In 1986, Elizabeth Taylor licensed her name to a perfume company, the Parfums International division of Chesebrough-Ponds.
Parfums International vice president and general manager, Michael E. Horowitz was looking to expand and secure his company's place in the "high end department store fragrance business." and after spending "lots of time analyzing the market" he became convinced that the success of a new product depends on "borrowed interest and built-in awareness. You need to have either a person, a place or a thing that consumers are already familiar with, so you can overcome all the competitive clutter that's out there."
A licensing agent he's known for years suggested Elizabeth Taylor to him, and after a few meetings with the actress, he determined that "we could get along, we could be partners."
Parfums International developed Passion in much the same way that other companies might approach a new detergent or other household product. The company test-marketed the idea of an Elizabeth Taylor perfume on focus groups nationwide for two years. This included testing recognition levels for Elizabeth Taylor and a few other celebrities. The target audience for the fragrance was upscale women who shop in department stores. Overall, the team sampled 5000 participants in the United States and a few more thousand abroad. Researchers spent $250,000 on interviews, focus groups and phone calls. Taylor's name recognition level was right at 100 percent. “The numbers always went through the roof with every group we talked to. The emotional response to her was positive,” reflected Sherry Baker, who was responsible for the market research. "People respect her because she is a survivor." This will held get the customers to the perfume counter, but beyond that, the perfume will sell itself.
Because of the immense visibility Elizabeth Taylor had with the media, the marketing team decided to promote Passion in a novel way. Taylor would hold a press conference in January of 1987 where she would make a huge announcement, little did the public know, that this is when she would introduce the new fragrance. A few weeks before the conference, each member of the press, including a mere five to United Press International, received a purple colored envelope with the words "Top Secret" engraved across it. The clandestine tactic helped get extra publicity because the press spent time speculating on what it was that Taylor would announce. Some curious people even thought that perhaps she was going to be married for an eighth time.
The invitation only event was held at the Versailles Room at Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York. Taylor, dressed in a luxurious fox fur headband, tweed suit with fur collar, and glittering diamond crescent earrings, hobbled up to the podium, assisted by two perfume company officials and said that her knee that she had recently injured while on vacation in Switzerland, "feels like hell." Once she took her place at the lectern, the doors of the Versailles room were locked to prevent any nosy eavesdroppers from entering and spoiling the surprise announcement. Attendees would not be permitted to leave until Taylor made her exit. Another 50 reporters and photographers were kept out of the room.
At the press conference, in addition to all the major news networks, there were seventeen foreign film crews ready to capture the long awaiting moment, a total of about 500 people in all. Everyone in attendance was sitting on the edge of their powder blue chairs wondering what news Taylor was going to reveal. Finally, Taylor announced that she was going to launch her own signature perfume, Passion.
Almost at once, anxious reporters began pestering her whether she had any new marriage plans, particularly the wild rumor going round the world that she was engaged to Hollywood stalwart George Hamilton. She flatly denied this rumor, saying "We like each other. Things are so nice the way they are, why mess it up? I like things the way they are." The company officials cracked a joke, admitting the press conference really was about "Miss Taylor's latest marriage." Taylor shot back in jest, "It's funny how every announcement I make turns into a marriage."
She confirmed that she was announcing a new partnership, she struck a deal with Chesebrough-Pond's fragrance division, Parfums International to produce a perfume that would carry her signature and it would be her "first major business venture." She said that the manufacturing deal came in the wake of a lagging acting career after years of amassing fame starring in more than 55 films in Hollywood. She did not disclose the figures regarding the contract, but some of her friends said the sum was upward of $2 million. "Liz never does anything unless she's getting a bundle," said a former associate. "You could imagine what she's getting for this!" The former pal even said that "you can add another million or more" for a TV commercial starring Liz.
The reporters were handed purple booklets embossed with a perfume bottle and held information packs about Parfums International, Ltd. When asked what the perfume would smell like, she described it as being a "cross between floral and oriental. It will have a violet aroma, of course," a veiled reference to her famed "violet eyes."
