Kiehl’s just does it right. I have always admired the brand, but as I have been on this beauty blogging journey, I’ve come to respect Kiehl’s more and more. They have a pulse on exactly what we are looking for, due to their commitment to listening to their customers. This time, it is a scent collection that is balanced, nourishing and beautiful all at the same time.

They have launched four scents that suggest four locales:

• Orange Flower & Lychee: a desert oasis in Morocco
• Vanilla & Sandalwood: the dense jungle of Uganda
• Nashi Blossom & Pink Grapefruit: the tranquil gardens of Japan
• Fig Leaf & Sage: the lush countryside of Provence

These scents also reflect Kiehl’s commitment to unique ingredients, efficacious products, sustainable sourcing and natural ingredients. For this collection, they used an on-site extraction method using only steamed water to capture essential oils directly after harvesting the ingredients, while they deliver their freshest and strongest aromas. Oils are harvested from sustainable farms that provide ongoing local community support. Each scent offers a Fragrance, Skin-Softening Cleanser, and Skin-Softening Lotion.

While this sounds like a perfume collection, it actually has some distinctions. The products are formulated with fewer ingredients than traditional fragrances, allowing the true scent to shine through. The cleanser and lotion are high-performance skin care products. The lotion is actually inspired by the iconic Crème de Corps – giving the same hydration, but with a more blendable formula in my opinion. This botanical blend of Avocado, Olive Fruit, Sweet Almond, Apricot Kernel and Sesame Seed oils is used in both the cleanser and lotion. Note: This lotion has immediately become an all-time favorite of mine.

Please read below for further fragrance notes:

Orange Flower & Lychee 

When Kiehl’s was sourcing the world over to find natural, yet efficacious ingredients, the team was introduced to a unique orange blossom essence. This blend was so special and exceptionally fragrant because it was formulated using three different parts of the Bitter Orange tree vs. the typical single orange essence. The Bitter Orange tree is known to produce oranges that deliver a more potent “orange” aroma. By incorporating the stem, leaf and flower in developing our orange flower aroma, we ensure the purest scent expression.

Mr. Suffit describes this fragrance blend, “The Orange Flower and Lychee recreates the atmosphere of late afternoon in a Moroccan garden. The Orange Tree absorbs the warmth of the sun during the day then exudes its strong distinctive essences as the air begins to cool in the evening, while the lychee lends a soft and sweet aroma reminiscent of the roses growing nearby.”

Vanilla & Cedarwood

When sourcing ingredients for its high quality preparations, Kiehl’s aims for fair-trade and sustainable sourcing, when possible. In its sourcing efforts for Aromatic BlendsTM, through its suppliers, Kiehl’s was introduced to a special location in Uganda, a community producing a superior natural vanilla oil. Kiehl’s suppliers work with this community to cultivate high quality vanilla and through a fair-trade program help to institute social change across 6500 vanilla farms. This sustainable sourcing program provides on-going social assistance for the vanilla farmers including the installation of drinking water wells, fair trade pricing and establishment of a financial banking system. Kiehl’s goal to always use the finest ingredients led the company to select this very special natural vanilla from this Uganda community. This Ugandan vanilla with its smooth, nearly smoky aroma is so distinctive and rare and is a direct contrast to commonly and commercially used vanilla extract, which is more sweet and floral.

“The Vanilla & Cedarwood scent is a delicate balance of ying & yang, one part feminine from the Uganda Vanilla, smooth, smoky and just slightly sweet; one part masculine from the Virginia Cedarwood, raw and earthy. Together they blend to form a fragrance that is dynamically simple and irresistibly universal” shares Mr. Suffit.

Nashi Blossom & Pink Grapefruit

Kiehl’s research showed that some of the most alluring scents around the world are derived from the most delicate ingredients. Kiehl’s fell in love with the Nashi Blossom and Pink Grapefruit scents for their unique and distinctive qualities. Kiehl’s was able to use natural extraction for the Pink Grapefruit, however, Nashi Blossom was far too delicate for a typical extraction. This unmistakable scent required an advanced aromatic reproduction. Kiehl’s utilized a unique extraction technology where odorous molecules can be extracted at room temperature but under precise pressure conditions.

“The Nashi Blossom is too fragile to undergo any form of processing. We used a unique extraction technology with a more durable ingredient, ginger, whose aromas helped to strengthen the reproduction of the Nashi Blossom, making it an absolutely pure interpretation of the bloom,” states Mr. Suffit, “the resulting scent is enchanting and joyful as Pink Grapefruit mingles with petally flowers.”

Fig Leaf & Sage 

In search of the purest scent expression, Kiehl’s was looking to capture not only an ingredient’s original scent, but the impact that ingredient had on the surrounding environment. To achieve this, Kiehl’s found a perfumer who spent his childhood in Provence. This fragrance captured the aroma of Provence and is intended to evoke or even create a memory for each Kiehl’s patron.

“The Fig Leaf & Sage unique scent is best described as spring in Provence, reminiscent of the French countryside. The scent expression is not merely that of a fig, but is a combination of the scent of the air beneath the fig trees and the delicate aromas of the herbs in the surrounding fields,” shares Mr. Suffit.