‘You’ll Never Forget It’: A First Look At Rihanna’s New Fenty Fragrance

Close your eyes and think about it: What does Rihanna smell like? Does she smell like exotic florals, ocean spray? Does she smell like new private jet interior, golden Fenty Body Lava, and the faintest hint of smoke? Lil Nas X once said she smelled “like heaven” so expectations are sky-high, but the mystery is about to be solved once and for all. In a new Instagram post (and accompanying photoshoot featuring some of Rihanna’s coolest hair yet), an announcement heralding Fenty Parfum’s imminent arrival is already shaking the Internet to its very core. Though the fragrance doesn’t launch ‘til August 10, the waitlist to be the first to try is already filling up — which is absolutely expected considering how long-awaited Fenty’s first fragrance really is.

In a new first look at the upcoming unisex scent, Rihanna reveals that Fenty Parfum is a fragrance experience designed for everyone, several years in the making. The mogul traveled to Grasse, France to meet with LVMH Master Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud on Fenty Eau de Parfum’s scent story and creation. Rihanna personally picked each note and ingredient, inspired by her favorite places and memories: magnolia, musk, tangerine, blueberry, Bulgarian rose absolute, geranium, and patchouli — the perfect naughty-nice combination, especially considering it’s coming from the Bad Gal herself. “That’s the thing I love the most,” Rihanna shares in a press release. “It’s an experience, it’s a memory, encapsulated into a fragrance. One smell, you’ll never forget it.” The perfume retails for $120.

The bottle’s full-glory reveal comes just days after Fenty Beauty’s teaser trailer for the fragrance, which offered just a sneak peek of “Something sensual, confident yet sexxy ✨coming your way very soon...😉” The bottle is a heavy amber glass and — just as she hand-selected the notes — designed by Rihanna was very specific intentions. “I wanted a rich color that really represented all genders from across all walks of life. Brown is my favorite color. Brown is who I am. Brown is what I come from,” Rihanna explains in a press release. “If I’m going to make a fragrance that represents me, even the body language of the bottles needs to marry that. So I wanted something brown, but also transparent — so you could see the liquid and the fragrance you’re about to experience.” ‌

Though Fenty Parfum is the brand’s first perfume release, it’s not Rihanna’s first fragrance rodeo by any stretch. She’s released a series of scents with fragrance licensers under her famous mononym, including best-sellers like Reb’l Fleur, Riri, Crush, and Nude by Rihanna, all released with international beauty brand Parlux. This upcoming launch seems like her most personal scent yet, though, releasing new black-and-white photoshoot shots along with the teaser trailer.

As desperate as humanity is for another Rihanna album — ANTI was nearly six years ago — this seems like a pretty fair compromise in the meantime. But at the rate the ever-industrious Rihanna is going (and the way the all-encompassing Fenty Empire continues to expand), don’t be surprised if we get Fenty Healthcare, Fenty Snacks, Fenty Mobile, and Fenty Airlines first. No complaints here.