Rare Beginnings is Rare Beauty’s second eau de parfum, from Selena Gomez’s brand, released in August 2026. This fruity floral opens on pear nectar and pistachio, with gardenia, jasmine and lotus blossom in the heart, over a base of vanilla, pink sugar and cedar, in a bottle designed for accessibility.
Kaitlin Cubria of Elite Daily likes how its flowers blend with the pear and pistachio; Marissa Wu of PureWow finds a juicy floral, while judging it a little gourmand for some.
What critics say
A Floral That Doesn’t Overwhelm
Kaitlin Cubria of Elite Daily wore Rare Beginnings for a month before its release. A lover of gourmands, she usually doesn’t get along with flowers, but these did not overwhelm her: they blend, she says, with the pear and pistachio of the top and the vanilla, pink sugar and cedar of the base.
She sees in the fragrance a blend that is both distinctive and familiar, and praises the bottle’s pear green, set off with gold details, in the ergonomic shape of the first Rare.
A Juicy, Slightly Gourmand Pear
Marissa Wu, editor at PureWow, finds a solid follow-up to the first fragrance: the fruits and flowers temper the richness of the vanilla. The pear nectar reminds her of biting into a ripe piece of fruit, and the pistachio, with the cedar of the base, brings balance.
She appreciates the large pump, handy even without any difficulty gripping. She would have done without the pink sugar, and the fragrance might weigh on those who prefer light, musky, fresh florals.
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