The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Salted Muse was composed by Jérôme Epinette for Orebella, the brand founded by Bella Hadid in 2024. The name blends 'aura' with 'Bella,' a reflection of how scent connects to personal identity. Epinette built the fragrance around two contrasting materials, sea salt and pink pepper, as a way to capture something elemental yet alive. The brand's bi-phase formulas combine fine fragrance with aromatherapy essential oils, and this context shaped how the composition was structured, aiming for something that felt both perfumery and functional.
The use of olive in the heart was a deliberate choice to prevent the composition from becoming a simple marine fragrance. Epinette wanted to ground the mineral openness in something that felt rooted in Mediterranean landscape rather than a beach postcard. The pairing of fig and lavender works because fig's lactonic softness tempers lavender's sharpness, creating a heart that is aromatic yet never soapy. This logic extends into the drydown where sandalwood and cedarwood share a woody warmth that amplifies the amber's resinous finish, ensuring the final hours feel cohesive rather than disjointed.
The evolution
The fragrance begins with sea salt and pink pepper creating a mineral-aromatic opening that feels immediate and precise. As the top notes lift, the heart emerges with fig and lavender taking center stage, their interplay softening the pepper's brightness while the olive adds an unexpected herbal-green dimension. The drydown marks a clear transition to warmth, as sandalwood and cedarwood build a woody cushion that holds the skin long after the initial spray. Amber rounds the composition with a soft, resinous sweetness that keeps the entire arc grounded and intimate.
Cultural impact
Salted Muse launched in 2024 as part of Bella Hadid's Orebella collection. The fragrance moves away from conventional marine compositions by incorporating fig and olive tree alongside its salt and pepper notes. Its bi-phase formula aligns with contemporary interest in multifunctional fragrance experiences. The combination of materials creates a scent that feels both fresh and grounded, offering something distinct from typical aquatic fragrances on the market. The warm, botanical heart adds dimension that sets it apart from more purely marine-focused releases.
