Gap’s much-anticipated fragrance reboot launches Thursday, and fans have already registered both excitement and trepidation.
Some aficionados of the original scents from the ’90s worry the remake won’t be up to snuff, according to comments on the brand’s Instagram page. They may be pleased to know that Honorine Blanc, an award-winning perfumer who worked on the original Gap fragrances, is part of the team that developed the re-release.
Nicole Mancini, who works with Blanc at perfume-development firm DSM-Firmenich, and John Demsey, Gap Inc. executive director of beauty, also led the team.
There have been changes, though. The new iterations were developed as eau de parfums that complement each other, making them suitable for layering.
“We were rigorous about the technical journey, maintaining the core DNA of the original scents while modernizing the formulations for how people actually wear fragrance today,” Deb Redmond, head of beauty at Gap Inc., said in a statement.
The five scents include four originals — Dream, Grass, Heaven and Om – and new entrant Harmony.
Dream “returns closest to its original form, a warm, woody scent with fresh notes of Italian bergamot, jasmine and cedarwood,” the company said Monday. Grass’ notes include green mandarin, matcha and Virginia cedar. Heaven is “built around a proprietary amber molecule and brightened with crisp pear, Madagascar vanilla and patchouli.” Om has "rich notes of ginger, sandalwood and cedar.” And Gap calls Harmony “the most playful of the five,” with notes of apricot, gardenia and amber.
The fragrances will be at all Gap stores nationwide and online Thursday, each available in a 10-ml size for $20 and a 50-ml size for $52. A five-piece kit of .05-ounce samples will be $20.
Last year, Gap Inc. CEO Richard Dickson called beauty a “sleeper” category that would yield high margins and attract new customers and soon after brought in a slate of executives to back that up.
But turning to the past can be tricky.
Gap has been leaning into nostalgia with mixed results lately. Its polyester summer-weight version of the iconic stripes that originally adorned wool and cotton knits was roundly panned. But a ’90s-inspired denim capsule with Hailey Bieber “sold out shortly after launch and generated strong social engagement across platforms,” according to research last week from Jefferies analysts. More broadly, the denim collection was “another encouraging data point in Gap's ongoing effort to restore brand authority and cultural relevance,” they said.
