What sounds better to you this afternoon: some time on the beach or some time on a yacht? As long as your perfume cabinet is stocked with Vacation products, you can technically have both—even if you’re just sitting at home dreaming of the sunshine.
On April 3, a new scent is joining Vacation’s leisure-enhancing repertoire. And while it’s less beachy than the rest of its offerings, Grand Cuvée is still totally vacation.
“While many associate our brand with classic, coconut-filled poolside escapes (and we certainly love those), our fragrances are crafted to transport you to a wide variety of paradisical settings. That might mean the quiet luxury of a high-ceilinged hotel lobby, the feeling of being freshly showered after a long day in the sun, or, in the case of Grand Cuvée, a golden-hour moment spent sipping Chardonnay on the teakwood deck of a yacht,” Vacation Founding Partner Lach Hall tells Byrdie. “It’s our tribute to the transition from sun to sunset, poolside to port side—a celebration of the finer things in life.”
Ahead, discover everything there is to know about the fancy new fragrance.
Vacation
The Inspiration
At its core, Grand Cuvée was developed as the fine fragrance version of the brand’s Chardonnay Oil SPF 30. Ultra-luxe, it uses oil from chardonnay grapes for a scent that’s less “bottle of wine” and more “that feeling of luxurious indulgence when you’re enjoying that first sip.”
Vacation
“What’s more luxurious than setting that scene on a teakwood decked yacht at sunset? That became the inspiration for Grand Cuvée,” Hall explains. “With every spritz, we wanted you to feel transported to golden hour at sea, where the champagne is flowing, the air is warm, and leisure is an art form. It’s a special occasion, and one that you’ve been dreaming of and planning for months.”
Vacation
The Fragrance
When it comes to the scent’s makeup, Hall finds it hard to choose a favorite note. To be fair, there’s are plenty to choose from: argan, amber, chardonnay, cedarwood, vanilla bean, cognac, peach eau de vie, sunwashed sails, sunkissed skin, and—of course—sabered champagne cork.
“The truth is that it’s the balance that creates a well-rounded, truly transportative experience. It smells so luxurious that it instantly elevates your mood…for lack of a better word, it feels fancy,” says Hall. “And I think that’s coming from the symphony of notes as a whole: the warmth of the vanilla and cognac interplaying with the spiciness of the argan and amber, and the crisp oceanic notes like Sunwashed Sails. They all intermingle to create a deeply indulgent sense of old world sophistication.”
Vacation
The Feeling
If you’ve ever allowed yourself the pleasure of rubbing in some of the brand’s viral whipped sunscreen, you’ll know that the brand’s whole thing is making you feel like you’re OOO (and protecting you). Thus, it’s no surprise that Hall had a post-spritz vision in mind. After applying, you might feel like you “just stepped into a sun-drenched world of effortless, elegant glamour and luxury.”
Vacation
“This scent is designed for those who take their leisure seriously (a toast to the good life) and we hope it makes people feel refined, sophisticated, and just a little bit extravagant,” he explains. “Indulging in an idyllic setting, somewhere warm, raising a glass to something wonderful.”