The house of Guerlain needs no endorsement. With some 200 years of experience making fragrances, the products speak for themselves. It was then with some surprise that Guerlain announced Angelina Jolie as the face of its latest fragrance, Mon Guerlain. The partnership, though, makes a lot of sense.
Created by Thierry Wasser, a fifth-generation Guerlain perfumer, the fragrance is an ode to the historic notes of Guerlain. It is a subtly sweet, soft blend of vanilla from Papua New Guinea; lavender grown at an altitude of 1,300 metres in the Provençal Drôme region; sandalwood from Australia; and Sambac jasmine from Southern India—each naturally derived, as is the case with all Guerlain fragrances. The bottle too is a nod to the legacy of the house; the heavy glass quadrilobe form was created by Gabriel Guerlain, and features no label—just the house name inscribed on the bottom.
The campaign is centered around Notes of a Woman, a short film by Terrence Malick, who brings his signature sun-soaked, dreamy aesthetic to the ad. Jolie’s beauty is of course enviable, but it’s her dedication to philanthropic efforts such as her Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, and work as special envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, that is truly inspiring. The actor even donated her entire salary from the Guerlain campaign to charity—an unconventional move, though not at all curious for a woman like Jolie. More than just desire, Mon Guerlain inspires admiration.
