The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Love arrived in 2019 as Beauty Pie's entry into fragrance, composed by Frank Voelkl, who trained at Givaudan and built his reputation through collaborations with houses that prize restraint and precision. The scent opens with a dewy burst of rhubarb and bergamot, both pitched to read more crisp fruit than candy, with the rhubarb carrying that familiar tart snap and the bergamot lending a pithy lift. An apricot heart comes through soft and sun-warmed, edged with quince for a slightly sour green rind against the fruit's natural honeyed roundness. Black orchid pulls in shadow, setting up a creamy almost chocolate-smooth depth rather than anything smoky or leathery.
The interplay between the rhubarb and bergamot does a lot of the early work, cutting through the sweetness of the apricot heart before it leans too far into jam territory, and that tartness lingers almost into the drydown as the fruit matures and warms on skin. Black orchid pulls in shadow in its creamy, almost chocolate-smooth form rather than the smokier leather-leaning readings the note sometimes takes on. Lily of the valley and honeysuckle layer in brightness that sits like air around the heavier notes, preventing the orchid from collapsing the composition into weight.
The evolution
The first ten minutes belong to the bergamot and rhubarb, sharp and almost tart, the quince adding a pectin-thick sweetness underneath. That brightness fades within half an hour, and the apricot arrives fully, jelly-sweet and sun-warmed, with the black orchid threading beneath it like a current. The lily of the valley and honeysuckle lift the whole heart into something more floral than fruity, green and slightly cool against the warmth. After two to three hours, the base settles in. Cedarwood and sandalwood do the woodwork, clean and creamy rather than dry. The amber warms the edges, and the musk holds everything close to skin. The drydown is where this fragrance lives longest, a soft, skin-warm blend that stays detectable on clothing the next day. It tends to be polite rather than loud, the kind of scent that gets noticed in lifts and on windy streets.
Cultural impact
Love by Beauty Pie arrives as a fruity floral gourmand that reads modern without leaning hard into the sweeter dessert-style territory that has dominated launches in recent years. The composition opens with rhubarb and bergamot pitched just right, tart enough to feel crisp but soft enough to stay wearable. A quince and apricot heart follows, the quince bringing a slightly green sour edge that keeps the apricot from tipping into pure jam. Black orchid sits at the center, creamy and smooth rather than smoky or heavy, supported by lily of the valley and honeysuckle for lifted airiness that keeps the whole accord buoyant.
