Millennial minded beauty brand Glossier may boast many a cult product, but the buzziest member of the family isn’t a skincare staple or make-up essential. The brand’s signature scent, You, has garnered a remarkable fanbase since launching in 2017, uniting fragrance lovers of all ages and olfactory predilections.
So popular is the signature ‘you, but better’ scent, the brand’s sizeable social-media community has been requesting it in candle form for many years now. Rumours have rumbled – and a miniature travel candle did appear as part of a festive gift set last year – but now, Glossier has finally announced the launch of a full-sized You scented candle.
The Glossier You candle, and its Orange Blossom Neroli counterpart, are permanent additions to the Glossier line-up, and come housed in joyful pink and red vessels embossed simply with that trademark logo. The wax blend is soy and coconut-based, and delivers up to 45 hours of burn time.
So, what makes You such an inimitable aroma? A soft, cosy scent, it’s built around key notes of ambrette seeds, ambrox, iris and musk: think cashmere sweaters and comforting warmth. Perfumer Dora Baghriche, who created You alongside Frank Voelkl, calls these notes “skin-smell enhancers, meaning they don't hide or conceal the smell of your skin, but play with it.”
This is exactly why You is believed to smell a little different on everyone. “Some will be vectors for musks, others the earthy iris, and on many you can really smell the powdery effect of the ambrette,” explains Baghriche. Serendipitously, all of these olfactory comfort blankets translate perfectly to a home fragrance too.
Perfume is, of course, a truly subjective topic: some are loyal to florals, while others are enamoured by oud – which is exactly why You's crowd-pleasing nature is so unusual.
“It's true, Glossier You is one of the rare perfumes that achieves unanimity,” says Baghriche. “No other perfume that I’ve ever created reaches this general approval among people that have very different tastes. However, it’s not what we call a ‘commercial perfume’, designed to please everyone. That's the paradox and the beauty of it.”
In fact, when Baghriche and Voelkl first created You, they hadn’t expected it to be a hit. "I said, 'we will not sell more than two bottles of this one, it’s too strange, too simple, too far from actual tastes,'” says Baghriche. How does she explain the success? “With the benefit of hindsight, I would point to the high quality and purity of the ingredients used, and the vibration of the composition. It's like several ‘silent’ ingredients create a universal symphony when interacting together. There is an emotion here that everyone can relate to.”
Indeed, the draw of You is subtle yet powerful: it doesn’t enter a room before you do, nor does it divide opinion. As Baghriche says, “it’s not shouting, it’s just present. No bling, just feelings.”
