Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Thirty-five years ago, Estee Lauder gave us Beautiful. Composed by Sophia Grojsman, Bernard Chant and Max Gavarry, it became one of the few scents that somehow both defined and transcended the 1980s. And rightly so: it’s amongst the most vivid, sweeping florals ever poured into a bottle. Now, to mark its anniversary, the house gives us a limited edition called Beautiful Absolu, which I reviewed in a recent episode of Love At First Scent. To watch it over on YouTube, please click on this link: Estee Lauder Beautiful Absolu review.

As you’ll see if you watch the episode, I think there is a great deal to admire in this release. But I suppose one aspect by which I’m particularly struck is that Lauder have retained the retro inflection present at the core. Yes, the opening is less ‘shoulder pads and hairspray’ than the original, and the heart is perhaps less abstract. But the base is that same heart-stopping combination of vanilla, sandalwood and balsams that made the 1985 version so memorable.

I was fortunate enough to be able to learn more about Beautiful when I interviewed Lauder’s ex-Creative Director, Karyn Khoury, a few years ago. To find out what she had to say about the scent – and how its marketing campaign had to be changed days before it was revealed to the public – please click on this link: Karyn Khoury interview.

Persolaise

[Estee Lauder Beautiful Absolu review based on a sample of eau de parfum provided by the brand in 2020.]


If you’ve enjoyed this post, please consider supporting my work
by ‘buying me a coffee’ using the panel below.

Thanks very much indeed.

Estee Lauder Beautiful Absolu review by award-winning perfume critic Persolaise, 2020
image: Estee Lauder

Discover more from

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

One thought on “Estee Lauder Beautiful Absolu Review – 2020”

I love hearing from my readers, so please feel free to write a comment or ask a question.