"These Have Always Brought Me Luck" — Elizabeth Taylor and Her Perfume Empire

Call me old fashioned—which would be rich coming from anyone who’s willingly reading an Old Hollywood blog—but there’s something wonderful about Elizabeth Taylor’s perfumes.

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The first lady of Hollywood was the first actress to launch her own fragrance empire in 1987.

What prompted Elizabeth Taylor to launch her own perfume line? In 2003, she told Larry King that “it seemed natural” because she was already combining various perfumes to get her own unique scent. “I wasn't happy with one, so I took several and I would layer them on my skin and behind my ears and sort of make my own mixture.

“And then I thought, why don't I make [my own], since I'm sort of making my own perfume now...”

She partnered with the Elizabeth Arden Cosmetics empire and in 1987, Passion became her first fragrance, which had top notes of “Aldehydes, Coriander, Gardenia, Artemisia, Ylang-Ylang, Bergamot and Lily-of-the-Valley,” according to Fragrantica, and became an instant bestseller.

Passion was followed up, in 1991, by White Diamonds. Her official website speaks this way of White Diamonds: “Inspired by two of her great passions – the lush beauty of her gardens and the brilliance and glamour of the diamonds she loved – Elizabeth Taylor created this sensual, floral fragrance. It imbues its wearer with the glamour and sparkle of her world-famous diamond jewelry collection.”

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I, personally, am obsessed with Diamonds & Emeralds, but if I could get my hands on the full jewel collection of Diamonds & Sapphires (1993), Diamonds & Rubies (1993) and Diamonds & Emeralds (1993), I’ll be a very happy woman indeed.

La Liz sat down with the Los Angeles Times in 2009 to talk perfume, and said about her method: “My philosophy for designing perfume is like everything else in my life, ruled by love and passion. Always give your heart and make the world more beautiful. So many people place their name on products that aren’t intrinsic to their soul. I think that’s a little sad. I have to care about everything I do.”

For the rest of her life—Elizabeth died on March 23, 2011—she dedicated herself to her fragrance empire and her jewellery, and earned a heap more money than she’d ever earned as one of Hollywood’s top actresses.

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Other perfumes she launched include Passion for Men (1989), Black Pearls (1996), Sparkling White Diamonds (1999), Brilliant White Diamonds (2001), Forever Elizabeth (2002), Gardenia (2003), and Violet Eyes (2011).

After her death, Elizabeth’s perfume line continued with White Diamonds Lustre in 2014; White Diamonds Night in 2016; Love and White in 2017; White Diamonds en Rouge in 2019; and White Diamonds Legacy in 2021.

A portion of all perfume sales goes to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, which she established in 1991 after blazing another trail as one of Hollywood’s earliest AIDS activists.

Should you wish for some elegance in your life, you can find the full Elizabeth Taylor fragrance collection here.