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Kenzo ? ~ new fragrance

Posted by Robin on 5 November 2008 52 Comments

Nameless Kenzo perfumeKenzo's next perfume, which shall remain nameless (because it has no name), was developed by perfumer Aurelien Guichard and is an interpretation of the scent of skin.

The bottle, designed by artist and architect Ron Arad, is meant to fit in the palm of one hand. It will be displayed later this month at a restrospective of Arad's work at the Centre Pompidou in Paris; the fragrance will launch at Kenzo boutiques next March. (via glamourparis, elle.fr)

Update (5/09): the scent is for sale now as a limited edition at the Kenzo website (France), and is called "Parfum Objet Non Identifie". The notes include orange blossom, rose, incense and vanilla. 188€ for 40 ml.

Another update (8/09): in the US, the name will be Unidentified Fragrance Object. It will launch in August at Bergdorf Goodman and Kenzo's US website, and will be $188. A longer description of the Unidentified Fragrance Object scent:

The perfume is not defined by the traditional olfactory pyramid of top, heart and base notes. Its structure is a balance between a powerful heart, “the marble accord”, and four natural raw ingredients that add facets to the note. The floral notes (orange blossom, Bulgarian rose) add femininity, tenderness and elegance. Frankincense intensifies the pure, mineral character of the lingering notes. Vanilla amplifies intimacy and sensuality.

Shown below is designer Rod Aran with the Kenzo UFO bottle. (via press release)

Ron Arad with Kenzo UFO

And yet another update: see a review of Kenzo UFO.

Filed Under: new fragrances
Tagged With: aurelien guichard, kenzo, limited edition, ron arad

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52 Comments

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  1. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 3:04 pm

    I'm interpreting this as “We have a cool bottle, and no ideas about juice.”

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  2. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 3:14 pm

    *sigh*
    Did we learn nothing from the whole artist-formerly-known-as-Prince-and-now-known-as-Prince-again-because-godammit-things-have-to-have-names debacle?

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  3. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 3:14 pm

    LOL — possibly, but also quite possible that the juice is fabulous and the current emphasis is on the bottle because of the upcoming Arad retrospective and the fact that it doesn't go on sale until next March? We'll have to wait and see.

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  4. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 3:15 pm

    One thing is clear — they don't care about those of us who live by Google and therefore need names :-)

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  5. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 4:31 pm

    Oh, THIS will be fun to search for online. Do they not think of the needs of bloggers?!? >sob< I don't care. I still want it. I admit it. PS Still no signs of Amour parfum, may have to buy it.

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  6. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 5:28 pm

    what a neat bottle- i take it you push the side of the top-loop?

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  7. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 5:31 pm

    March, really? I didn't make it to the mall AGAIN — but still hoping to go any day now. Hope it's there :-(

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  8. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 5:35 pm

    I assume so. Looks like I'd spray it in my eye for sure.

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  9. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 6:24 pm

    Nameless? I'm not sure what kind of marketing they have at Kenzo, but that just sounds so silly. Unless it's not a nameless perfume, but it's name is “nameless” then I'll understand.

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  10. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 7:07 pm

    Perhaps it comes with a pair of safety goggles.

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  11. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 7:08 pm

    It's the perfume that dare not speak its name.

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  12. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 7:09 pm

    the bottle is nice, looks like it's inspired by mobius strip

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  13. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 9:49 pm

    I'm unswayed by the name issue.

    I'm interested in the perception of the scent of skin… we all have unique skin scents that change with different conditions, so I'm interested in a universal interpretation. I wonder if this is wearable. A skin scent I would find wearable has to have a salty, clean element and a hint of sweetness. I don't want to smell like a musky underarm, but the scent at the nape of a neck is intriguing. This should be interesting.

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  14. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:02 pm

    The Voldemort of perfumes.

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  15. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:16 pm

    I'd buy a perfume that came with safety goggles.

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  16. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Depends on whose nape we're talking about, of course.

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  17. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:17 pm

    LOL!

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  18. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:18 pm

    Hey, it does!

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  19. Anonymous says:
    5 November 2008 at 10:39 pm

    [ ] !

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  20. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 2:30 am

    So we'll just have to call it Kenzo by Kenzo? Like Gucci eau de parfum, Gucci eau de parfum II, Gucci by Gucci, Gucci by Gucci toilette and so on ad nauseam? It's confusing and pointless. If it doesn't have a name and scent (smells of skin – why do I need to spray another skin on top of my skin?), does it exist at all?

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  21. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 4:11 am

    It may be nameless but I still want it! Bottle looks more like something Comme des Garcons would produce…

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  22. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 6:23 am

    It's gonna be difficult to aks for it as a gift. But the bottle is so unique! I want one, especially because lately I've been apreciating some kenzo fragrances.

