Bella

The house divides Bella into three tiers: mandarin and rhubarb at the top, rose jelly and freesia at the heart, vanilla and white musks at the base. Its French retailers specify a green mandarin and keep the rose alone, without jelly, next to the freesia.

In French, the house rather describes it through two accords. The tangy rhubarb brings together rhubarb, green mandarin notes and vanilla; the rose jelly brings together rose, freesia and white musk. The house sees it as a tangy, vibrant floral in which the rose jelly refreshes the gourmand character of the rhubarb.

Rhubarb and green mandarin at the top

Rhubarb takes center stage in the opening, along with green mandarin. Kay, who discovered it in November 2018, smells a raw, crisp, tart rhubarb, lifted by green notes that remind her of fresh citrus zest.

Rose jelly and freesia at the heart

Rose jelly, an accord specific to the house, evokes a romantic femininity for it; its French presentation places rose, freesia and white musk within it. Kay admits she does not know what rose jelly is, but says she clearly smells fresh roses.

Vanilla and white musk at the base

Vanilla and white musk form the declared base. In the house’s accords, vanilla belongs to the rhubarb and musk to the rose. Kay perceives them in the background, a soft musk and a sweet vanilla, beneath a warm, green, almost herbal whole.

What remains outside the declared accord

Lemon, which some retailers place at the top, appears in none of the house’s descriptions and stays outside the tiers retained. Rose jelly, an accord rather than a material, stays in the prose, as do the green mandarin notes of the French presentation.

What the label declares

The European list has sixteen lines: alcohol, Parfum and water, a first UV filter, limonene, citronellol, two other UV filters, alpha-isomethyl ionone, citral, geraniol and linalool, six allergens to declare in all.

Four colorants follow, red 4, yellow 5, violet 2 and blue 1. No essential oil or natural extract is declared, and no allergen banned in Europe, lilial or lyral, appears on it.