Angelina Jolie hates ‘sweet’ perfumes, prefers ‘earthy & sensual’ fragrances

Rachel McAdams at Doctor Strange Premiere in Hollywood

A few months ago, the first print-ad images for Angelina Jolie’s Mon Guerlain campaign were released, and I was unimpressed. Thankfully, I thought the first commercial from the campaign was really good. Angelina twirled her way into making me think that I would maybe like to sniff Mon Guerlain. In any case, Angelina is donating all of the money from this contract to charity, but she’s still promoting the contract like everything else. She gave an exclusive and lengthy interview to Hello Mag where she talks about the scent, her children, her late mother and more. The whole piece is absolutely worth a read – go here. Some highlights:

Why she agreed to do a Guerlain contract: “Because it was a brand my mother loved, and that I knew from my childhood. It spoke to her, as it does to me, of beauty, history and quality. It’s the oldest perfume house in the world, from France, a country I love and feel to connected to and spend time in. As I talked to Guerlain about the artistry they devote to the making of the perfume and the way they work in communities, sourcing their ingredients, the pieces came together and I felt we were a match.”

What her mother used: “My mother was a very natural woman. She never spoiled herself, never wore make-up, and wore modest jewellery, but she always had a few special items for when she wanted to feel like a lady. One of those special items – and I remember it because it seemed so elegant – was her Guerlain powder (Ladies in All Climates). I think it speaks of all women having those few special things that make them feel feminine. And so when I was a little girl, I would associate Guerlain with that.”

Meeting with perfumer Thierry Wasser, who created Mon Guerlain. “We met in Cambodia and spoke about wanting to create something that would be elegant – like Guerlain – and something that I could truly stand by. I needed to be sure it was a scent I loved, or I would not encourage other women to buy it… I love the lavender and jasmine mixed with the sandalwood. I don’t like perfumes that are too strong or sweet. I like a fragrance that is earthy and sensual and can be worn at any time.”

Whether her beauty regimen is high or low maintenance. “Low. Six kids and no time.”

Her signature make-up. “Under eye concealer to cover dark circles.”

Her fearlessness about ageing: “Maybe because my last decade has included many health scares and a focus on raising children, I am simply happy to be healthy, and above all that the children are healthy. There is nothing else to fear. It makes life clear.”

We need a more beauty diversity: “Of course. Our diversity is our strength. What a dull and pointless life it would be if everyone was the same.”

How she defines femininity: “I think it is personal to every woman. So many women I know are so completely different from each other. My daughters are. There is no simple description. It is that mystery and diversity. But I suppose femininity is that softer side of ourselves, that we all like to indulge at times.”

Her humanitarian work informs her artistic work & vice versa: “As it has been in my life for many years, one feeds the other. It is a joy to be an artist but it doesn’t mean very much unless that work is somehow useful in some way and contributes to others. I am very fortunate that I have the ability to be able to do creative work that can in turn fund development programs and help other people, because just being creative or just making money adds up to a very empty life if it has no purpose.”

Where she sees herself in 10 years: “I imagine I will spend my days traveling from country to country to visit our children, who I expect will live around the world. I think some will be interested in the international work I do, and I would love to partner with them as I continue. I imagine I will be less involved in film and be focused more on family and foreign affairs.”

What makes her truly happy: “The sound of Zahara’s laugh. She is one of those people who laughs with her whole body. Completely open and full of joy.”

[From Hello Magazine]

Hello also asks her about where the Guerlain money is going, and she basically says that it’s going towards the foundations she already has set up in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Namibia. In Cambodia, she funds a TB program, in Namibia, the foundation does a lot with conservation and wildlife sanctuaries and more. As for the rest of it… I like the story about her mom and the Guerlain powder. I like her vision of herself in a decade, fading away from Hollywood but leaning in even more to her humanitarian work. I like that she seems to throw a little bit of shade at people who are “just being creative or just making money” because they have “a very empty life if it has no purpose.”

Rachel McAdams at Doctor Strange Premiere in Hollywood

Screencaps from the ‘Mon Guerlain’ commercial.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

37 Responses to “Angelina Jolie hates ‘sweet’ perfumes, prefers ‘earthy & sensual’ fragrances”

Comments are Closed

We close comments on older posts to fight comment spam.

  1. Maya says:

    What a gorgeous and classy woman and she fits perfectly with Guerlain.

    I personally don’t like strong or sweet scents as they give me headaches.

    • Peeking in says:

      My absolute favourite perfume is Mandarin Basilic from Guerlain. It’s citrus based and very light. Can’t wait to try this one.

  2. Sera says:

    Beautiful!!!! I just love her and am happy she and her family are healthy. I would love to hear Zahara’s laugh.

  3. Tanguerita says:

    Too bad the perfume turned out to be generic department-store crap.

    • bap says:

      Angelina perfume has a wonderful smell. @Tabguerita Guess What Mon Guerlain is selling very well Globally because Angelina is a Global ICON.

      • Prince says:

        Matter of taste.

      • xpresson says:

        I like the smell too… very much as a matter of fact, it is my type of perfume. The campaign Guerlain has embarked upon is huge. They must have spent so much money. When it launched… i was out shopping and everywhere I went they were pushing its sale.

  4. Aiobhan Targaryen says:

    First, the first and last photos in this post are amazing, especially the one where she is looking into the mirror. She looks radiant, focused and content in that photo. This was a good interview.

    I feel the same way about scents, earthy and natural. I really love lavender and sandalwood oils, so this perfume may actually work for me. I will say that sometimes I will buy something that reminds me of food though, like pineapple or lemon body scrub or almond oil/cocoa butter.

