The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
Bubble Gum Baby arrived in 2026, shaped by Jérôme Epinette for Zara's fragrance line. The brief reads playful on the surface: a confection built around strawberry, vanilla, and the soft edge of cream. But Epinette isn't a perfumer who builds novelty for its own sake. He approaches gourmand territory the way a good tailor approaches a simple dress. The sweetness has to fit. The drydown has to hold. Zara's body mist category has become its own kind of laboratory. Affordable, trend-fast, designed to be layered, collected, replenished. Bubble Gum Baby belongs to that ecosystem, but it carries more architecture than the format usually demands.
The interesting move here is restraint. Strawberry milkshake could collapse into something cloying. Epinette keeps freesia in the upper structure to cut the sugar with a green floral, the way a cold glass of milk balances a sticky dessert. The cream and vanilla share the base so the sweetness never feels like a single note, more like the memory of one. Musk underneath provides the skin warmth that makes the whole thing feel personal rather than perfumed. This is a gourmand built to be lived in, not sampled.
The evolution
The first ten minutes are pink and immediate. Strawberry milkshake lifts with a frothy sweetness, freesia threading through to keep it from going flat. It's playful, a little girlish in the best sense, the kind of scent that earns a second wrist check. By the hour mark, the sugar quiets and the base starts to assert itself. Cream deepens into something closer to vanilla-bean warmth. Musk lifts the whole composition off the skin, making it feel less like a spray and more like a residue. The drydown is where this earns its place. The strawberry recedes but never disappears. It becomes the color of the vanilla, the cream, the warmth underneath. Lasts a workday on most skin, fades to a soft skin-scent by evening. The hair holds it longer, which is the point.
Cultural impact
Body mists occupy a specific corner of fragrance culture. They're meant to be reapplied, collected, layered, worn without ceremony. Bubble Gum Baby fits that brief without becoming disposable. The composition carries enough structure to be taken seriously on its own terms, enough sweetness to be exactly what its name promises. Early testers in the community describe it as a clearer, more wearable take on the format, something that earns space on the vanity rather than the gym bag.
The House
ZaraZara is a Spanish fashion retailer headquartered in Arteixo, Galicia, operating under the Inditex group. Founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera, the brand evolved from a single store into a global fashion powerhouse with over 2,000 locations across 90 countries. Zara entered the fragrance market in 1998 through a partnership with Spanish fragrance house Puig. The brand gained significant attention in the fragrance world through its 2019 collaboration with independent perfumer Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves. Zara fragrances are available through the brand's own boutiques and online store, positioned alongside its clothing, accessories, and home goods lines. The brand's fragrance portfolio spans diverse styles, from gourmand favorites like Delicious Peach (2024) to timeless classics such as Zara Man 2000, with recent releases including Vibrant Leather Summer Breeze (2025).
The Creator
Jérôme EpinetteEpinette's style can be described as modern and sophisticated, with a focus on natural ingredients and clean lines. He has a knack for creating fragrances that are both wearable and interesting, often incorporating unexpected elements to add depth and complexity.
