Rare Beauty’s New Fragrance Had Everyone Asking What I Was Wearing

When Selena Gomez released her inaugural fragrance for Rare Beauty, it quickly became one of my breakout favorite scents of 2025. Truthfully, I didn’t think she could outdo herself less than a year after such a successful first foray into the perfume world, but then she did just that earlier this month. Her sophomore scent, Rare Beginnings (which arguably makes a better name for a debut, but alas, I digress), is a departure from the dessert-like gourmand profile of Rare Eau de Parfum, breaking new ground in the world of fruity florals. With notes of tart pear, sweet gardenia, and warm vanilla bean, Rare Beginnings sounded right up my alley on paper. (And it doesn’t hurt that the bottle is utterly gorgeous — a sage-green version of the original — not to mention an accessibility win, thanks to its wide, rounded top that’s easier to press.) I came of age in the 2000s and know my way around more than a few fruity scents; what I couldn’t have predicted, however, was just how much of a compliment magnet this would be.  Rare Beginnings Eau de Parfum, $78 My first impression of Rare Beginnings was that it immediately reminded me of a grown-up version of Victoria’s Secret PINK body sprays (the ones in those rectangular-prism-shaped bottles). It has the same flirty, juicy sweetness of my beloved teenage splashes, but with the undertones of “she has a 401(k).” And speaking of grown-up, I’m calling it now: This is a great option for the office (or, if you’re controversial, the gym), since it’s light and fresh. When I hugged a friend at a recent happy hour, she told me I smelled amazing. Night made! The OG Rare perfume also launched with a set of fragrance-layering balms designed to melt into the skin with body heat and enhance certain notes when layered under the perfume. With the arrival of Rare Beginnings, two more balms have joined the lineup: Fruity Pear and Sweet Marshmallow.  At $78 for the full-size bottle (and $30 for the travel spray — the same as the original Rare), this is an expensive, gorgeous fruity scent that’s also something of a shapeshifter. When peared with the Fruity Pear balm, which smells delicious on its own, the succulent notes of pear nectar and lotus blossom really shine. With Sweet Marshmallow, which has a creamy, almost powdered-sugar-like quality, I found that the sneaky gourmand notes — candied pink sugar, nutty pistachio, and cozy vanilla bean — really come alive. In terms of longevity, I found that this one doesn’t linger quite as long as Rare, but I wasn’t totally surprised: Fruity notes tend to pull a disappearing act within a few hours of application, but I did find that Rare Beginnings tended to cling onto clothes much better than skin.  Ultimately, I’d say lightning has struck twice with Rare Beginnings. Like its predecessor, it has a sweet, nostalgic quality, but with the polish of a proper eau de parfum — and, best of all, it works just as well at the office as it does on date night without missing a beat. Add in the layering balms for a little fragrance versatility, and you’ve got the beginning of your newest signature scent era.  Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?Kitten Scents Are Fall's Cutest Fragrance Trend7 Weird Perfume Habits That Make Me Smell AmazingThese 16 New Fragrances Are Made For Late Summer