Scent is an escape hatch to the past. Think back to your favorite scents and they give insight into a time capsule of memories, seen through the lens of fragrance. When I was hired as a beauty assistant, I christened Gucci Bloom my signature scent, enveloping myself in a cloud of tuberose and jasmine. One of my coworkers remembers vials of Jo Malone fragrances sitting on light blue built-in shelves in her mother’s bathroom: Red Roses, English Pear and Freesia. To this day, she wears Jo Malone scents, in part, because it reminds her of her mom. Another coworker recalls how popular Daisy by Marc Jacobs was when she was in middle school; she saved up for months to buy her first fragrance: a small, travel-sized version of the scent.
After hearing countless people reminisce on the fragrances of their past, I noticed a trend: a majority of the scents were floral and super feminine. It’s a significant shift from the scents that marked the Obama years: woody, smokey, and leathery notes. (See also: Le Labo Santal 33.) It was an olfactory backlash to overly saccharine scents of the early aughts. But now, once again, the pendulum appears to be swinging back in the other direction. The feminine body mists of our youth are back. Consider it the beauty version of fashion’s bow trend.
Ellis Brooklyn Peaches Body Mist is the fragrance brand’s newest launch. Inspired by ‘90s mall culture, the scent is a modern take on our first signature scents. “If you think about the beauty of that era, it was ultra, over the top feminine. I really wanted to play on that,” Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn, tells me over Zoom. The body mist is light, fresh, and fruity without being excessive. “I like to think of a body mist as something that’s such a no-brainer, no mistakes possible,” says Shapiro. “You can spray it on after the gym, in the morning, at three o’clock when your day isn’t going well.”
Growing up in Seattle in the ‘90s, Shapiro remembers being enamored with the ultra-girly beauty of the time, as well as the grunge-inspired clothing. “I wanted to make a modern day version of those 90s body mists,” explains Shapiro. “I was taking the idea of this ultra-feminine, super uplifting scent but rounding it out. Peaches is definitely ‘90s, but it finishes out with ambrette. There’s musk in there, there’s a tone of floral notes.”
This juxtaposition isn’t just seen in the scent’s notes, but it’s captured in its entire DNA. The name is inspired by the song “Peaches” by The Presidents of the United States of America, a rock band from the greater Seattle area. And the body mist is housed in a light orange bottle. “Drawing comfort from from Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, we can find peace from within, impacting our well-being,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Pantone Color Institute’s executive director, in a statement about Pantone’s peach fuzz, Pantone’s 2024 color of the year. “An idea as much as a feeling, Pantone 13-1023 Peach Fuzz awakens our senses to the comforting presence of tactility and cocooned warmth.”
Courtesy of Ellis Brooklyn
Top notes: Sweet Peach, Pink Pepper, Waterlily
Heart notes: Rosebud, Orange flower, Laurel Leaf, Orris
Base notes: Sandalwood, Ambrette, Upcycled Virginia Cedarwood, Sugared Musk
The body mist doubles as a pick-me-up for your mood. “We’re in an anxiety-ridden world, so I really wanted to think about notes as reflective of how they would fit into our society,” shares Shapiro. “With Peaches, I wanted it to be uplifting, like a moment of levity.” Courtney Somer, founder of fragrance brand Lake and Skye agrees that scent interacts with the user’s emotional wellbeing. “I always think of scent as a force for wellness,” she says. “There's a comfort in scents that people find helps boost their mood and their wellbeing.”
I’m typically drawn to fragrances that feature woody and spicy notes, so Peaches was a bit out of my olfactory comfort zone. I wore the body mist for a week straight, spritzing it on in the morning and, when I’d remember, carrying it in my bag to use when I needed a mid-day mood booster. The scent traveled with me to the office in Soho, a sports bar in the East Village, after-work dinners with friends at Italian restaurants in Gramercy, and mid-afternoon walks through my Williamsburg neighborhood, garnering compliments from both friends and strangers along the way.
If this scent was a movie, it would be “13 Going on 30.” It was fun, fruity, and floral without feeling dated, artificial, or sickly-sweet. And it doesn’t fade after an hour or so, unlike the body mists of our youth; the scent deepens the longer it is on your skin, getting warmer and more complex. The notes evoke the nostalgia of my early-aughts. It’s a reminder that some things do stand the test of time.