Yardley, which is known for its fragranced soaps, bubble baths and other products, has released a fresh new eau de toilette, Polaire, as it tries to attract a new, more youthful clientele to the brand. Juliette Karagueuzoglou, creator of Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina and La Nuit de L’Homme by Yves Saint Laurent, designed the scent.
The Yardley fragrance house was originally born during the reign of Charles I, with founder Jonathan Yardley earning himself a royal warrant for his lavender soaps. The store and brand were lost in the Great Fire of London (1666) but a century later in 1770 were refounded by the Cleaver family, and the brand has continued ever since.
Yardley has launched a new modern incarnation of the house’s floral scents, a roaring 20s style chypre rich in citrus, pears, spices and ginger. The scent takes its name from French music hall singer and movie actress Émilie Marie Bouchaud (1974-1939) aka Polaire.
"Whilst staying true to Yardley London’s floral heritage and brand essence, Polaire is a seductive and sensual chypre fragrance that is a celebration of modern independence, designed to appeal to a new generation of Yardley customers," Quentin Higham, managing director of Yardley London, told the Telegraph.
Polaire is set to launch in Ireland this month and Bulgaria "in the near future."
An increasing number of traditional fragrance houses are formulating fresh new scents targeted at younger consumers. Guerlain, founded in 1828, has recently released a number of flanker editions of its famous Shalimar fragrance that target younger women.
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