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What do Hilaria Baldwin, teenaged Reese Witherspoon, and an international crew of young stars and influencers have in common? They’ve all had a love affair with a fresh scent from cult retailer Bath & Body Works. The mall staple may get a reputation for being past its heyday or catering to a younger crowd, but it turns out, even famous folks can’t resist their sweet-smelling lotions and seasonal candles. Read on to find out which Bath & Body Works products celebrities love.
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Yoga instructor (and celebrity spouse to Alec Baldwin) Hilaria Baldwin reportedly likes to mix her favorite Dior scent with Sea Island Cotton spray from Bath & Body Works, and she claims a mix of the two is her signature scent.
The entrepreneur, author, and mom of seven told beauty blog Into the Gloss, “I have a bunch of different perfumes that I like to wear, but the one my husband calls my signature scent is Christian Dior J’adore, which I’ve worn since I was 17. But I like to mix it with—do you know Bath and Body Works? The Sea Island Cotton spray… smells amazing to me. I spray J’adore, and then I put the Sea Island Cotton on my clothes, and the mixture of those two is really my scent.”
Sea Island Cotton has been rebranded as Sea Island Shores, which smells like “line-dried linens at the beach house,” according to the retailer. Pretty fitting for someone who spends a lot of time at her home in the Hamptons, huh?
For many of us, Bath & Body Works scents have a powerful nostalgic effect, and celebs aren’t immune to it. Academy Award-winning actress Reese Witherspoon—who launched her own perfume, called In Bloom, with Avon in 2009—told Allure she wasn’t allowed to wear perfume until she was 16.
“When I went to dances my mom would let me wear perfume. I wore something really fruity and vanilla-y and cake-like from Bath & Body Works.” We’re not sure exactly which scent Reese was spritzing, but Warm Vanilla Sugar is certainly a popular pick today.
Emmy-nominated actress and comedian Yvonne Orji (she plays Molly Carter on HBO’s Insecure) is a big fan of Bath & Body Works, telling Bazaar about several different products she loves.
“I love anything that allows me to indulge my senses—the tiny hand sanitizers from Bath & Body Works fit in my purse, are TSA-approved, and they smell delicious,” she said.
When asked about her relaxation routine, Orji said, “For me, lighting candles and sitting by my fireplace with the ‘Jazz in the Background’ playlist on Spotify is a must!” And one of her favorite candles to light is Bath & Body Works’ Eucalyptus Spearmint aromatherapy candle.
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In 2018, a Temple University student messaged actor and Black Panther star Michael B. Jordan asking if she could buy him a smoothie when he was filming on campus—and he said yes! After, she apparently received many questions about his fragrance. “[He] smelled like Mahogany Teakwood from Bath & Body Works but better,” she said, according to Insider.
So while we can’t confirm that Jordan shops at the retailer, we can deduce that his signature scent is a mix of “rich mahogany, black teakwood, dark oak and frosted lavender” or “like borrowing their flannel for a hike in the woods,” according to the store’s website.
Podcast host, style influencer, and clothing designer Alisha Marie is a confirmed fan of Mahogany Teakwood. “I just love how cozy Bath & Body Works is! I prefer shopping in the store and mostly go during the fall and winter,” she told Cosmopolitan. “Living in Southern California, where there aren’t dramatic seasons, it’s so nice to fill the house with a Leaves or Mahogany Teakwood candle. It’s sometimes the only thing that actually makes it feel like fall to me!”
She also shares that in the early 2000s, she first got hooked on the brand with its Japanese Cherry Blossom scent, which you can still purchase today. “For more than a decade, this iconic floral has defined classic beauty from day to night, season to season – and its graceful balance of blooming petals and blushing warmth is the epitome of femininity,” describes Bath & Body Works.
In the same Cosmopolitan article, which questions why millennials stopped shopping at Bath & Body Works, beauty influencer Leah Van Wyk (who goes by Leah Janae) shared that she had a similar trajectory as Marie.
“In the ’90s, they had a line for kids called Art Stuff, which included a roll-on glitter that I was absolutely obsessed with. It was melon-scented, smelled amazing,” she told the magazine.
Today, she said she’s partial to the hibiscus and ylang-ylang scent in the aromatherapy sleep line. Though this exact scent isn’t available anymore, the aromatherapy line offers products in lavender vanilla, eucalyptus spearmint, eucalyptus tea, and orange ginger.
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In a YouTube video about her top-five favorite scents, Filipino actress Jessy Mendiola shared her love for Bath & Body Work’s Dahlia Fine Fragrance Mist, per FemaleNetwork.com. After noting that she doesn’t like “overpowering” scents, Mendiola said she sprays this mist—which is a combination of dahlia petals, crisp pear, and praline—after showering. Dahlia has been retired, but the actress had said that she would buy lots of them.
FemaleNetwork.com also shared that fellow Filipino actress and businesswoman Heart Evangelista says her “ultimate favorite” scent is Bath & Body Works’ Dark Kiss Mist. In a YouTube video, she said, “This is something that I use every night. I don’t mind spraying this over and over [again.]”
