Purr (perfume)
Encyclopedia
Purr is a fragrance created by pop singer Katy Perry
and Gigantic Parfums. Perry's love for cats influenced both her decision to create the perfume and its design, although further inspiration for the bottle's design came from other perfume products worldwide. Purr features a variety of scents, including citrus
fruits.
Released in November 2010, it is available in a purple cat-shaped bottle. Purr is available in 1.7 and 3.4 fluid ounce bottles, with a retail price in the US of $35.00 to $45.00 for the smaller size and $65.00 for the larger. The perfume performed well commercially, becoming the best-selling fragrance for the first nine weeks of its release.
chose to release her own signature fragrance, Purr, to add a personal touch and compete with other celebrities' perfumes; she cited Beyoncé Knowles
and Kim Kardashian
as examples. Having teamed up with Gigantic Parfums, Perry was actively involved in the development of her fragrance. Perry mentioned in an interview that she created the product because she loves cats. She has said that the fragrance is "basically me in a bottle. I think a lot of people go up and they go, 'That’s definitely Katy Perry. This is definitely Katy Perry’s perfume.'"
Perry (a self-described "lyrical-based person") decided the name "Purr" seemed natural since it sounded like "perfume", "perfect" and even "Perry". Working with Firmenich
fragrances, Perry wanted to make a scent that would have a strong effect on people and something that was not reminiscent of other perfumes she had smelt. Nordstrom National Beauty and Fragrance Director Cheri Botiz said that while the pop singer was working with perfumers on Purr, the aim was to "capture the distinctive notes of her favorite perfumes". This is the pop singer's first fragrance, but she has said that it is unlikely to be her last.
twist which also features peach nectar and apple with green bamboo
. It also includes a "delicate bouquet of jasmine blossom, pink freesia
and Bulgarian rose, balanced by vanilla orchid, white amber, creamy sandalwood
and musk." The bottle is purple, shaped like a cat, decorated with jeweled eyes and features metallic details. Its design was hand-sketched by Perry, and was influenced by her Catwoman
stage costume. Perry spent time researching perfume packaging before deciding on Purr’s bottle, which she wanted to be neither overblown nor forgettable, but instead "kind of like the Goldilocks of perfume". Noting that "the outside is important", she wanted to design a bottle that she could use as a decoration.
conducted a behind-the-scenes interview with Perry about the design of the bottle. Purr was launched in November 2010 in the United Kingdom, where it was available exclusively at London's Selfridges
store for one week, ahead of a national roll-out beginning November 20. At the launch, the pop singer spent several hours greeting fans and signed perfume boxes for the first 100 customers.
In the United States, the fragrance is available exclusively at Nordstrom stores. It is sold in 1.7 and 3.4 fluid ounce bottles at a reported retail price of $35.00 to $45.00 for the former and $65.00 for the latter. Secondary products will be released seasonally, starting with a 2011 Valentine's Day
gift set. Purr is also available online through Nordstorm's official website. Perry's fragrance proved to be quite commercially successful, becoming the best-selling perfume for nine consecutive weeks after its release.
called Purr's bottle design "cute".
Miriam Lacey of Popsugar
's spin-off website BellaSugar gave the perfume a favorable review and said it smelt "like a fancier, less chemical-laden version" of fruit-scented body sprays. In her review, Lacey also called Purr an "upside-down" fragrance, because unlike most perfumes which "open with their prettiest notes and then end with a relatively generic bottom accord", Purr has a "really nice caramel and sweet patchouli dry down that fans of Angel will adore, but to get there, you have to sit through a bunch of fruity opening notes". Lacey observed that its scent only lasted about 2 hours; she thought it would be better to spray it onto your hairbrush, "since the oils on your scalp will help it last longer".
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
and Gigantic Parfums. Perry's love for cats influenced both her decision to create the perfume and its design, although further inspiration for the bottle's design came from other perfume products worldwide. Purr features a variety of scents, including citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruits.
Released in November 2010, it is available in a purple cat-shaped bottle. Purr is available in 1.7 and 3.4 fluid ounce bottles, with a retail price in the US of $35.00 to $45.00 for the smaller size and $65.00 for the larger. The perfume performed well commercially, becoming the best-selling fragrance for the first nine weeks of its release.
Conception
Katy PerryKaty Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
chose to release her own signature fragrance, Purr, to add a personal touch and compete with other celebrities' perfumes; she cited Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
and Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel "Kim" Kardashian is an American socialite, television personality, model, actress and businesswoman. She is known for the E! reality series that she shares with her family—Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and its spin-offs including Kourtney and Kim Take New York...
as examples. Having teamed up with Gigantic Parfums, Perry was actively involved in the development of her fragrance. Perry mentioned in an interview that she created the product because she loves cats. She has said that the fragrance is "basically me in a bottle. I think a lot of people go up and they go, 'That’s definitely Katy Perry. This is definitely Katy Perry’s perfume.'"
