Hanae Mori will launch in September its first major women’s fragrance since the Hanae Mori Butterfly scent a decade ago. The new venture, Magical Moon, is estimated to do about $5 million in retail sales the first year in limited distribution.
Magical Moon will make its debut exclusively at Nordstrom and select Bloomingdale’s, and in November will be rolled out to roughly 300 U.S. doors of Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Sephora and select Macy’s. The fragrance will be available in the Middle East and Europe by October and in Canada by November.
Magical Moon is Mori’s fourth scent, following Butterfly for men and women, and a niche women’s scent, Haute Couture.
Magical Moon is positioned completely differently. “From the beginning, the fragrance was inspired by the full moon and the ancient lunar calendar — everything from timing of the harvest for the ingredients we used to create the fragrance to the bottle’s packaging to the fragrance name,” said Thomas Saujet, president of International Cosmetics & Perfumes Inc., a New York company that holds the worldwide license for Hanae Mori Parfums. “The fragrance is representative of the mystery, power and effect a full moon has on individuals.”
The formula has a linear, rather than a triangular, structure. The notes include rose, sugar cane, cotton flower, coconut milk, vanilla, white musk, white sandalwood, red cedar, incense, litchi, patchouli, pineapple pulp, guava nectar, star fruit, orange flowers, pink berries and osmanthus flowers, which Saujet said are known as “moon flowers” because they only blossom and release scents during the evening. He said the fragrance is a “soft Oriental scent, but on the more floral and sweeter side.”
The lineup will include an eau de toilette, an eau de parfum and a parfum spray. A 1.7-oz. EDT is $65, a 1.7-oz. EDP is $95 and the 1-oz. parfum spray is $110. A body cream will be available early next year.
The blue rectangular glass bottle, produced by Pochet, is engraved with the fragrance’s name and topped with a sculpted glass moon cap. The bottle is also adorned with blue moonstone, “an earth gem known for its power to induce love and attraction,” said Saujet.
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In the Eighties and Nineties, Mori built a $500 million worldwide fashion empire. Saujet said a portion of the fragrance’s U.S. proceeds will be used to buy environmental science textbooks for public high school students. The company’s effort was inspired by Caroline Kennedy, who has encouraged companies to support public schools, said Saujet. The company will not allocate a strict percentage of revenues to buy texts, but will adopt a class or school and provide the students with books.