    About Kenzo Amour parfum, it has arrived here and some friends have told me that it smells exactly like Brit Gold

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  23. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 7:08 am

    I appreciate the bottles getting cooler and cooler to the point of becoming works of art, but surely a fragrance is by definition a SMELL, no? You're not wearing the bottle…

    I wonder when this sh*t-in-a-great bottle trend wil turn to “work-of-art-fragrance-in-a-bottle”?

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  24. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 7:14 am

    That's a really ugly bottle.

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  25. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 7:38 am

    OK so this is by Aurelian Guichard (of Chinatown and the new Visa fame), that's one tick, Kenzo who even if I don't always like them usually put out something interesting so another tick and a cool bottle (again that Kenzo thing) another tick, and a skin scent? What's not to like? It has my interest :-)

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  26. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 7:39 am

    Well, imho, this just strikes me as pretentious. Or perhaps I'm just not hip enough. The scent of skin? Whose skin? This sort of scares me. lol

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  27. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:15 am

    I must admit that this is one case where I care less about the juice and more about the bottle. It peeks my imagination as to what other architect-designed-bottles we might see in the futur??

    Frank Gehry comes to mind…

    I. M. Pei?

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  28. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:21 am

    It brings to mind the same type of visual images as the “Das Parfum” book from Patrick Süskind (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

    Killing young girls just to get the smell out or their skin….in order to produce a parfume

    LOL

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  29. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:41 am

    Brit Gold, really? Oh dear. Hope I can find some this weekend, and hope it isn't quite like Brit Gold — although I thought Brit Gold was really nicely done.

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  30. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:42 am

    I don't know what they'll call it! Maybe they'll name it before it goes on sale next year.

    And hey, that's the ultimate conceptual perfume, no? Smells like your skin and has no name.

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  31. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:43 am

    It's a great design — as are many of the Kenzo scents.

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  32. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:44 am

    Again though, I think we may hear more about the juice before it launches next year. I assume they're only releasing info about it now because of the Arad exhibit.

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  33. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:44 am

    Do you hate it? I like it. Want to see it in plastic colors too, like the Amour bottles.

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  34. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 11:18 am

    It has my interest too.

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  35. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 11:18 am

    There are a number of “scent of skin” fragrances out lately. Perhaps it is pretentious, I don't know.

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  36. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 11:19 am

    I still haven't been able to bring myself to see that movie! Loved the book though.

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  37. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 11:22 am

    Seems like we've had quite a few of them lately, although all that pops to mind at the moment is that YSL bottle:

    https://nstperfume.com/blog/_archives/2008/2/28/3539741.html

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  38. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 1:21 pm

    *spews tea*

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  39. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 2:51 pm

    HA! I never thought of that. The difital age is cruel indeed to those with artistic temperament.

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  40. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 4:05 pm

    The scent of skin? This should be interesting! With all the amazing technology coming out, let's see how this affects our world-the world of scent!
    Cheers,
    Scentcat

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  41. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 4:11 pm

    Somewhere in one of the Science magazines (maybe it was Wired Magazine) I read that scientists are looking for ways to profile people for law enforcement agencies by taking peoples' “scent fingerprints”, so to speak. What with all this latest high-technology, it makes one wonder!

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  42. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 5:35 pm

    Ok, I will give it a name:

    “The perfume formerly known as Kenzo with a bottle in the shape of the infinity sign”

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  43. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:23 pm

    Read that. Perhaps you can throw them off w/ a “skin scent” ;-)

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  44. Anonymous says:
    6 November 2008 at 9:29 pm

    You really should be in marketing.

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  45. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 12:27 am

    I'll guess that they'll name it Skin by Kenzo.

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  46. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 8:03 am

    Maybe!

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  47. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 8:04 am

    I'm not sure they're doing any technologically new or different w/ this one, but perhaps.

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  48. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 8:08 am

    :-)

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  49. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 9:03 am

    I've found this information about the bottle and the juice:

    The bottle is meant to espouse the shape of one's thumb. The perfume is inspired by the smell of the scent of Aurélien Guichard mother's skin.

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  50. Anonymous says:
    7 November 2008 at 1:41 pm

    Thanks! Hope we get more info — notes, etc — soon.

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  51. Lammy says:
    30 June 2009 at 11:24 am

    i just joined this site recently.
    actually no – i joined this site a while now but havent commented yet.
    this perfume is intriguing.
    Nameless is a twist.
    looking forward to smelling it!

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    • Robin says:
      30 June 2009 at 12:10 pm

      Hi and welcome! I don’t know how widely they’re going to distribute it…have not seen it in the US at all yet.

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