When a reporter asked her why she would take a risk in launching a perfume, she replied “I’ve always taken risks, and perfume is something I’ve always adored...I think it's more than an accessory to a woman. I think it's an integral part of her aura. Perfume is suggestive. Lace can be more provocative than nudity. I don’t know, it was just time to do something new." She said she chose the name "Elizabeth Taylor's Passion" because "I have a passion for life and a lot of things. I have a passion for going forward and doing new things, not living in the past, (but) living in the future."
Although this was the to be the first time that Taylor would lend her name to a product, she told everyone that she would be involved in every aspect of developing the fragrance, including the testing of the formula to packaging and the $10 million marketing campaign with the William Esty Co, to introduce the fragrance. She said she would be making appearances at department stores, and starring in numerous print, magazine and television interviews to help promote the fragrance. "Everything I never did before," she said. Before anyone could ask, she said, "Don't ask me if I'm going to go on Joan Rivers' show," joking about her TV nemesis.
Company officials stated that the fragrance would be sold in a limited number of department and select specialty stores starting in the fall. Initially the fragrance would be distributed in perfume, eau de toilette and dusting powder forms, although the actual price had not yet been set. Giving the hint of an expensive price, Taylor quipped, "You wouldn't expect me to be involved in anything cheap, would you?"
During the hourlong news conference, Taylor claimed that her contract guarantees her an unspecified minimum and a percentage of every unit sold here and abroad and that "a substantial" portion of the profits were to go to research into AIDS., the deadly disease that killed one of her longtime Hollywood friends, the handsome actor Rock Hudson. It was revealed a year later that 10% of the perfume's profits would go directly to The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), a charity foundation that Taylor created in 1985, and had raised at least $13.7 million by 1988.
At the end of the conference, a desperate reporter brought up one last question about marrying Hamilton. Taylor, having fun with her audience she said while laughing, "I just married Chesebrough-Pond's. You don't want to make a bigamist out of me. PS., Hamilton has sampled the perfume and likes it."
The Launch:
A "selected, exclusive, limited" press conference, billed as a "reception," was held at New York's Regency Hotel on April 8, 1987 for the unveiling of her Passion fragrance. The press event took place in a truncated area (in a salon just off the bar outside the lobby) of the Regency Ballroom decorated with the purple glass Art Deco bottles of Passion and the walls were hung with lavender moire banners emblazoned with "Elizabeth Taylor's Passion." Two television screens replayed videos of Taylor trying on her new fragrance saying "I Love it! It's wonderful!". Other videos on repetition had Taylor explaining the perfume's name, and another video starred Dynasty tv show dress designer, Nolan Miller, offering a reason for the purple gown he designed for Taylor's official promotion photos, as well as for the purple packaging, explaining that "It's really her color."
The marbled reception room was alive with bouquets of fresh white flowers, recalling those found in the formula of Passion. Around the room were carefully displayed bottles and packaging for the perfume. A dozen life-size and nearly life-size photos of Taylor also graced the room. The glossy photos portrayed Taylor as bare shouldered except for the $6 million worth of diamond earrings, necklace and bracelet from Harry Winston and the $6 million diamond ring that is her own.
The attendees including reporters, TV crews and retail executives from the select stores that would carry the fragrance, were noticeably grumbling about impending closing deadlines and were annoyed with Taylor's tardiness. No wonder, they were told to arrive two hours early to the event! Wine glasses overflowed but the guests quietly complained about the scanty amount of hors d'oeuvres of veggies and goat cheese.
Liz arrived 55 minutes late when she finally reached the Regency. Dressed to impress, a tanned Taylor wore a sleek, black, scoop necked cocktail dress showing off her newly svelte figure. Her bouffant hair was freshly frosted and lacquered into place. Sparkling at the center of her bosom was an impressive diamond brooch she purchased for a whopping sum of $650,000 sold by Sotheby's on behalf of the Duchess of Windsor's collection. Her fingers twinkled with diamond rings while her ears also sported her trademark diamonds. Taylor addressed the crowd, apologizing, "Sorry to keep you waiting..." and cracking jokes to lighten the mood. Regarding her glittering plumed brooch, she laughed "It's the first important piece of jewelry I ever bought for myself!" She did say that the money went to the Pasteur Institute for AIDS research.
