Why the second fragrance is the new second album

The ‘difficult second album’ is a common trope in music. Artists have their whole lives to work on their first album, then their sophomore release can often fall flat, feeling rushed and less authentic. I think the same can be said for the world of celebrity fragrances.

Stay with me. Celebrity perfumes have had a comeback in recent years. Gone are the sickly-sweet scents of the early 00s, which saw everyone with a modicum of success release a perfume with their name tied to it. These rushed scents have been replaced by well-thought-out fragrances, created in collaboration with respected ‘noses’ from the perfume world.

But in the same way musicians struggle with the tricky second album, after a rip-roaring success of a first foray into fragrance, the second scent in a celeb’s repertoire is often found lacking.

The difficult second scent 

Take Cosmic by Kylie Jenner. Kylie’s first fragrance was a game changer. It was warm and comforting, with creamy notes of vanilla and sensual amber. It lasted for hours and was the first fragrance I spent my own money on in a long time when it launched back in 2024. It has none of the trappings of a celeb scent.

So, I was excited about Cosmic 2.0, which launched a year later, but I was sorely disappointed. It smelled exactly like the A-list-fronted fragrances of my teenage years. Sweet, pungent and with nothing happening underneath. Needless to say, the shiny silver bottle still sits on my shelf, almost full and gathering dust, while the first iteration is long gone.

Fellow beauty journalists agreed that Cosmic 2.0 was a flop, with one fellow fragrance fan and Kylie devotee messaging me to say it was a “letdown”.

Another celebrity who fell into the difficult second scent trap was JLo. Her first scent, Glow by JLo, launched in 2002 and changed the celebrity fragrance game. It was warm and vanilla-y, but not childlike or sweet. It was sensual, like JLo herself, and she went on to release 14 iterations of the scent. But her second scent, Live, released in 2005, failed to make an impact.

I’ll include Taylor Swift in here, too. Though the billionaire has long distanced herself from having a fragrance line, her Wonderstruck scent, released in 2011, was very on brand for the star at that age, with a charm bracelet attached to the fairytale-inspired bottle.

I wore the scent and loved it, but her second fragrance, simply named ‘Taylor’, released in 2013 failed to make an impact. I don’t even remember seeing it on the shelves of Superdrug, home of the budget celeb scent.

A different approach

Clearly aware that celeb scents, specifically the second one, can be challenging, Bella Hadid made sure her second scent wouldn’t flop by launching her Orebella line with four scents, meaning there was no chance of a difficult second one. She dropped four perfumes at once in May 2024: Window2Soul, Salted Muse, Night Cap and Blooming Fir.

Kylie has obviously seen the error of her ways, too. She launched Cosmic Intense earlier this year, and last month announced she was dropping three new fragrances, named Kylie Jenner Mood Stones – not body mists, which she also has in her line, but three new scents entirely. (I’ve got them all, they’re all divine and receive compliments every time I try them).

Bucking the trend?

So, with the obvious challenges of second scents, I was intrigued to see Selena Gomez unveil the second fragrance from her Rare Beauty line, Rare Beginnings Eau de Parfum, earlier this month.

I’ve been waiting to get my hands on it, but it was sold out at Space NK and Sephora (the only Rare Beauty stockists in the UK) and a sample only arrived at my house yesterday.

Comments online note that it was a total sellout, too, with fans patiently waiting for a restock.

Selena’s first scent, Rare Eau De Parfum, launched in summer 2025 and was an instant hit, loved as much for its unique, accessible packaging, created for people with mobility issues, as it is for the creamy caramel and pistachio scent with rich vanilla and sandalwood.

The new iteration says it is ‘a fruity floral wrapped in creamy sweetness’ with juicy pear nectar, gardenia and jasmine, settling into warm vanilla bean. Selena says it “feels bright, sweet, and full of hope.”

My thoughts on Rare Beauty Rare Beginnings

With top notes of pear, I was expecting something akin to Jo Malone London’s English Pear & Freesia (not my fave fragrance of theirs), but Selena’s Rare Beginnings doesn’t smell hugely of pear on first spray. I detected floral notes more, with gardenia shining through, rather than fruity notes.

My boyfriend immediately said it smells like something else that I wear; I suggested it was akin to the first Rare Beauty scent, but we realised it’s actually YSL’s Black Opium – which Reddit commenters compare Rare Beginnings to, as well.

It’s a juicy take on the sweet scents that are everywhere at the moment, moving the gourmand trend along a little.

Personally, I’d have launched this in spring rather than late summer; it’s fresh and vibrant, rather than the cosy scents many of us reach for during the turn of the season, but September is the ultimate time for new beginnings, so I see what Selena was thinking.

Will this become a new signature scent for me? Probably not; I’m still a devotee of the original iteration, but if you’re after a fresher take on Selena’s scent, this isn’t a flop by any means.