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Victoria's Secret obviously calls thoughts of angel wings and lacey bras to mind, but the brand's beauty products actually have an impressive reach. In fact, Victoria's Secret is the top-selling fragrance brand in the U.S.—its number one perfume sold over three million bottles in 2018. If you're wondering what makes the line of fragrances so intoxicating, we've tapped Mark Knitowski, Senior Vice President of Product Innovations at Victoria’s Secret Beauty and the brand's in-house olfactory expert, to offer insight into the allure of the popular scents, as well as give a rundown of the brand's best-selling fragrances.
Ahead, Knitowski lets Byrdie readers in on the best Victoria's Secret perfumes available now.
A fruity aromatic floral, Bombshell is the top-selling Victoria's Secret scent. Citrus notes blend with Brazilian Purple Passionfruit, Shangri-la Peony, Madagascan vanilla orchid, and Italian pine to create a uniquely popular profile. In 2018, the brand sold over three million bottles of the classic Bombshell fragrance, according to a report published in Euromonitor.
Meet the Expert
Mark Knitowski is the Senior Vice President of Product Innovations at Victoria’s Secret Beauty, as well as the brand's in-house "nose." Knitowski is constantly traveling all over the world to source fresh ingredients for Victoria's Secret fragrances.
Senior Vice President of Product Innovations at Victoria’s Secret Beauty and the brand's in-house nose, Mark Knitowski says one thing that makes Victoria's Secret fragrance so seductive is its power to "create a personality" around the wearer. "It's so recognizable and distinctive from everything else on the market," he says. Plus, a Victoria's Secret fragrance leaves a dazzling trail. "You can really smell the diffusiveness of the scent."
Knitowski travels the world—from Iceland to Morocco, the Amazon, Cuba, and the South of France—to source fresh ingredients to give Victoria's Secret scents power, longevity, and exotic profiles. Back in the U.S., his team is on the ground and in stores getting feedback from customers on their top notes. Another secret to the brand's success is the power to get ahead of trends with disruptive new product launches. "Right now, we're doing florals in a way that's not too heady," says Knitowski. "There's more of an emphasis on freshness."