Jennifer Lopez is having a milestone year.
The music and fashion icon, who turned 50 in July, recently shut down Milan Fashion Week with a reminder of the pivotal moment that inspired Google Images. Lopez closed out Versace’s spring 2020 show wearing a reimagined version of the same jungle-inspired Versace dress she first wore to the 2000 Grammy Awards. She has also been garnering Oscars buzz for her role as Ramona, a veteran stripper, in the film “Hustlers,” and was confirmed today to perform at the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show. Now, she is also launching her 25th fragrance.
Promise is the 25th installment in Lopez’s successful fragrance franchise — and is a new pillar for the brand. The franchise has done more than $2 billion in retail sales since its launch in 2002, according to industry sources. About 65 percent of those sales are said to have come from Lopez’s Glow by JLo fragrance, which continues to be one of the most successful fragrance launches to date and is widely credited with changing the celebrity fragrance market.
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“There have been so many moments in my life where I have made promises to myself — to give my all, do my best, be true to myself, never give up,” said Lopez. “No matter what obstacles stood in my way, I stayed true to my promises, and I believe they helped shaped who I am and where I am today. This fragrance embodies my promises and aims to inspire every woman who has ever doubted herself and struggled along the way.”
“Jennifer herself is a businesswoman,” said Dilesh Mehta, chairman and chief executive officer of Designer Parfums, which acquired Lopez’s fragrance license in 2017. “She’s strongly involved in the whole development process, from concept, creation to the final product. Literally, Jennifer is in the bottle. Jennifer Lopez is well-known for a high quality of fragrance from previous launches. They are very personal to her and each one represents an iconic moment in her career.”
Lopez’s fragrance franchise, said Mehta, is expected to grow by 30 percent “not only via the new launch, but also via the existing. It’s one of the fastest license growth in my portfolio.”
“This is a passion project for me,” said Lopez. “Promise embodies everything I am, not just as a performer, but as a person, as a mother and as a daughter. A brand is a promise — and this brand is very personal to me.”
“Working with the force that is Jennifer Lopez to create something truly unique in the category has been inspiring,” said Parag Vidyarthi, managing director of Designer Parfums. “As the ultimate visionary and creative partner, Jennifer was steadfast in her pursuit to ensure Promise delivers the powerful emotional fragrance experience women are seeking.”
Promise launched exclusively at Ulta online starting Thursday and will be released in stores nationwide on Sept. 28. The scent, a collaboration between Lopez’s team and Robertet, contains floral and woody notes, opening with Italian tangerine, pink berries and nashi pear, and unraveling to orris, jasmine sambac, honeysuckle and eventually, sandalwood and cashmere wood infused with crystallized amber. Pricing begins at $45 for a 1 fluid oz. bottle, $55 for 1.7 fluid ounces and $65 for 3.4 fluid ounces.
“Jennifer is a true icon and inspiration to so many,” said Tara Simon, senior vice president of merchandising at Ulta Beauty. “Everything she does is amazing, and we could not be more thrilled to exclusively introduce Promise to U.S. consumers.”
Lopez teased the launch of Promise Wednesday afternoon on Instagram Stories to her 101 million followers. She hinted at an experiential event in support of the launch that kicked off Thursday evening.
“We’ve developed a comprehensive 360-degree campaign to excite Jennifer’s fans,” said Noreen Dodge, chief marketing officer of Luxe Brands. “It started with Jennifer herself. She is inviting fans to a truly one-of-a-kind, two-day pop-up and immersive experience in New York, which is going to be absolutely unbelievable.”
The first day of the pop-up kicked off Thursday evening with a VIP and press event. Lopez and her team invited her fans to sign up for a chance to attend the event — only 25 were selected — before it opens to the public today. Dodge said within one hour of Lopez’s announcement, they were receiving “thousands of entries” per minute.
Lopez’s franchise is one of the strongest in the Designer Parfums portfolio, which also includes Playboy, Ariana Grande, Naomi Campbell, Cerruti 1881 and Ghost. The star’s demographic is primarily U.S.-based, though as both Mehta and Dodge noted, her brand is global.
“Demographically, people from 18 years old to 50 years old are buying her fragrance,” said Mehta. “This is a very wide demographic to capture. Her fragrance business is constantly evolving with her and this is the success.”
“Jennifer’s such a global icon that she transcends age, ethnicity, she’s an inspiration to all of us,” said Dodge. “Whether you’re speaking to someone who is 19, 25, 45 or 50, everyone loves Jennifer. The opportunity and the target is so broad.”
More from WWD.com:
Jennifer Lopez Closes Versace Spring 2020 Show in Iconic Green Dress
All Aboard the Stripwear Bus: Inside the ‘Hustlers’ Fashion Journey
A Look at Jennifer Lopez’s Iconic Fashion Moments
Watch as the costume designer for “Hustlers” takes WWD aboard his stripwear bus.