Taylor was handed the microphone and began to talk, saying "As you know, purple and lavender are my favorite colors. When I was in Washington [married to US Senator John Warner], I was told I shouldn't wear purple because it denotes passion. What's wrong with that? I said. Someone else told me purple denotes royalty. And I said, Oh?... .the bottle is Art Deco, another favorite, and the packaging is sort of Art Deco because I love to collect things."
Someone asked how did they arrive at the name Passion? Taylor responded that, "Two names were suggested. Fascination and Passion. One was - well, safe, even boring. Passion seemed more appropriate. I do live my life with a great deal of passion."
A little back and forth banter with the reporters and the microphone was handed over to the general manager of Parfums International, Michael E. Horowitz. He said that because the buzz surrounding the fragrance was so great, the company decided that it would be launched in August, a month earlier than an aforementioned September date. The advertising campaign cost for August alone was to be $10 million. Thirty million women would be acquainted with the fragrance via scent strips in magazines and 700 department and specialty stores with spritzers at the beauty counters. Burdines was one of the launch stores for the fragrance in late August. David Dyer, senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Burdines, said even though the market was already saturated with fragrance, he thought Passion would be a winner, saying, I think the aroma is important. Maybe in the beginning people will buy it because of the cachet, but a really successful fragrance is one people come back for."
Questions were fielded from reporters by Taylor who answered "Yes" to a member from Entertainment Tonight's question "What is truly exciting, Miss Taylor, is that you'll go on the road to insure your perfume's success. Is that true Miss Taylor?" She also said that she will appear in ads, alone, and no, she was not about to get married again. She was doing the fragrance because in her eyes "it's the right time."
Taylor went on to say to another that "Perfume is an integral part of a woman's aura," and "Perfume has nothing to do with lust. It has to do with music and flowers and things you love," she said to someone else.
She described her fragrance, "My perfume makes me feel very up. It's sort of Oriental and floral - gardenia, jasmine, rose, lily of the valley. Not too sweet, slightly sultry. Enduring. It does have a staying quality." Horowitz added that the perfume is definitely, "Effusive and long-lasting."
He also said that he expected Passion's top competitors to be Giorgio and Obsession, but Passion "is sweeter than Giorgio and lasts longer than Youth Dew." The price for the fragrance was finally revealed, $165 an ounce, the same as Giorgio.
However, unlike most fragrance launches, there were no sample vials or mini bottles of the perfume given out to attendees. Horowitz said that the samples are virtually nonexistent at that time and only Taylor herself has a supply of the fragrance, which was the only perfume she now wore replacing her old favorite Jungle Gardenia by Tuvache. However, ethereal female figures in white drifted throughout the room spritzing the scent on reporters who wished to test the fragrance. Denis Ferrara, in attendance remarked "Ten women in the same room wearing Passion and you'd have to call in the paramedics."
As a parting gift, everyone was sent home with paper blotter cards saturated with Passion.
Promotional Tour:
The success of the perfume sales will determine Taylor's profit from the licensing agreement and partnership. In 1987 Unilever sent Taylor to department stores in nine cities to sign perfume bottles and have tea with select shoppers. Television spots in the $10 million marketing effort showed Taylor, wearing a low-cut evening dress, reading poems by Shakespeare about passion.
Taylor made nine appearances at higher end department stores on a five-week, 10 city promotional tour in September through October. In advance, security teams already visited the nine stores where Taylor would appear. They had estimated that the crowds for each visit would be at least 5,000. To protect the star, heavy security would be monitoring the people coming into the stores. Since Taylor had a fear of masses of people, most stores built special stages with purple carpets on the main floor for the star to make a Hollywood entrance. Large video monitors like those used as stadium rock concerts would be set up for fans who can't get close enough to the stage.
