When Bee Shapiro, founder of Ellis Brooklyn, introduces a fragrance, it’s not without a heartfelt story and serious thoughtfulness. Her latest adventure, Apple Love ($110)—it launched yesterday on Sephora.com, today on her brand’s site, and in-store at Sephora this December—is no exception, taking on the task of writing a beautiful “love letter” to her “magical” New York, while giving personal insight why she got into this industry in the first place.
“For me, NYC was where I truly found and ‘discovered’ myself,’” Shapiro shares when discussing the signature amber-gourmand (spoiler alert, but it’s not fruity). “I moved to New York as a lawyer and quickly realized it was not true to me. New York is the place where I found a home and place in the beauty industry. This city…it’s the place where I have felt the freest, and also true to my soul. I’ve been thinking on the idea of NYC for a while. It’s a city that has so many different meanings to each and every person. I wanted to bring the glamour and swagger of the New York that I know to a perfume. That’s the New York that has been special to me.”
In addition to the city and personal angle, Shaprio stresses how important the ingredient selection—more than 20-percent of the ingredients used are renewable, seven are upcycled, and the praline note is made with 100-renewable carbon—played a part in the creation.
“I’m a big believer in using scent technology that is created from white and green biotech. It’s the future—in that these are ingredients that are often renewable and are a cleaner way to create these beautiful scent ingredients. As much as I love old school naturals and still use them, I think it’s a balance, as they can be extremely resource intensive. I do think these new scent technologies that are also clean is an amazing way to invest in the industry as it becomes truly more beautiful inside and out.”
Shapiro also says this was one scent that was not-so-simple to develop. “The scent was so personal. A direct fruity opening can often read very young; I wanted this fragrance to be ultra smooth, sensual and sophisticated. That was a difficult balance to strike, but I love how smooth and sensual it is. Pierre Negrin, who I made SALT with, is the perfumer on Apple Love and he just has this ultra-refined taste that permeates all his creations. The fragrance is very well balanced and has a real story to tell through its facets and notes—like NYC, I like to think!”
