Michelle Pfeiffer Talks Her New Unisex Fragrance Line

Michelle Pfeiffer has landed in the fragrance game with her new company Henry Rose, which was announced Monday and named for her 26-year-old daughter Claudia Rose and 24-year-old son John Henry.

The rise of star-backed scents a decade ago has led everyone from Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber to Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears to create their own licensed elixirs (Spears made $1.5 billion on her 11 fragrances by 2012, according to Business Insider). With the rise of social media, more stars such as Kim Kardashian West and her half sister Kylie Jenner are launching their own perfume brands, while Grey’s Anatomy star Kate Walsh relaunched her Boyfriend fragrance on her own in 2017. 

Pfeiffer has opted for the latter route, self-funding her first five genderless scents ($120 each exclusively at henryrose.com), developed with International Flavors & Fragrances. The actress is branding her line as the first fine fragrance to be named Environmental Working Group-verified and Cradle to Cradle-certified at the gold level, with a material health score of platinum. 

That means Pfeiffer discloses all of the ingredients and follows certain manufacturing guidelines while also being assessed for renewable energy and water use. Henry Rose uses some sustainable packaging, and bottles are made of 90 percent recycled glass with caps made of soy, following other labels such as H&M and Louis Vuitton that are supporting eco fashion. 

Pfeiffer talked to The Hollywood Reporter about her inspirations behind the personal collection. 

Why did you want to launch a fragrance line?

I wanted to create a line of fine fragrances that prove you don’t need to sacrifice quality over safety. Fragrance was always really personal to me and I missed wearing it. I realized that if I wanted to find a beautiful, fine fragrance that was also safer to wear, then there were likely others looking for the same thing, so I had to create it myself.

What was the inspiration behind these particular scents?

Different scent memories. For example, Fog reminds me of summer in San Francisco. Jake’s House reminds me of my grandparent’s house in North Dakota. They all bring me back to something, which is a testament of just how strongly scent is tied to memory.

Do you have a favorite scent in the collection? What kind of occasions will you wear it to?

I love them all, but Torn is my favorite. It reminds me of how my father smelled growing up, sort of like Old Spice. It’s a warm, familiar scent.

Why was health and safety a huge priority for you?

When I became a new mother, I started to see the world through my children’s eyes. I started to question our environment, the food my family ate and the products we used. As I was searching for reliable resources to help me find safer products, I came across Skin Deep, a database founded by the EWG, the Environmental Working Group, where personal care products are rated by levels of hazard for humans, and I went down the rabbit hole. No one ever really questions fragrance, and everything is protected by trade secrets and proprietary information. Henry Rose is determined to open that last “black box” in personal care. We are the first fine fragrance on the market to be both EWG-verified and Cradle to Cradle gold-certified, with an overall material health score of platinum.

Why did you want to name the company after your children?

Ultimately, the genesis of Henry Rose came from wanting to protect my family, and it was a name I kept coming back to. It also speaks to the genderless nature of each scent.

Can we expect future beauty collaborations or products from you?

Right now, we are really focused on the five scents to start. When the time is right and it makes sense, we are certainly open to expanding our offering or releasing new product.