In October 2023, Beyoncé dropped the news that fans would soon be able to smell exactly like she did during her 2022 Renaissance world tour. The launch of Cé Noir — her first fragrance in nearly a decade — offered a new sensory experience aligned with the disco/dancehall world she created through the album’s music. And exactly one year later, she’s doing it again. Yesterday, the Cowboy Carter singer announced the arrival of the Cé Lumière perfume, and it just might be a fragrant peek into Beyoncé’s latest era.
The Grammy-winning artist and Cécred haircare founder shared the news yesterday via a few posts on her Instagram feed. First, she gave a closer look at the bottle, an Art Deco style vessel with a circular “window” that appears to be a gold version of Cé Noir (which of course was encased in “Renaissance silver”). Both the scent and the bottle were designed by Beyoncé herself, and in her unboxing of her previous fragrance, she explained the aesthetic by saying, “I wanted something monolithic and I wanted something to have a little bit of intimacy, so right here you can see inside the soul of the perfume.”
The singer also gave what could be a preview of campaign artwork to come, with a silhouette of Bey’s bust in front of an amber backdrop. She captioned the post, “Some day you’re gonna shine on your own,” which is a lyric from the song “Protector” off of her most recent album, Cowboy Carter. Could this mean Cé Lumière is inspired by her country roots? Very possibly.
Another clue about what the fragrance could be like is in the name. Whereas Cé Noir is French for “this black”, her new perfume translates to “this light” which seems to indicate warmth and radiance. But thankfully you don’t have to go into this purchase totally blind. Beyoncé’s site breaks down exactly what notes comprise Cé Lumière. In contrast to her previous perfume — a sweet, citrus-y, and rose-forward scent — this one sounds much more exotic and worldly. With top notes of Madagascar black pepper and Italian mandarin essential oil, a heart of jasmine sambac absolute and rhubarb, and a base of Indonesian patchouli and skin musk (one of the biggest fragrance trends popularized by Glossier You and D.S. & Durga’s I Don’t Know What), it’s poised to be so cozy for fall and winter.
The fragrance marks Beyoncé’s fourth major business endeavor outside of music this year alone. In addition to launching Cécred in February, she previewed a Levi’s partnership and announced her new whiskey brand SirDavis just last month.
Cé Lumière is currently available for pre-order for $160 on Bey’s official website and is estimated to start shipping next month. It will certainly be a must-have item this holiday for her devoted fans and fragrance fanatics alike.
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