Singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez has unveiled Portals Parfums.
It’s her second release following the success of her debut, Cry Baby Perfume Milk — which sold out and is reselling for up to $2,000 a bottle — showcasing an intricately designed baby bottle shape, that came out independently under her record label. For this new creation — which features four scents in one — Martinez has teamed with Flower Shop Perfumes Co., a boutique company founded in June 2019 by husband-wife duo Isaac Lekach and Lillian Shalom. The fragrance was made in collaboration with International Flavors & Fragrances perfumers Natasha Côté, Patty Hidalgo and Laurent Le Guernec.
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“Portals Parfums is my favorite fragrance creation yet,” said Martinez in a statement. “Working with Flower Shop on these magical four scents has been a dream come true. I drew up this idea and knew it was going to be one the most challenging but rewarding things I’ve ever put out.”
The vessel is a one-foot-tall sculpture with a many-eyed head that opens to reveal four glass vials. Inspired by the elements, there’s Water of Intuition (with notes of sandalwood, cedarwood, amber and musk), Air of Clarity (caramel, coconut, ambroxan, tonka bean), Fiery Passion (strawberry, pink peony, jasmine, vanilla) and Earthy Abundance (green tea, turmeric leaf, lavender, vanilla). The eau de parfum is available for $275 (60 ml total, at 15 ml each). Individual refill vials and full size bottles (50 ml) will come in 2024.
Like Cry Baby Perfume Milk, Portals Parfums takes influence from Martinez’s music. After rising to fame in 2012 on American reality show “The Voice,” Martinez — known to conceal her face in recent years — released her debut album “Cry Baby” in 2015. “K–12” followed in 2019, and she dropped “Portals” in March of this year. With her return, she introduced a new image and embodies a character, her alter-ego.
“Everything stems from her,” Lekach said of Martinez. “Not just the design of the bottle, which came from a sketch of hers, but the brief that we send to the perfumers, to the fragrance house.”
Lekach grew up in the industry. His father is Ilia Lekach, founder of discount perfumery chain Perfumania and former chief executive officer of Parlux Fragrances.
“As a kid I was trying to help sell perfumes at the counter during Christmas during the busier times of the year,” he explained of his background. “But I got my official start working in marketing at Parlux Fragrances. I brought in Paris Hilton. So, I developed that license and worked on a number of different launches, including some for Perry Ellis and Guess Jeans.”
Of Martinez, he added: “Think of me as a tool of hers. She has a vision, complete with colors, artistic direction, design, everything, and we’re the vessel she used to make this happen.”
