Think of superstar perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and a long list of heady, intoxicating scents come to mind: Jean Paul Gaultier's Le Male, Dior's L'Or de J'Adore, and Baccarat Rouge 540, the viral hit from his eponymous perfume house Maison Francis Kurkdjian, are just a few examples.
Kurkdjian takes a quick detour from his typical oeuvre with his latest project, shifting focus from stylish sophisticates to greener clientele: babies. Kurkdjian, who joined Dior as director of perfume creation in 2021, has formulated the house's new baby fragrance, Bonne Étoile.
The scent is part of Baby Dior's new bath collection, comprised of cleanser and moisturizer gentle enough for children's skin. While deep, rich notes like amber and patchouli feature heavily in Kurkdjian's past work, Bonne Étoile is light and fresh with soft notes of pear, cotton, and rose. In fact, the fragrance isn't a traditional eau de parfum — it's an eau de senteur, or scented water, an alcohol-free formula that contains a lower concentration of fragrance oils than a traditional EDP or eau de cologne.
Perfume for babies might seem like a newfangled concept, but it's not entirely unprecedented. In 1970, Baby Dior launched its first kid's fragrance, an eau de cologne that helped inform Kurkdjian's new creation. "A children’s eau de senteur is closer to a 'smell' than to a complex fragrance trail," the perfumer said in a press release. "It has to be something very simple, natural and reassuring... I was inspired by a round, soft scent, like the smell of the chubby cheeks of a gorgeous baby."
Frédéric Malle, Creed, and Guerlain are among other luxury fragrance imprints that offer scents geared towards children, ranging from $130 to $340. Dior's Bonne Étoile falls on the higher end of this spectrum, retailing for $230.
It sounds decadent, sure, but splashing Pierre Jr. in Francis Kurkdjian is a surefire way to instill a lifelong appreciation of scent in your child.
