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Monday 23 October 2023

The ultimate celeb perfume rich list - from Beyonce's £327 million fragrance fortune to Ri-ri's scent-sational riches

With their glamorous lifestyles and wardrobes dripping with designer gear, we'd all love to live like the rich and famous.

But sharing their scent is often as close as we get.  The Perfume industry is big business – especially the bottles with big-name backing and Brits spent more than £1.8bn on fragrances last year alone, according to Statista.


Singer Katy Perry looked scent-sational in modelling shots for the latest Dolce & Gabbana perfume campaign, as the face of their £92 a bottle Devotion scent.

According to Brand and Culture expert Nick Ede, the history of celebrity fragrances dates back almost 100 years:

"In the 1950s, Givenchy sold a scent created for Audrey Hepburn," he says.

"However, the business of celebrity fragrances really kicked into overdrive when Elizabeth Taylor launched White Diamonds in 1991.

"In fact, Taylor made more money from her fragrances than all of her film roles combined.

"Now every A, B, and C-lister is aiming to mimic that success."

With the help of Nick and PR guru Natalie Trice, we take a closer look at the stars making a staggering amount with their perfume prowess and estimate how much they're earning from their scents

 Ariana Grande – £245m 

She's a global megastar and anything she turns her hand to means riches for 30-year-old Ariana.

In fact, Britain's most popular celebrity fragrances revealed by perfume specialists Parfumery put Ariana at the top spot based on Google searches with one of her scents being snapped up every 11 seconds.

Nick says: "Ariana's scents have garnered an enthusiastic following, reigning as the top-selling fragrance on multiple beauty platforms.

"Ariana's Cloud scent was bought every 11 seconds in 2022. The brand has made in total over £820m in sales and netted Ariana a cool £245m.

"With her quirky style, cool packaging and fabulous scents she's become the queen of perfume and leaving the rest of the celebrity  brands far behind. Her fans love it but so do the experts."

Natalie says: "Ariana Grande is multi-talented and has partnered up with Luxe Brands to create fragrances including 'Ari,' 'Sweet Like Candy,' and 'Thank U, Next' as well as Cloud Pink which was launched earlier this year.

"Generating over £820m in gross revenue has apparently been thanks largely to the three fragrances: Moonlight, Sweet Like Candy, and Ari.

 Beyonce – £327m 

Beyonce, 42, has already released a series of perfumes including Heat Kissed, Wild orchid, and Heat Seduction, and she's set to launch a new one imminently.

Nick says: "The global superstar first entered the perfume industry in 2004 and has amassed a £327m fortune from it.
 
"This year she's releasing a new fragrance (available now to pre-order in the US) which has a much higher price point of £130, so I can imagine with the tour and her popularity this will also net her a huge amount.
 
"She knows her fans are not young like Ariana's so she's going for the more sophisticated wealthy market - and succeeding."
 
Rihanna - £65m
 
Thirty-five-year old Rihanna's personal net worth is estimated to be a staggering £1.1bn and she's raking it in not only on her music career, but perfume and lingerie ranges too.
 
Nick says: "Rihanna's scent reflects the essence of her bold and unapologetic style, capturing the spirit of empowerment and confidence she embodies.
 
"She has made over £65m from her Fenty beauty scent range and there is no stopping her."
 
Jennifer Lopez - £163m
 
At 54, Jennifer Lopez is worth an impressive £320m, and a large chunk of that has come from her perfume - the most iconic bottle is 'Glow', and among the most popular currently is 'One'.
 
Nick says: "Jennifer is one of the top selling fragrance providers ever, with over 25 different scents and they have made over £1.6bn

"J-Lo can get a nice sweet smelling £163m in her pocket from her fragrances."
 
Katy Perry - £32m
 
Katy, 38, is no stranger to fragrances and has ten perfumes in her range with 'Indi Visible' - a scent with notes of pink pepper, purple plum and vanilla - most popular.
 
"She's worth over £278m and her fragrance range has got her £32m alone."
 
Nicki Minaj - £8m

Nicki Minaj, 40, is the UK's sixth most favoured celebrity to produce perfumes, with Onika her most liked.
 
Nick says: "Nicki is one of the power perfume players whose brand isn't slowing down.
 
"With playful designs and cool scents, Nicki is making millions from the sweet smell of success.
 
Natalie adds: "While her vocal success kicked off Nicki Minaj mania, 'Pink Friday' and 'Minajesty' reflect the star's confidence and style and will lift any outfit and make you feel more than a million dollars."