Valentino Beauty has introduced Vendetta, a brand new pair of fragrances and the house’s first prestige fragrance franchise launch in six years. The name pays tribute to the original Vendetta scent released under founder Valentino Garavani in 1991, but this time the story is told in two parts: Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo, two distinct compositions designed around intimacy, emotion and magnetic connection. Dakota Johnson and Alexander Skarsgård front the campaign, photographed by Inez and Vinoodh as a pair of lovers who follow instinct over convention, with a campaign film that brings it to life.
Vendetta Donna was created by master perfumer Dominique Ropion alongside perfumer Andrew Everett, and it’s a floral gourmand woody scent centred on tuberose at its most sensual. The star ingredient is an exclusive Tuberose Osmobloom extract, which captures the flower exactly as it smells when it blooms at dawn. It opens on a juicy red orange nectar accord inspired by Italy’s prized Tarocco Rosso orange, finished with a subtle salty edge, before settling into a creamy sandalwood heart that lingers close to the skin. The deep red juice, a nod to Valentino’s signature colour, makes it just as striking on the dresser.
For him, Vendetta Uomo is a woody spicy gourmand composed by master perfumer Marie Salamagne. It opens with a bright burst of Peruvian ginger and fresh Italian citrus, warms up through a cinnamon liquor accord and a blend of spices, then grounds itself in pure patchouli essence and a modern woods accord for a confident, controlled trail.
Both scents come in sculptural bottles shaped around Valentino’s bold graphic V, topped with pleated caps that echo the folds of the brand’s couture garments.
Valentino Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo are available now at Myer. Vendetta Donna RRP $160 (30ml), $215 (50ml) and $305 (90ml). Vendetta Uomo RRP $165 (50ml) and $245 (90ml).
