The contemporary version of a fragrance born in 2006
Launched at the end of February 2024, Nina Illusion eau de parfum follows on from the original Nina fragrance created by Olivier Cresp in 2006. For this new take, the dsm-firmenich Master Perfumer, in collaboration with Nicolas Bonneville, created a floral, fruity and chypre juice. This sparkling version combines yuzu, orange blossom, pink pepper, raspberry, vanilla, and patchouli. This vegan fragrance contains 90% natural ingredients and includes upcycled lemon.
Since its creation, the Nina fragrance has been revisited several times through multiple interpretations: Le Paradis in 2010, La Tentation in 2014, Les Délices in 2015, Les Gourmandises in 2017... In 2019, it was associated with the launch of Bella and Luna, in a conniving trio. In 2024, Nina Illusion wants to explore another facet of its universe and encourage people to live life to the fullest. The opening of the Nina Illusion Café in the heart of Paris is part of this seductive strategy.
A jewel-like bottle at the crossroads of fashion and fragrance
The Nina Illusion apple-shaped bottle features shades of iridescent pink, a special grade of glass developed by Verescence. It boasts 20% recycled glass and the case is made from FSC-certified paper. Designed in 2006, the Nina bottle was inspired by Nina Ricci’s legacy, and more specifically by the perfume Fille d’Ève dating from 1952, which refers to the forbidden fruit of a lost paradise. Nina adopted this symbolic shape for the bottle.
For Nina Illusion, the metal jewel tied around the cap was created in collaboration with jewellery artist Hugo Kreit. This accessory can be worn as a ring or bracelet. An eye-catching piece that appeals to Gen Z. "I like the fact that the apple is present in so many different ways. We have created a gem in the image of a universal flower that graces the bottle. It is very fluid, very contemporary," explains Harris Reed, Nina Ricci’s new Artistic Director.
An experiential space in the very heart of Paris
A 300 m2 pop-up café decorated in the colours of the bottle opened its doors from 7 to 10 March under the Canopée des Halles, a major passageway and shopping area in Paris. This immersive, highly Instagrammable space offered a range of experiences. In partnership with EL&N the London patisserie shop, the pop-up café proposed - among other delights - signature drinks and an exclusive sweet in the shape of an apple. A "locker game" allowed visitors to win perfume or fashion gifts (berets, T-shirts, tote bags...) after subscribing to a newsletter. An olfactory discovery display was set up at the entrance, opposite a giant Nina Illusion bottle. There was also an engraving workshop where visitors could personalise the perfume bottle available in the Séphora partner shop opposite. Finally, an "Infinity Room" allowed visitors to immortalise their journey through an endless game of mirrors, and to post their impressions on social networks using the hashtag #NINAILLUSION.
New communication codes
Around the apple-shaped bottle, a core element of every advertising campaign since 2006, Nina Ricci has built a fairytale-like storytelling underpinned by the duality of innocence/transgression, and candour/temptation. These codes are aimed at young girls ready to make their mark and are personified by ingenuously seductive muses. The price positioning of Nina Illusion eau de parfum is in line with the purchasing power of this target, with an entry price of 70 euros for 30 ml. Similarly, the prices of the treats in the pop-up café have been deliberately kept down.
The new campaign, shot at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, France, features actress Kiernan Shipka as she goes after the coveted bottle as if in a dream. She is wearing a dress designed by Harris Reed and the bottle’s flower jewel. The atmosphere is poetic but moves away from fairytales. A subtle evolution.
Two perfume lines
The Maison Nina Ricci (fashion and fragrance), owned by Puig, the Spanish Group, has refocused on two fragrance franchises: L’Air du Temps and Nina. The Nina line currently includes Nina Illusion, Nina Le parfum, Nina L’eau de toilette and the versions Nina Rouge and Nina Extra Rouge.
L’Air du Temps, launched in 1948 just after the war, has retained the shape of Lalique’s original bottle, which features two intertwined doves, symbols of love and peace. The fragrance still has a loyal customer base in the older age bracket. Every year, Nina Ricci releases a new edition in collaboration with an artist. This year, at the end of March/beginning of April, a bottle adorned with delicate golden flowers created by Anne Brun will mark the launch of the fragrance, revisited by Givaudan’s Perfumer Sonia Constant.
