Beyonce, Coty Beauty Sizzle With ‘Heat’

For their latest fragrance venture, Coty Beauty and the internationally-renowned singing icon Beyoncé Knowles are
getting downright fiery.

Following a six-Grammy sweep two days prior, the songstress jetted to New York on February 2 to introduce her first-ever scent, Heat, at the old Tiffany & Co. store location in Union Square. The entire building was bathed in siren red lights for the occasion.

“It’s woody as well fruity,” Knowles said of Heat, describing the fragrance to a group of journalists gathered from five continents around the globe. “Growing up, my mom cooked a lot of Creole food. She’d do candied yams, but with spice. It’s that combination I was going for—something that was fiery and sensual, but sweet.”  

The juice, created by Givaudan’s Claude Dir and Olivier Gillotin, features top notes of red vanilla orchid, magnolia, neroli and blush peach; a heart of honeysuckle nectar, almond macaroon and crème de musk; and a drydown of giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.

The floral, fruity, woody scent transcends classification, Knowles said, with a long-lasting formulation and a unique texture. “It was also very important that men like this fragrance,” she added.

After debuting with exclusive launch partner Macy’s on January 10, the fragrance is rolling out to additional department stores and perfumeries this month for a total of 2,500 doors. It will be distributed worldwide in July to approximately 50,000 doors.

“This fragrance marks a new milestone for Coty Beauty,” noted the company’s CEO, Bernd Beetz, who, upon meeting Knowles, said he was “captivated by her stunning beauty and tremendous work ethic.”

Nine years ago, he said, the company broke into the celebrity fragrance world with Glow by Jennifer Lopez, which today has sold more than 17 million pieces—a benchmark that he hopes to exceed with Heat.

“Through unprecedented media outreach, Heat will grow the fragrance category,” agreed Steve Mormoris, senior vice president of global marketing for Coty Beauty.

Mormoris also lauded Knowles’ tireless drive and perfectionism, particularly in shooting the television ad. “She’s applied like an athlete and a true creator; she masters the material and drives it home with force.”

Jake Nava, who also directed Knowles’ groundbreaking music video for Crazy in Love, shot the commercial, which features her crooning an original rendition of the classic jazz tune, Fever. Strutting through a steamy hallway and bedecked in a slinky red dress, the walls and floors catch on fire with her every step, her every touch. “I wanted it to be an ad that didn’t necessarily feel like an ad,” Knowles said.

A print campaign shot by Michael Thompson boasts the tag line, ‘Catch the Fever.’ In the US, TV ads will air in March, while print ads will break in February and March books of Allure, Glamour, Teen Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.

Knowles was also highly involved in the bottle design for Heat—which was inspired by her mother’s antique flacons and produced by Lutz Herrmann Design. The color red was an overarching theme, Knowles said, being a color that signifies both strength and romance.

 After being in stores for roughly one week, Heat was already the number one female fragrance at Macy’s, Mormoris noted.

“It’s everything I could imagine in a signature fragrance,” Knowles said. “I’m hoping that this is something that will be around for a long time.”