Rare Beauty’s New Perfume Is the Modern Take on Gourmand We Needed—See Photos

Smelling Rare Eau de Parfum is like seeing the Mona Lisa for the first time. (Stay with us here.) You might be captivated by the woman’s overall expressiveness, while a friend fixates on her enigmatic smile. Another observer in the crowd might be struggling to find the smile your friend sees so clearly, while the person next to them is busy admiring how the shadows hit the painting just so. Team Allure erupted into a similarly nuanced debate when a sample of Rare Eau de Parfum—which blends very different notes like caramel, ginger, and musk—landed in our office.

“It smells like cookies at my grandma’s house,” said one staffer. Another likened it to “bubbly champagne.” Someone else called it “powdery,” while I was struck by the use of pink pepper. One thing we could agree on: Rare Eau de Parfum moved us—so much so that we’ve awarded it our One to Watch seal ahead of the fragrance’s official launch on August 7.

About the Fragrance

Rare Eau de Parfum is unlike Selena Gomez’s past forays into fragrance. It isn’t at all floral, like the scent of Rare Beauty’s Find Comfort or Awaken Body and Hair Mists, nor is it fruity-sweet like the eponymous perfume she released in 2012. This blend combines multiple gourmand notes (caramel, pistachio, cocoa, vanilla, and tonka beans), aromas from your spice rack (pink pepper and ginger), and featherlight “second skin” scents (sandalwood and musks). “With this being our first eau de parfum, I wanted to create something that felt warm and comforting but also unexpected,” says Gomez. “I love the balance of sweet and spicy, and the ginger gives it a little edge too.”

The resulting fragrance is unique to you. “We wanted to reimagine vanilla as something warm and more modern. It’s soft but not too sweet, nostalgic but still unexpected,” says perfumer Jérôme Epinette, who collaborated with Gomez to create the eau de parfum. “It’s a scent that feels personal, but could work for anyone, anytime.” (Epinette is also the nose behind fragrance hits like Byredo Blanche and Sol de Janiero Cheirosa 62.)

It was essential for Gomez that the bottle be easy to hold and spray. “I know how frustrating it can be when a product looks beautiful but is difficult to open or use,” she says. (In 2023, Gomez shared that a medication she takes to manage her lupus caused her hands to shake.) “We worked with certified hand therapists and tested multiple prototypes to make sure the bottle was accessible. The wide top was also an intentional choice for anyone to spray it comfortably.”

I Tried It

Jesa Marie Calaor

Jesa Marie Calaor

I am a gourmand-hater. Strong words, I know. But I was a teen in the early aughts, when edible beauty lines existed and cloying, cupcake-like scents ruled the beauty aisles. I haven’t been able to stomach sweet scents since. But a spritz of Rare left me bewildered in a good way. Yes, there were five (five!) sweet notes, but it never smelled too sweet. Its ginger and pink pepper gave the juice a zing, while musk made it smell comforting. It strikes the perfect balance of sweet and sensual—starting syrupy and heady, but fading to a muskier, cleaner scent that’s personal to me.