Christian Louboutin perfume oils launched

A trio of Christian Louboutin perfume oils has been unveiled, adding a new dimension to the iconic shoe designer’s fashion cachet.

And as one would expect, the launch is backed by an edgy multimedia campaign of videos featuring admiring men and print media bordering on the erotic.

But the new scents do not come cheap. A 30ml bottle will set you US$320.

Christian Louboutin’s perfume oils are described as “a new and highly luxurious way” to experience Louboutin’s three signature women’s fragrances: Bikini Questa Sera, Tornade Blonde and Trouble in Heaven.

“The alchemy of precious oil touching the skin produces a scent that is utterly personal to the woman wearing it. The perfume oil is an exceptional elixir containing the highest concentration of fragrance oil and no added water or alcohol, providing a more intimate experience than a conventional form of fragrance,” the designer explains.

The oil features the same unique olfactive construction as the fragrance, which is what Louboutin calls the “ping.”

“The first burst of scent, like the striking of a piano key, is followed by a beautiful resonance of scent as the note echoes its sound. There is one present moment,” he says, “and then there is the trace, le sillage, I think of it as its memory.”

Apparently, Louboutin has always loved the idea of the ritual of beauty, which is why he wanted the perfume oil to be applied with a glass dabber contained within the bottle, so that a woman can ‘stroke’ on the fragrance “in a highly feminine and elegant gesture”.

“Each woman can delight in her own very personal ritual, choosing where to apply the oils: decollete, wrists, collarbone, along her legs, her inner arm, and the nape of her neck.”

The oil is intended to be massaged into the body inviting the pleasure of sensation. It leaves the skin lustrous, enveloping the wearer in a second-skin of perfume. It can be worn alone or layered with the fragrances to heighten the sensory experience, to explore and create new dimensions and nuances of scent, the designer says.

The perfume oil bottle is an objet d’art that is both visually hypnotic and tactile. A collaboration between Christian and Heatherwick Studio, it undulates with harmonious and dynamic energy. A unique and luxurious metallic finish gives the bottles an iridescent, radiant effect and differentiates the oils within the Christian Louboutin fragrance range.