Dior's Skincare Line for Babies Is Just as Luxe as You'd Imagine
Francis Kurkdjian, the perfumer who created the scent behind the new $230 Scented Water, exclusively tells Marie Claire about his inspiration.
When you think of the very best scents in the world, the baby smell ring in fairly high on the list. In fact, there have been numerous studies dedicated to figuring out what makes a newborn's scent so enticing. But, what if you could make your baby can smell even better ? That's part of the idea behind the newly relaunched Baby Dior beauty line (a reimagining of the first perfumed Baby Dior line from the 1970s), which has been brought to light in partnership with master perfumer and Dior's Perfume Creation Director Francis Kurkdjian.
"When Cordelia de Castellane, Creative Director for Maison and Baby Dior, and I met upon my arrival in 2021, we shared our creative and artistic vision for the House of DIOR at large. At some point, we found inspiring Christian Dior’s childhood, and we shared the same idea of bringing back to life the discontinued baby care line and scent. Baby Dior was reborn that day," Kurkdjian exclusively told Marie Claire.
The new collection, which is inspired by Christian Dior's celebration of the "greatly prized era of childhood, features a tender and fruity scent, Bonne Étoile, and accompanying bath-time products. The brand's appreciation for childhood, combined with a touch of luminous audacity, provides Baby Dior with a whole new perfumed universe, scented with delightful notes of subtle fruit, cotton wool, and velvety petals.
The new collection includes Bonne Étoile scented water (available in both mint green and pink pastel bottles), La Mousse Très Fondante cleansing foam, Le Lait Très Tendre hydrating milk, and L’Eau Très Fraîche cleansing water.
Because little ones are incredibly sensitive (their fragile, thin skin can easily become dehydrated), numerous steps were taken to ensure the formula would be completely safe and well-tolerated for babes. It's important to note that Bonne Étoile is a scented water; no alcohol is present like in other fragrances.
“At Dior, all our fragrance, make-up, and skincare formulas are subject to numerous cosmetics regulations, including the European regulation, which is one of the strictest in the world. Products intended for babies are subject to even stricter attention as their skin requires every precaution to provide maximum protection, softness, and safety," Kurkdjian explained. "All our ingredients have individually undergone extensive safety analysis, and so was their combination in the final formula. For Bonne Étoile, we have worked with the strict and safe short list of aromas."
According to Kurkdjian, it's also worth noting that the products were formulated with a short ingredient lists that maximized ingredients of natural origin. Bonne Étoile features 98 percent ingredients of natural origin, while the other products use between 95 and 99 percent*. To ensure the highest safety and tolerance, clinical tests were also carried out "under dermatological and pediatric supervision to care and respect the sensitive skin of babies and children.”
As the brand puts it, Bonne Étoile was designed to be a baby's "first step into fragrance" at Dior. Parents, if you don't want to share your own fragrance collection, I suggest you discuss signature scent options with your children sooner rather than later. Interest in someday expanding their repertoire is inevitable; they grow up so fast.
* Amount calculated based on the ISO 16128-1 and ISO 16128-2 standard.
