Dior dives into French Riviera with escapist fragrance

May 17, 2021

Eden-Roc is the newest addition to La Collection Privée. Image credit: Christian Dior

France’s Dior Parfums is capturing the essence of one of the Riviera’s most iconic destinations in a new fragrance campaign.

Part of Dior’s La Collection Privée, Eden-Roc is a woodsy floral scent inspired by the luxurious Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. To announce the fragrance launch, Dior unveiled a soothing vignette that transports consumers to the South of France.

“A unique selling point about this campaign is the fact that you can smell everything the creator is seeing on his walk,” said Romey Louangvilay, communications director at ELMNTL, New York. “In most luxury fragrance commercials, it usually revolves around a romantic storyline and it’s difficult for viewers to imagine the smell that the fragrance is selling.”

Sun-filled scent
The new fragrance celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, which is walking distance from Cap d’Antibes in the French Riviera. Over the years, the hotel has welcomed scores of famous guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Ella Fitzgerald, Pablo Picasso and F. Scott Fitzgerald, who paid homage to it in his novel Tender is the Night.

Developed by Dior’s perfumer-creator François Demachy, Eden-Roc bottles up the scent of the Mediterranean with top notes of citrus, sea salt and minerals. Middle notes include jasmine and coconut, with base notes of pine and labdanum.

Perfumer-creator François Demachy appears in the campaign film

“The accords tell a Mediterranean story of marine air, flowers, and citrus fruits, and recall the aromatic scents of maritime pine trees,” Mr. Demachy said in a statement. “Eden-Roc is a luxurious legend and a breath of fresh air, of extreme sophistication and exquisite simplicity.”

Dior also describes the fragrance as translating “the signature palette of the Riviera” with green for the pine trees, yellow for the sun and blue for the sea.

A short film to accompany the fragrance follows Mr. Demachy as he arrives at the hotel and explores the grounds. Close-ups of the jasmine flowers and Mr. Demachy sniffing the pines hint at the work in developing the scent.

Without the ability to share the fragrance through film, the vignette instead opts for sweeping shots of the sea and tree-lined path, reflecting the scent’s colors. A soothing but invigorating melody is accompanied by the sound of waves and a gentle breeze.

“The camera pans in and highlights certain scents that people are familiar with — the ocean breeze, flowers, open air, etc.,” Mr. Louangvilay said. “These are common scents that people can associate with this commercial.”

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Another brief video shows guests at the glamorous hotel enjoying the refreshing water and breathtaking views of the Côte d'Azur.

Pale gold in color and packaged in a minimalist cylindrical bottle, Eden-Roc is a genderless fragrance like its peers in the exclusive La Collection Privée. A 4.25 oz. bottle retails for $250, and the fragrance is also available as a candle, soap and body cream.

Focus on fragrance
Fragrances have been central to the Dior ethos since its beginning, with founder Christian Dior having a deep appreciation for all things floral.

In one depth episode of its podcast series, the brand explored the heritage of Dior Parfums, giving fans a glimpse inside the origin story of the Dior brand and the fragrances that made the name iconic. The podcast plays on the brand’s legacy and its history in Provence, Paris and Normandy with portraits of the people that helped develop and create Dior Parfums (see story).

More recently, Christian Dior examined the world of fragrance creation through a documentary feature film, shedding light on the mysterious craft.

Directed by Clément Beauvais and Arthur de Kersauson, Nose followed Mr. Demachy on his two-year quest through fourteen countries to discover the world’s most valuable raw materials. Through the hour-long spotlight, Dior offers insight into the meticulous and creative process of its renowned fragrance composition (see story).

That creative process is also hinted at in the new campaign for Eden-Roc.

“Dior did an excellent job at making the viewer feel as if they're also on that morning walk, smelling the same smells that the creator is,” Mr. Louangvilay said.

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Dior dives into French Riviera with escapist fragrance

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