  5. Elle says:

    If everybody was genuinely creative then maybe humanitarian crises wouldn’t happen. I cannot imagine an earth -were everybody is attuned to himself and has a healthy outlet for their fears and anger- that has wars.
    That shade was completely unnecessary.

    • Brittney B says:

      That’s very true, but I don’t think “shade” was actually the intent behind what she said. I think she’s speaking to her own experiences; she’s been very open about the fact that her life felt empty until she started doing humanitarian work. I mean, she quite literally spent her early 20s “just being creative” and “just making money”, and she knows she needs to do more in order to feel productive and significant.

      • Eye rolling every day here says:

        Let’s hope so because she says how boring it would be if we were all the same. Somehow all the love for diversity never ever translates into celebrating diversity of thought and opinion.

  6. Pandy says:

    Those are some of my favorite scents so I will have to wander into a store to check it out. I still think she’s had some fillers or something done to her face. It doesn’t quite look like her.

  7. Barrett says:

    I like what she says ab aging and health as the key reminder of happiness.

    That said she a) won the genetic lottery b) has access to the best skincare, lasers,fillers in the world.

    Health issue like early surgical induced menopause will change your skin elasticity. I just hate when rich people don’t reference how lucky they are to afford the best help!

    • Brittney B says:

      She’s not one of those rich people who forget their own privilege, though. Far from it. She even mentions her good fortune a few times in this article, and I think she’s well aware that her lucrative entertainment career is only possible because of genetics, connections, etc… things she can’t control.

      And in her essays about her surgeries, even as she was experiencing major health events, she called out her own privilege and explained she was advocating for women who don’t have access to the same medical resources.

  8. Chetta B. says:

    Actually Houbigant was established in 1775, before Guerlain, which was established in 1828, making Houbigant the oldest house.

  9. QQ says:

    I’m gonna check it out But I still don’t think it’ll be my thing, I’m definitely the sweet/gourmand/floral stuff not so much with rich/woodsy thing

    • xpresson says:

      I really like it… it is not very woodsy or rich. I find it sweet and discreet. Not overpowering at all.

  10. Nibbi says:

    the thing is, and i really wanted to love the perfume and buy it because i love HER and want it to be successful and raise lots of money for her donation… but i just really don’t like it either. to me, vanilla and lavender, besides not being what i consider “earthy” at ALL, are just gross together and kinda cliché when paired. i can indeed see a smoldering sex-bomb amazingness woman like her to be into “earthy” , woody kinda scents, not to mention some light musk which is what i would have expected in an angelina perfume, but whatever i keep smelling in that new perfume ain’t it. it doesn’t feel unique or special at all to me and it turns even worse on my skin. dommage

    • MaryJo says:

      I also wanted to love the perfume and to buy it, because I admire AJ and Guerlain is a top brand with some of the best make-up products. Well, I’ve been given lots and lots of samples and I like the scent, it has a certain earthiness, but it is not one of my favorites and there is a problem: it does not stay, at least on my skin. 🙁

  11. Don't kill me I'm French says:

    Sorry but “Mon Guerlain”is just a reboot of an Guerlain ‘s older parfume from 2015 “Mon exclusif”.
    That smells good but it stays generic because very vanilla-caramel/toffee.It is Not sickly-sweet but it is more a winter perfume for me.

    • Tanguerita says:

      ditto. they just slapped another name on the old concoction that wasn’t particularly good to begin with. Guerlain hasn’t made anything worth smelling in a very long time. But it will probably sell well – her fans will make sure of that. Better their money than mine.

  12. Cee says:

    The scent she describes is my favourite so I will check Mon Guerlain.
    I think most of us can connect our mothers to different smells and items. In my case is Flower by Kenzo and jasmines. It takes me back to my childhood in a second.

    • Delta Juliet says:

      My mother wore perfume MAYBE once a year and it’s Chanel No.5. Smells like absolute HEAVEN on her. I tried it once and it stunk on me. I was so disappointed.

      • doofus says:

        isn’t that funny how a scent on one person will smell TOTALLY different on another? (body chemistry, yah…)

        I remember my aunt telling me how much she loved what I was wearing and when I told her it was Clinique “Happy” she was dumbfounded. “it doesn’t smell like that on ME! it STINKS!”

  13. bap says:

    Haters will continue to dislike whatever she does but the Great Dame Commander will continue her success Globally because she is “The Real Deal”.

  14. Desi says:

    Well, I can sleep at night now. PHEW.

  15. dodgy says:

    My favourite Guerlain perfume is Shalimar. I smell it, and it takes me back to the caribbean, of beeswax, lemon and hints of vanilla.

    • ClaraBelle says:

      I used to hear lots of jokes about Shalimar, not sure why….maybe because it is so very distinctive and rather strong and almost too “sexy” and also…….affordable. But, I have always loved the scent and it’s scent is still pleasantly evocative to me. I think it was probably most popular in the 60’s. (I’m oldl).

      Being reminded of it almost makes me want to purchase some and use it very lightly so only I can smell it and get a good “hit” once in awhile!

  16. Sage says:

    I like what she said about her daughter, that’s sweet.

    I read she passed on a movie to be directed by Ridley Scott…WTF?!?

  17. crazydaisy says:

    Nice interview, but I wonder if Angie knows about the association between talcum powder and ovarian cancer? (Here’s a link to the latest study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28079603) Considering her mother’s genetic predisposition, Angelina’s preemptive surgery, and the value of making informed diet/lifestyle choices to help prevent cancer from expressing itself, the personal story behind this campaign seems painfully ironic to me….

    • Peeking in says:

      Not all body powders are talcum, though. And her mother would have had to use it on her genitals.

  18. Goia says:

    Too bad they test on animals. I am very disappointed.