The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
In 2011, Burberry released Body, a fragrance designed around a deeper shade and a bolder intention. Michel Almairac composed the fragrance with that contrast in mind: a chypre-fruity structure that opened sharp and softened into something warm. The top notes arrive with a bright, almost tart quality that immediately signals a departure from conventional fruity-florals. As the scent develops, the green notes emerge, adding an herbal dimension that cuts through the sweetness and gives the composition its edge. The transition into the heart reveals how the initial sharpness melts into something rounder, warmer, and considerably more inviting. This is a fragrance built on opposition, where each layer seems to challenge the one before it, yet the whole remains cohesive.
The absinthe note is the telling choice. Wormwood, bitter, green, not typically found in mainstream women's fragrances, drops into the top alongside peach. That combination creates a tension: sweet fruit against something sharp and herbal. Most fruity-florals play it straight. This one doesn't. The freesia keeps the opening from tipping into bitterness entirely, but the absinthe never fully disappears. It shapes the character of everything that follows. The heart, rose and sandalwood, warms the composition, adding creaminess that balances the green. Sandalwood in particular acts as a bridge: it holds the fruity opening and carries it into the drydown without losing either.
The evolution
The opening arrives bright and almost too-sweet, the peach note making an immediate impression before the absinthe cuts in with its green, slightly medicinal quality that makes this scent something you either love or find unsettling. Freesia appears briefly, a clean floral counterpoint before the composition shifts. The absinthe softens as the heart develops, and rose enters alongside sandalwood, warm, creamy, with that powdery edge that iris brings deepening the composition. The fruity quality doesn't vanish; it recedes into the background, supporting rather than leading. As the fragrance moves deeper, the drydown takes over. The fruity notes fade entirely. Cashmeran dominates, a soft, almost-woody warmth that behaves like its namesake: cashmere in cool air. Vanilla and musk layer underneath, adding sweetness and softness.
Cultural impact
Body stands apart from the typical fruity-floral without sacrificing warmth or wearability. The absinthe opening is the dividing line, striking enough to put off those who want conventional florals, distinctive enough to make converts of those who don't. The green, slightly medicinal quality of the opening note creates a clear departure from more expected fragrance conventions, offering something with real personality. It's a scent that asks something of its wearer, rewarding those who appreciate complexity and boldness with a fragrance that refuses to disappear into the background.
