Victoria’s Secret Victoria fragrance: a test drive

By Deborah Fulsang

First impression: Cotton candy, with a slight rubbing-alcohol sharpness which dissipates quickly to pink. So pink. So very, very pink. If I was 12 years old again, I might be intrigued. I’d probably want to wear this with my Uggs and crop top.

Reminds me of: There are too fragrances to name. Sweet, fruity-floral with a trail of caramel-vanilla-brown sugariness. Pretty, touchable, even edible. “Every fragrance that we develop sticks to our core equity which is sexy, confident, feminine, forever young and glamorous,” says Mark Knitowski, VP of fragrances at Victoria’s Secret, when speaking about the scent’s sexy personality.

Knitowski says this is what his customer wants. “It’s not about me, it’s not about anyone within Victoria’s Secret, the brand, but about the customer—what’s her expectations of the brand and what do we do to connect with her like a best friend.” 

Agreed. Fragrance doesn’t have to be rocket science after all.

The facts: Scent wise, Victoria is a fruity-floral; having raspberry, strawberry and Fiji apple top notes; a heart of many roses (Bulgarian, English, Rose Canina and English and French Primrose); and a gourmand base of Madagascar Vanilla, crème brûlée, caramel and praline.

The bottom line: I do like the gourmandy crème brûlée note that lingers in this fragrance. And although, I’m not a huge fan of sweetness in my spritzes, I do appreciate a little sugar. Take for example, Thierry Mugler’s Angel: It’s not my cup of olfactory tea to wear personally, but I dig its break-the-mold boldness and distinct point of view.

Trouble is, I don’t find anything else interesting about Victoria. It’s just nice. And it fades quickly—at least on my skin. I want it to be more indulgent. Sweeter. Decadent. More brûlée. More roses. That would pique my curiosity. After all, “nice” isn’t the first word you think of when someone says “Victoria’s Secret”.

Then again, the perfume’s lasting impressing will, no doubt, owe just as much to the Victoria’s Secret magenta-lace and animal-print pushup bras that its target customer will be wearing as to its fruity-floral molecular composition. The Victoria’s Secret fan will no doubt just love it because it’s pretty and girlie and it’s, well, it’s from Victoria’s Secret.

Hey, if it had sparkle in it, I might even feel obligated to throw on my stilettos and give it two stars.

The rating: ★/★★★★★

Victoria’s Secret Victoria EDP, $68 (50 ml), www.victoriassecret.com

PHOTO: Victoria’s Secret Angel Behati Prinsloo and the new Victoria fragrance.