Christina Aguilera Fragrances

In addition to fragrances, the line manufactures body lotions, body sprays, bath gels, and deodorants,[13][14] and the smell of the products has been influenced by Aguilera's mother and son, her childhood in Japan and a wide variety of flowers and exotic fruits.[15][16] During an interview with Marie Claire, she recalled that her mother used to wear the Poison perfume by Christian Dior, which she credits to be where got her "taste for musky [and] sensual scents",[17] adding: "One of the strongest memories I have as a child is my mom doing her makeup at her vanity. I would always want to spray her fragrance on me — I can still remember the smell. I love the idea of sharing something so personal with my fans".[18] While developing the brands's debut fragrance, Aguilera declared that it embodied "everything that makes [her] smile and relax, like tuberose candles", mixing it with "musky tones" as additional inspiration from male colognes.[19] Her son, Max, also served as a "big inspiration", as she describes his energy as "contagious and positive", which inspired a "more colourful direction" at her work both in music and in the cosmetic industry.[20]

Aguilera also worked with a range of flowers to produce the smell of her perfume line. Due to its "eternal and unmistakable symbol of womanhood", she choose magnolia to develop her fragrances, stating: "[It] is one of the oldest flowers in existence. The fresh, lush scent empowers inner femininity while soft, velvety petals feel like a caressing touch on the skin".[18] Jasmine was also chosen for the creation process, which she described as "synonymous [with] Old Hollywood glamour".[21] Other of her favorite petals to create new scents includes tuberose, gardenia, freesia, rose and Valencia orange flower.[22] Royal Desire was primarily inspired by Aguilera's childhood in Japan and contains traditional ingredients, as well as the country's exotic fruits such as yuzu, mandarin and honeysuckle.[23] Other of her portfolio's fragrances, Red Sin, references her signature color and to its composition was included some of her favorite scents like red apple and cinnamon.[19]

Mae West wearing the black lace dress in Go West, Young Man (1936). The design inspired the bottle of the line's debut fragrance.

The scents have been known for their curvy bottle design, which emphasize Aguilera's hourglass figure, as well the covered lace on top inspired by her "love of vintage glamour".[24][21] For the bottle of the line's debut fragrance, a black lace was designed to provide a "distinctly feminine feel",[21] developed as a reference to the "legendary dress" created to Mae West by French designer Marcel Rochas.[25] In other one-off releases, the covered lace has been replaced by a coat of arms featuring a small mirror filled with flowers.[26] However, the Inspire perfume was projected in a different aesthetic from other products; created on a "classic teardrop shape", it features a "silver disk-like top detailed with red crystals".[20] Hilary Howard, columnist for The New York Times, analyzed the brand's bottles and called it "charmed", in addition to noting that each flask of the Royal Desire scent "comes with a silver charm that can be worn on as necklace or bracelet".[27]

Aguilera's fragrances generally contain base notes of sandalwood, musk and vanilla in their composition, in addition to being combined with a wide range of flowers and exotic fruits.[28][29] Inspire was developed as a "mix of fruity mango and citrus top notes with a hint of freesia",[30] while By Night combines tangerine, red apple, peach and May blossom. Royal Desire, called an "oriental scent with notes like yuzu and lily",[31] also mixes marshmallow, mandarin and blackberry.[32] Embodying "sensuality and true confidence", Secret Potion has top notes of passion fruit, lemon and mandarin, merged with lotus, jasmine and tonka bean.[33] Billboard magazine described Red Sin as a "glorification of womanhood with the provocative symbolism of red", and emphasized the use of red ginger, cinnamon and cyclamen flowers in its creation process.[24] Called "irresistible [and] glamorous", the Unforgettable fragrance "starts with smells of cashmere, vanilla and tonka at its base, adds night-blooming jasmine and Turkish rose", and is "finished with the scents of plum and pomegranate".[34]

