Victoria Beckham Bet on Polarizing Scents and a New Extrait
Victoria Beckham Beauty's first extrait, Hotel Portofino, channels 27 years of marriage into saffron, incense, and a pinot noir accord — and Portofino '97 is now a standalone franchise.
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The takeaway
- Hotel Portofino is Victoria Beckham Beauty's first extrait, featuring bergamot, saffron, incense, wild fig, and a pinot noir accord.
- Portofino '97 is now treated as a standalone franchise, with a hair mist and body lotion launching soon.
- Beckham works out five days a week and takes peptides, exosomes, amino acids, and a daily IM8 drink from David Beckham's brand.
- Her next fragrance inspiration is Paris, ahead of her October show; Paris previously inspired Suite 302.
Victoria Beckham Beauty has launched its first extrait perfume, Hotel Portofino, a deeper follow-up to Portofino '97 that Beckham describes as "a new chapter about staying in love and the deeper echo of enduring love."
The scent, developed with perfumer Jérôme Epinette, shares bergamot with its predecessor but adds saffron, incense, wild fig, and a pinon noir accord for what Beckham calls a spicy, layered, and complex result. Both fragrances trace back to the 1997 trip to Portofino she took with David Beckham, whom she married in 1999.
"While Portofino '97 is all about falling in love and the rush of infatuation, Hotel Portofino is inspired by the same trip [David and I took] in 1997, but this is a new chapter about staying in love and the deeper echo of enduring love," Beckham told Harper's Bazaar.
A deliberate step up in craft
The extrait format was a conscious escalation. "This is the first time that we have created an extrait, so it was a deliberate step up in craft," Beckham said. "The longevity was very important to me, especially when you look at the storytelling from Portofino '97 to Hotel Portofino."
She positions the product at the top of the brand's luxury ladder, from the liquid to the bottle. "It feels like a piece of jewelry. Quality was always important, but we took it to a whole other level with this fragrance," she said.
Portofino '97 becomes a franchise
The original scent has outperformed internal expectations. "The success of that fragrance has really blown us all away. We see it as a stand-alone franchise now," Beckham said. A hair mist and body lotion are coming "very soon."
Beckham welcomes division in the market. "To have something polarizing is a compliment because I would always rather be part of the conversation and have something interesting than something boring and safe," she said. She described her own reaction to Portofino '97 as initially skeptical — "My gosh, that's really strange" — before repeated sampling turned into attachment.
"I think our fragrances are very unique, interesting, and undoubtedly ours; there's a strangeness that is very on brand—it's almost addictive, as well," she said.
All of the brand's fragrances are genderless, though not by design. "That wasn't done on purpose. That's just subconsciously how I see fragrance, and it reflects my personal taste," Beckham said, drawing a parallel to her fashion work, where tailoring and outerwear take inspiration from menswear. Hotel Portofino is her husband's favorite.
The wellness routine behind the brand
Beckham's regimen runs on discipline. She works out five days a week, eats what she describes as a very healthy diet, and drinks plenty of water. David Beckham makes her a daily wellness drink from his brand, IM8. She gets facials as regularly as possible, uses an LED light at night when time allows, and takes vitamins religiously.
She credits peptides, exosomes, regular blood work, and amino acids — which she and David take daily — as playing "a huge part" in her life. "Investing in yourself is something to be proud of," she said.
On the fashion side, she has created a travel capsule because she could not find what she wanted on the market: clothes comfortable enough to travel in with good shape, fabric, and fit that still look elegant.
Paris is next
Hotel Portofino launched in September, and Beckham is already looking toward her next olfactory inspiration. She is preparing for Paris Fashion Week, where her show takes place in October.
"I'm always inspired by my time in Paris, so I'm pretty sure that will be what's to come next," she said. Paris already drove one creation: Suite 302, one of her first fragrances. Given the pace of the Portofino franchise, a Paris-derived launch would extend a scent portfolio that Beckham insists will stay deliberately strange.
Source: Harper's Bazaar Beauty; Source: go.redirectingat.com
Olivia Hart
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Senior reporter covering business strategy at Eurasian Beauty Journal.
