Express Returns to Fragrance With Two Hero Scents and Three New Perfumes

By Daniel Okafor

Express is reentering fragrance for the first time since 2016, relaunching two former bestsellers alongside three new perfumes priced from $16 to $49. The move reverses a phased exit the mall retailer began in 2019.

The range marks the brand's first new fragrance launch in nine years. Express entered the category in 2009. It started discontinuing it a decade later.

The lineup reinstates Loyalty for men and Love for women, the two scents customers kept requesting. Three new perfumes join them: Live and Luxe for women, and Legacy for men. An inaugural range of four women's fragrance mists rounds out the offer.

Prices run from $16 for the mists to $49 for 2.5-ounce perfume bottles. Every item sits under $50.

Why bring fragrance back?

Customer demand drove the decision. Jacquie Susie, group vice president and women's general merchandise manager at Express, said the brand mined Reddit threads, social media posts and direct customer feedback to shape the relaunch.

"Customers continued to request it," Susie said. "We're reinstating Love and Loyalty, which are our customer favorites and the ones we continue to hear about…but we are also giving a new generation more ways to express their personal style and interact with the brand."

The new scents extend Express's signature "L" naming theme. Live carries notes of amber; Luxe features sea salt. Legacy, the men's launch, taps smoked woods and warm tonka. The mist range comprises four gourmand scents: Velvet Latte, Velvet Coconut, Velvet Chantilly and Velvet Marshmallow.

How does the launch fit the market?

Express is the latest mall fashion name to bet on scent. Gap, another mall staple, resurrected its own fragrance category three months ago with a mix of '90s favorites and all-new scents. Zara and Cos have also zeroed in on the category.

The timing aligns with a measurable market shift. Circana, the market research firm, reports that affordable fragrances are overtaking prestige fragrances by growth as the post-pandemic fragrance boom enters its latest stage. Express's under-$50 price point positions the range squarely in that growth segment.

Susie expects strong results. "I would plan for this to be quite explosive," she said. The range debuts online and across Express's full network of roughly 220 retail stores and 160 outlet stores.

She tied the category to the brand's positioning. "We are known for being sort of a going-out, party or occasion brand, so to have signature scents that fit with that…it's just another reason to shop with Express."

What does this change for Express?

The relaunch signals stabilization after a turbulent ownership period. Express, founded in 1980, is now owned by a consortium called Phoenix, composed of WHP Global, Simon Property Group, Brookfield Properties and Centennial Real Estate. The consortium bought Express out of bankruptcy in 2024 for $174 million.

Susie declined to comment on financials or profitability. But she pointed to momentum. The company "had a strong third quarter," she said, adding: "it's not easy to come out of bankruptcy, but we've stabilized and we are growing."

Fragrance is now a recurring pillar, not a one-off. The retailer has more newness slated for 2027 and will plot further steps based on consumer feedback. If the sub-$50 segment keeps outgrowing prestige, as Circana's data indicates, Express has reentered the category at the point of the market currently expanding fastest.