Stores in New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Washington DC, Dallas, Miami, Boston and Chicago, held tea parties for shoppers who spent $200 for a limited edition bottle of the Passion perfume. The bottle was embossed with Taylor's autograph and a message from her in gold and there were only 2,000 of these one-ounce limited edition crystal parfum bottles manufactured. The first 250 people who purchased the Limited Edition Signature Parfum bottles would receive an invitation to sip tea with Taylor and ask her a question about Passion perfume. All questions must be submitted in advance. Taylor's personal publicist would choose the questions she'd answer at he reception. Sherry Baker said that "We want people to really feel like they've met Elizabeth. It was very important to her to do something more than just stand there during each visit. That's why she'll be answering questions."
After Taylor is introduced, she'll conduct a question and answer exchange using written questions that had been collected the day before. Taylor donned a Nolan Miller purple satin, plunge necked gown for appearances at the store to hawk her product. The shoppers would receive an autographed poster. At the end of her appearance at each store, she signed an oversize photograph, taken from the print ad, that would remain in the store. She wanted to do something special for each store. One store constructed a 10 ft by 7 ft version. Finally, she would be ushered into a room to meet the beauty advisors responsible for pushing the scent on the selling floor, and a group photo would be taken.
Next on the agenda, Taylor and the store CEO met for tea, nibble on caviar and Perrier-Jouet champagne with the shoppers who purchased the limited edition bottle. The entire affair from her arriving at the store to her exiting took about two hours of the actress' time.
Macy's in New York City literally rolled out a purple carpet for the star. The store's red awnings were covered with purple quilt (a Macy's first), lavender flags fluttered from 22 pillars, gold plates stamped with the actress' name were embedded in the main floor, strobe lights cast a violet glow everywhere, and out front on Broadway at 34th Street, six huge windows presented huge posters, large video monitors and giant factice perfume bottles. Saleswoman at the store, Maria Duardo, said "In my four years here, I've never seen a promotion this big. Not even at Christmas."
At the Marshall Field's State Street store in Chicago, Taylor "took tea" with guests in the Walnut Room, sitting beside a fountain flowing with purple colored champagne, near a replica of the Passion perfume bottle fashioned in Frango Mint chocolate by master baker Guynther Berck. Field's expected to sell out of the 250 limited edition parfum bottles.
Michael Ziegler of JW Robinsons in Beverly Hills said that "I was in our Santa Barbara store last Friday night and they were selling bottles right out of the packing crates, before they could even get them on the shelves."
Chen Sam, Taylor's longtime spokeswoman said that "Elizabeth was involved with every step of it. The bottle design, the scent, the marketing - it's really what she is."
Newspaper ad campaigns featured a special contest where one lucky person could win a 1.2 carat diamond cluster cocktail ring valued at $3,300. Winner would also receive a 1.5 oz bottle of Passion Eau de Toilette and tickets for two to the opening night of "Big River" at the Bushnell Theatre in Hartford, CT on Sept 29, 1987. The winner and a guest would enjoy limousine service from Madison Avenue Limousines to dinner at Lloyd's Restaurant, then to the Bushnell to receive the ring on stage. One runner up would win season tickets to the Bushnell Theatre's Broadway series, plus a 1.5 oz bottle of Passion Eau de Toilette. Registrants could enter at the women's fragrance counter at all G. Fox stores, from August 23-September 6, 1987.
On Sept 11, 1987, Taylor played hostess at a dinner party to department store executives and local members of the media at Herbalife owner Mark Hughes' Bel Air mansion, complete with onsite disco and casino. Taylor's own home was just a few paces up the same road. Guests received a paper gift bag with Taylor's visage on it and a bottle of Passion perfume inside. Three types of press coverage were permitted: paparazzi confined outside the gates of the property, down the driveway reporters held back by a rope, and some press members inside the mansion. Taylor sat with star friends such as Stephanie Powers and Ed Asner, as well as the store execs, distributors, and fashion industry others. The excellent food was prepared bya friend of Taylor's, Nicholas Grillo, who didn't participate in the dinner, except to cook the meal, poured a few drinks and left. A massive table topped by a gigantic ice-sculpture bottle of Passion surrounded by steamed crab claws and steamed shrimp appetizers were there for the guests to nibble on. Other guests snacked on homemade tortellini and fresh baked pizza dough rolls. The mansion was bedecked with tall mirrored vases dripping with luscious white flowers.
