MADONNA SAYS HER NEW FRAGRANCE TRUTH OR DARE IS AN ODE TO HER MOTHER

It’s hard to believe that Madonna, who conquers just about anything she tackles, has never created a fragrance. In the modern world of celebrity one would gasp, but as always, for Madonna, the timing for her new fragrance, Truth of Dare, had to be just right.

“I have always been obsessed by fragrance and for years wanted to create something personal that was an expression of me, but that other people could relate to as well. Something classical and timeless and yet modern.”

Not only did Truth or Dare have to be just right, “She knows what she wants and she was very hands on,” Stephen Nilsen of Givaudan (a global leader in the fragrance industry), who worked on the formula with Madonna told me at a recent event for the perfume. “She would come in and try different fragrances. When she would try different formulas, she would go all out, not just spritz a bit on, but overload it on her arms and wear it for the day. She would then come back and tell us what she liked and didn’t like. It also had to have staying power.”

One thing Madonna had to have in her scent was a floral element. Nilsen said that was one of things Madonna first requested, to include the scents of Gardenia and Tuberose. “My oldest memory of my mother is her perfume,” Madonna notes. “I carry it with me everywhere. I always remember her smell but particularly I would wake up early in the morning and I would come into my parents bedroom at night and try to sneak in between my mom and dad and have a couple of hours of quality time, and I always smelled of gardenias and tuberose on my mother and I wanted to create a fragrance that reminded me of her. It’s an intoxicating mixture…feminine and mysterious. I wanted to recreate this scent but with something fresh and new about it as well. Something honest and yet daring. Hence the name Truth or Dare.”

The strong floral scents are balanced with vanilla, amber and sensual musk, which give the scent a modern boost and in true Madonna style, its sexy allure.

Top Notes: Rich Gardenia, Creamy Tuberose, Dewy Neroli

Mid Notes: Carnal Jasmin, Benzoin Tears, White Lily Petals

Base Notes: Vanilla Absolute, Caramelized Amber, Sensual Musk Aura

Eau de Parfum: $65 for 50 ml, $75 for 75 ml, Body Lotion: $39 for 200 ml and Shower Gel, $35 for 200 ml.

—By Toni-Marie Ippolito