Alien, the latest fragrance release from Thierry Mugler, was created by perfumers Dominique Ropion and Laurent Bruyere, and features an “amber solar accord”, a woody Cashmeran note, and jasmine sambac.

Alien is Mugler’s first major fragrance for women since Angel was released in 1992. Angel has been so widely worn, and so widely copied, that it is difficult now to remember how distinctive it was considered upon its release. Reportedly some retailers were initially wary that it was too unusual and that it would never sell. As it turned out, of course, it sold quite well indeed, and Mugler acknowledges the challenge of following up a blockbuster debut:

“When we did Angel, we were completely innocent, and then it became number one in the world,” he said. “Creating Alien was a huge challenge because now the whole world is watching.” (via Women’s Wear Daily, 6/17/05)

So, what of Alien? It starts with something, I don’t know what, that is more of a feeling than a smell: dry, transparent, and warm…

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