Fragrance Composition:
Choosing the right perfume formula was an integral part of Elizabeth's role in the development of the fragrance. There was no question that if she didn't approve of something, it didn't get done. During the course of the Passion project, Taylor worked closely with the Parfums International team.
Taylor stated that "I had definite ideas about what I wanted - a floral, oriental - and I had all kinds of scents too play around with. I felt like a chemist gone mad, and it took about a year and a half and it was great fun.”
Six Roure Bertrand Dupont perfumers in France (and in Teaneck, NJ) worked for at least six months to develop formulas and more than a hundred "blind bottles" were shipped to her home from which she sampled before narrowing down her choices to three bottles, and finally drawing the final product. Some were rejected as "too floral", "too woody" or "not sophisticated." Other samples "didn't project", "didn't have enough lift" or "failed to last." Taylor said she met with the chemists from Parfums International eighteen times, trying, testing and mixing seven or eight numbered bottles every two to three weeks.
Chief Perfumer Rene Morgenthaler made repeated trips to California and Arizona when he was working with Taylor, saying "She definitely favored something floral with sexy animal tones. Our blend includes ylang ylang, hints of gardenia, mid notes of tuberose and jasmine plus balsam and vanilla."
The press kit describes Passion as "a luxurious blend of effusive Oriental notes with a garland of brilliant florals including gardenia, jasmine and rose scents in a rich woody base. Warm incense and velvety moss add a sensual finish to the elaborate tapestry."
There are more than 200 ingredients in the fragrance, but mainly it is built around her favorite flower, lily of the valley. "I've blended my own perfume for years," Taylor said, "and this is as close as I could get. It has a scent of mystery, kind of smoky and sweet with marigold in it and lily of the valley. Brides use that in their bouquets. That's probably why I'm so attracted to it."
So what does it smell like? It is classified as an animalic floral semi- oriental fragrance for women. It begins with an aldehydic top, followed by a woody floral heart, resting on a warm, mossy base.
Items from the launch, including original retail prices:
- Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, Russian coriander, Egyptian marigold, Moroccan artemisia, Comoros ylang-ylang, Grasse rose, Chinese gardenia, Grasse jasmine, Alpine lily of the valley
- Middle notes: Indian tuberose, Florentine orris root, Provencal honey, Peruvian heliotrope, sweet spices, Indian sandalwood, Tonkin musk
- Base notes: American cedar, Indonesian patchouli, balsam, Mysore sandalwood, Omani frankincense, Yugoslavian oakmoss, Canadian castoreum, Abyssinian civet, cistus, Madagascar vanilla
A blend of oriental and floral notes. Gardenia, jasmine and rose are mixed with ylang ylang and laced with delicate lily of the valley. Base notes include Indonesian patchouli, precious Indian sandalwood from Mysore, American cedar, incense, oakmoss, sweet spices and sensuous musk.
Bottle:
Taylor is known for her incredible sense of detail so when the first prototype of the bottle, designed by the Dynacept Corporation , was shown to her, she loved its Art Deco shape, but remarked that its stopper looked to plain. Wanting to show the team exactly what she envisioned, Elizabeth redrew the stopper so that it complemented the bottle and the team went ahead with her final design.
Elizabeth was told that the color purple denoted passion, so she chose to house her perfume in an amethyst hued glass bottle. The diamond design on the bottle and boxes were inspired by Taylor's 69ct diamond received from Richard Burton. When asked if the violet packaging was created her to match her famous eyes she said no, but said “Purple is my favorite color. I don’t think I have purple eyes; I have red", she joked playfully.