Touch of Seduction combines lychee, raspberry, orris honeysuckle and sugared rose,[13] while Glam X was created as "one exotic blend of delicate florals, spicy star anise and warm musks", including caramelized peach, jasmine and lily of the valley.[35] The smell of the Definition fragrance features bergamot orange, mandarin diamond orchid and has as base notes heliotrope and amber.[36] The Moonlight Bloom scent is the result of a mix of blackcurrant, dahlia, narcissus and dark ambrette seed.[37] Discussing about her perfume brand, Aguilera described each of her scents, the message, and purpose of its products to femininity and self-confidence:

Each fragrance evokes a different emotion and mindset, and they reflect scents I personally love. I hope the scents inspires women to become the best versions of themselves [...] My fragrances always have the message of taking pride in who you are as a woman, which to me represents inner femininity. A woman embodies pride and empowerment. The bright, fruity scent provides a powerful start to instill self-confidence. This is a unique attribute women have [and] fragrance is a one-size-fits-all type of product, and I love that it smells a little different on each person. It's also a fast and easy way to feel sexy.[18]

Aguilera's perfume brand was received with generally positive reviews by critics. In a review of its debut self-titled scent, Grazia magazine editors opined that "while it's everything you'd expect from a typical celebrity fragrance [...], it's not overpowering or cloying and is, dare we say it, pretty damn sensual".[74] Writing for Yahoo! Beauty, Lauren Carbran shared the same point of view, describing it as "sweet and a little saucy, [puts] you centre-stage wherever you are", in addition to recommending it to "lavish affairs to experience its magic in full force".[75] In a review for Elle magazine, Emily Hebert named By Night among the best new scents of 2010 fall, highlighting its "heady vanilla, amber, peach, and May blossom".[76] In the same year, Cosmopolitan reviewers named Royal Desire as one of the best perfumes for winter due to its "oriental notes [...] making it warm and heady – perfect for winter nights".[77] Melissa Magsaysay, author from Los Angeles Times, also praised Royal Desire fragrance, calling it an "oriental scent with notes like yuzu and lily". Magsaysay opined that the "standout element [of the perfume] is a top note of sugary sweet marshmallow that's very much heightened by honeysuckle and black currant".[31]

In December 2011, editors from Glamour Russia ranked Secret Potin among the best perfumes of the month, writing that "Aguilera reveals old secrets with pleasure [...] the aroma of self-confidence, the smell of a woman who is aware of her strength".[78] At Basenotes, which assigns a standard score rating out of five stars to reviews from users critics, Unforgettable fragrance received four stars, whose written avaliation called it "a luscious mix of woods, vanilla, light florals and fruity notes", in addition to recognize it as "sweet, but not sugary sweet [...] it's [not] cloying either".[79] Irina Kuzmicheva, writer of Elle Russia, described Touch of Seduction as a scent "designed for seduction", highlighting in its composition three aphrodisiacs such as rose, vanilla and musk. Kuzmicheva also noted that it follows the same base from other Aguilera's fragrances, with notes of "sandalwood [...] that leaves a gentle velvety sensation".[80] In a less optimistic review, Philadelphia magazine columnist Liz Spikol commented about Woman scent, opining that it "radiates Central Pennsylvania holiday shopping excursions", although she recognized it was not "overwhelming".[45]

In addition to being met with positive reviews by perfume critics, the brand has received numerous awards and nominations. Presented by The Fragrance Foundation, it was honoured throughout the years at the Duftstars Awards[81] and FiFi Awards—whose ceremony has been dubbed in the media as "the Oscars of fragrances industry".[82][83] In 2011, Glamour magazine editors prized one of the brand's perfumes at their annual event gala, the Glammy Beauty Awards.[84] Due to its popularity in Russia, some of portfolio's fragrances was awarded in 'Best of Beauty' ceremonies by Allure and Glamour periodical issues.[85][86] Furthermore, the line's debut scent was ranked among the best celebrity women's perfumes of all time by Evening Standard and Yahoo!.[87][75] In 2012, Stylist magazine named Royal Desire as one of the eight credible celebrity fragrances.[88]