Balenciaga has celebrated the revival of its perfumery heritage with a dazzling return to its roots, introducing a new range of ten scents and the singular fragrance boutique within its storied couture headquarters in Paris. It’s a moment that blends tradition with innovation, opening the door on a new chapter in the history of the revered French house.
With creative accomplishments in the hands of Demna now migrated into new creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli and now in the ownership of Kering, the company has regained a place in luxury perfume. The relaunch brings back “Le Dix”—Balenciaga’s initial perfume, launched way back in 1947—now fashionably reimagined with a new formula and spray dispenser for today’s consumers.
Comprising ten single fragrances, the collection is a multi‑sensory journey into the brand’s DNA. Fragrance names such as No Comment, Getaria, Cristóbal, and Incense Perfumum evoke Balenciaga’s dense iconography and fashion heritage, uniting retro references with contemporary chic.
Historically, Balenciaga’s fragrances were being licensed to Coty, which launched perfumes like Balenciaga Paris, Florabotanica, and B Balenciaga. Now that the 2021 license renewal has expired, however, Kering was able to inject complete creative control through its new beauty division, Kering Beauté, giving the house the freedom to steer the fragrance direction along its couture sensibility.
To celebrate the launch, Balenciaga has unveiled a designed‑to‑order fragrance boutique at its storied address of 10 Avenue George V in Paris—the same address that inspired the name “Le Dix.” The new boutique is a freestanding fragrance destination as well as an extension of its multi‑functional couture salon presence.
Distribution of the scents will be tightly controlled. Initially, the scents will only be available at the Paris perfume store, select Balenciaga fashion stores in Europe and North America, and on the brand’s website. It’s a contained balance of exclusivity and accessibility for loyal fashion‑conscious customers.
Balenciaga CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli referred to the launch as “an exciting new chapter in Balenciaga’s couture and olfactive history,” underscoring the brand’s pioneering integration of fashion and fragrance.
Raffaella Cornaggia, Kering Beauté CEO, described relaunching Le Dix as the ultimate act of fidelity to Balenciaga’s heritage: “We are being incredibly faithful to the codes of the brand, which of course bridge heritage and contemporaneity”. Her vision puts the collection not only as a commercial entity but also as a new narrative vehicle—inviting an extended audience to Balenciaga’s heritage through scent.
Industry analysts can read more into the introduction. It is not only a demonstration of Balenciaga’s conscious return to the independent beauty business but also one of the broader objectives of Kering to increase brand reach through sensory experiences. It positions Balenciaga in competition in an expanding fragrance market that places a premium on unique narratives and artisanal quality.
Timing is opportune for leadership transition at Balenciaga: as the tenure of Demna expires, Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeds him. Revealing an entirely new scent narrative befits the new creative momentum of the brand as it embarks on a new era.
Balenciaga’s new fragrance line drives home the power of scent as identity and remembrance in an era when consumers increasingly yearn for emotional intimacy and narrative around their luxury purchases. Through its newly opened Parisian boutique and stripped-down launch campaign, the house is poised to leave a refined but inescapable mark on the world of perfumes. Balenciaga’s true appeal lies less in its substance or form and more in the essence of our breath.
Through bringing the collection back to its haute couture roots and setting the terms through brand stewardship and curated retail, Balenciaga reasserts itself not just as a fashion behemoth but as a culture designer driving how we think about luxury in the modern world.