I'm absolutely thrilled to finally introduce me in a bottle. There is a wonderful world of fragrances out there, but like with my music, I believe there is room for me and my own unique twist on it. Purr is a natural extension of who I am as a woman – it's a gorgeous blend of all my favorite scents that embodies my style, my tastes and my love for all things incredibly cute. It is an absolutely purrfect perfume that I hope leaves you meowing with delight!
—Katy Perry on Purr
Perry (a self-described "lyrical-based person") decided the name "Purr" seemed natural since it sounded like "perfume", "perfect" and even "Perry". Working with Firmenich
Firmenich
Firmenich SA is a private Swiss company in the perfume and flavor business, it is the largest privately-owned company in the perfume and flavor business, and ranks number two worldwide., Firmenich has created many of the world’s favorite perfumes for over 100 years and produced a number of the most...
fragrances, Perry wanted to make a scent that would have a strong effect on people and something that was not reminiscent of other perfumes she had smelt. Nordstrom National Beauty and Fragrance Director Cheri Botiz said that while the pop singer was working with perfumers on Purr, the aim was to "capture the distinctive notes of her favorite perfumes". This is the pop singer's first fragrance, but she has said that it is unlikely to be her last.
Packaging and scent
Purr's scent is fresh with a citrusCitrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
twist which also features peach nectar and apple with green bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
. It also includes a "delicate bouquet of jasmine blossom, pink freesia
Freesia
Freesia Ecklon ex Klatt is a genus of 14–16 species of flowering plants in the family Iridaceae, native to Africa. Of the 14 species, 12 are native to Cape Province, South Africa, the remaining two to tropical Africa, one species extending north of the equator to Sudan.The genus was named in honor...
and Bulgarian rose, balanced by vanilla orchid, white amber, creamy sandalwood
Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the name of a class of fragrant woods from trees in the genus Santalum. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and unlike many other aromatic woods they retain their fragrance for decades. As well as using the harvested and cut wood in-situ, essential oils are also extracted...
and musk." The bottle is purple, shaped like a cat, decorated with jeweled eyes and features metallic details. Its design was hand-sketched by Perry, and was influenced by her Catwoman
Catwoman
Catwoman is a fictional character associated with DC Comics' Batman franchise. Historically a supervillain, the character was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, partially inspired by Kane's cousin, Ruth Steel...
stage costume. Perry spent time researching perfume packaging before deciding on Purr’s bottle, which she wanted to be neither overblown nor forgettable, but instead "kind of like the Goldilocks of perfume". Noting that "the outside is important", she wanted to design a bottle that she could use as a decoration.
Release
Following the theme of the bottle's design, Purr's feline-inspired print advertisements featured Perry posing provocatively in a purple and pink cat suit. While she was shooting the commercial advert for Purr, the television show ExtraExtra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
conducted a behind-the-scenes interview with Perry about the design of the bottle. Purr was launched in November 2010 in the United Kingdom, where it was available exclusively at London's Selfridges
Selfridges
Selfridges, AKA Selfridges & Co, is a chain of high end department stores in the United Kingdom. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge. The flagship store in London's Oxford Street is the second largest shop in the UK and was opened on 15 March 1909.More recently, three other stores have been...
store for one week, ahead of a national roll-out beginning November 20. At the launch, the pop singer spent several hours greeting fans and signed perfume boxes for the first 100 customers.
In the United States, the fragrance is available exclusively at Nordstrom stores. It is sold in 1.7 and 3.4 fluid ounce bottles at a reported retail price of $35.00 to $45.00 for the former and $65.00 for the latter. Secondary products will be released seasonally, starting with a 2011 Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
gift set. Purr is also available online through Nordstorm's official website. Perry's fragrance proved to be quite commercially successful, becoming the best-selling perfume for nine consecutive weeks after its release.
Reception
Monthly teen magazine SeventeenSeventeen (magazine)
Seventeen is an American magazine for teenagers. It was first published in September 1944 by Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications. News Corporation bought Triangle in 1988, and sold Seventeen to K-III Communications in 1991. Primedia sold the magazine to Hearst in 2003. It is still in the...
called Purr's bottle design "cute".
Miriam Lacey of Popsugar
Popsugar
PopSugar.com is Sugar Publishing's celebrity news and gossip site. Founded in March 2005, the site is based in San Francisco, California.PopSugar is the flagship site for the Sugar Network, which now includes nine additional sites.-Editors:...
's spin-off website BellaSugar gave the perfume a favorable review and said it smelt "like a fancier, less chemical-laden version" of fruit-scented body sprays. In her review, Lacey also called Purr an "upside-down" fragrance, because unlike most perfumes which "open with their prettiest notes and then end with a relatively generic bottom accord", Purr has a "really nice caramel and sweet patchouli dry down that fans of Angel will adore, but to get there, you have to sit through a bunch of fruity opening notes". Lacey observed that its scent only lasted about 2 hours; she thought it would be better to spray it onto your hairbrush, "since the oils on your scalp will help it last longer".