taxis and hanging out in cocktail bars.
Much sweeter than both Doux and the OG Glossier You, Rêve balances fruity with creamy notes – a characteristic you recognize from festive or winter fragrances.
“I’ll get strawberries and marshmallows, like you get in the box Lush scent of Snow Fairy” says deputy fashion editor Abby McHale.
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Glossier You Rêve, £62
Rêve smells like the dessert section of a buffet, or like burning a candle on a cold evening, but it’s not cloying or cloying, unlike so many sweeter scents.
When I sprinkle it on my skin, the velvety buttercream notes immediately emerge, but they are balanced with warming musk and nutty candied almond, making for a complex and moreish scent.
“You Rêve is reminiscent of Christmas sweets and chocolate, and I think it offers great value for money,” says Art Director Laura Cunningham.
