Beauty Beat: Burlingham Truly Joins Fragrance Arena … Coty Forms Mideast Affiliate … Lauder Takes Bloomingdale’s

Burlingham Truly Joins Fragrance Arena

NEW YORK — Artist Stephen Burlingham is truly excited about his latest creation.

Burlingham, a great-great-grandson of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Tiffany who has designed for Cartier and Tiffany & Co., is turning his attention to something completely different: a fragrance called Truly. And although Truly marks Burlingham’s entry into the fragrance business, the company producing it has big expectations, projecting retail sales of $2 million in the launch period.

Truly marks another first: It will be the first scent launched by LuxeFragrances LLC, a privately held firm formed in January 2003 of which Burlingham is creative director and chief executive officer. Spencer Kanis, who formerly was chief financial officer for Intercosmetics, the Wella arm that is now Cosmopolitan Cosmetics (U.S.), is president of retail operations for LuxeFragrances.

Burlingham says he decided to delve into the olfactory medium “because it is invisible to the eye, yet powerfully present in our lives — affecting our moods and shaping our self-expression and how we feel about ourselves.” He worked closely with Robertet’s Michel Almairac and Patrick de Givenchy to create Truly, resulting in a floral chypre juice that has top notes of hyacinth and citrus petals; middle notes of jasmine, peony and orris, and bottom notes of oak moss, musk, orris and patchouli.

Stockkeeping units will include a 15-ml. parfum extract for $250; a 15-ml. eau de parfum spray for $175, and a body cream that has not yet been priced. Burlingham designed the bottle, which is being manufactured by Pochet.

And Burlingham is not planning to stop with one fragrance. Following Truly will be Madly and Deeply, still in development and slated to be released in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Kanis is using his considerable experience in the fragrance business to lead a grassroots approach to the scent’s marketing. According to Kanis, trend-setting socialites will host parties for those in their social circles beginning at the end of August in an attempt to create buzz and aid sales. At these parties, Burlingham will formally introduce and sell his product to the people he feels will be most instrumental in the overall success of the brand.