At the launch, a special promotional item called "Diamonds and Mink" features a marquis shaped, purse size spray bottle with a fur trimmed lavender pouch.
- 0.25 oz Parfum - $65
- 1 oz Parfum - $165
- 1 oz Limited Edition Parfum - $200
- 1.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray - $25
- 2.5 oz Eau de Toilette Spray - $42
- 2.3 oz Eau de Toilette Splash - $40
- 5 oz Dusting Powder - $30
- "Diamonds and Mink" Limited Edition 1/3 oz Refillable Purse Spray with violet moire pouch trimmed with genuine mink fur - $60.
In 1988, the line was expanded to include bath and body products called Body Riches:
Fate of the Fragrance:
The scent of success was so great that within the first four months, Passion pulled in a whopping $36 million dollars. In 1987, Passion won the FiFi award from the Fragrance Foundation for best new fragrance. Passion was estimated to have sold more than $40 million at wholesale in it’s second year, when it was sold at fewer than two thousand retail locations, according to WWD.
A $5 million suit was brought in 1986 against Taylor by her old flame, Henry Wynberg, claiming that she had sold him exclusive rights in 1975 to her name and likeness for promotion, development and sale of cosmetics. The contract was said to have been signed in the presence of Richard Burton and entitled Wynberg to 30% of net profits deriving from any cosmetics marketed under her name. Wynberg said he spent years consulting with chemists and manufacturers, smelling perfumes and looking for the perfect bottle. "I wanted sparkling little lights like stars in there, and I wanted it to look like money, feel like money," Wynberg said. Wynberg claimed that Elizabeth Taylor's Passion was a copycat version of a perfume he developed and presented to her in a purple heart shaped bottle in 1985, years after they were in a relationship.
The actress said that Wynberg breached the contract when he failed to follow through and develop the product and claimed that his criminal record led her to abandon their planned business deal and turn to a major cosmetics company that began marketing Passion.
At stake was a portion of the $70-million yearly profit from the Passion perfume. Wynberg boldly sued for 72 percent of Passion profits. Both parties dropped their suits in the middle of jury selection after reaching out-of-court settlement in which Taylor would retain control over the Passion perfume line. ″It means I’m vindicated and it proves the perfume, Passion, is something I worked a year and a half for. The fragrance does not have anything to do with Mr. Wynberg," said Taylor. Both sides paid their own legal fees and no money changed hands.
A second legal case against Taylor was initiated by Annick Goutal, who had a perfume named Gardenia Passion on the market since 1978 in both Europe and the United States. Goutal's suit involved the rights to the word "Passion". Goutal asked for Taylor's product to be banned from 69 American stores. In December 1987, a New York federal judge, Robert W. Sweet, ruled that Taylor's perfume could not be sold at 55 stores for six months. Sweet left it up to the opposing sides to agree upon the stores covered by the limited injunction. Taylor's Passion was pulled from the shelves of eleven high end stores around the United States. Parfums International was barred from marketing the Passion fragrance at notable shops such as Macy's, Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, Bergdorf-Goodman, Neiman Marcus, I Magnin, Henri Bendel and others "of comparable quality." This was a blow to the retail giants who spent over $3 million promoting the fragrance in their department stores.
Parfums International took it in its stride, claiming according to a 1987 UPI report, that the six month ban would have "little if any impact on sales of the fragrance, which they call the most successful celebrity perfume ever launched."
Elizabeth Taylor Cosmetics Co. and its licensee, Chesebrough-Ponds Inc, sued the French company Annick Goutal, seeking a declaration that they could use the Passion name on their fragrance.
These legal harangues only gave Passion more publicity over the years and helped bolster sales as the perfume became a household name.
Passion is still being produced today, but has been reformulated since at least 2010 due to restrictions placed on certain fragrance materials deemed as unsafe by IFRA.
Liz Taylor reportedly made more money in the 1980s from her line of Passion perfume, eau de toilette, lotion and perfumed dusting powder than she had from her movie career.
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