Adidas launches complete fragrance line with Coty

This summer, Adidas-sponsored athletes visiting the Adidas House during the Paris Olympics had the opportunity to celebrate their performances with the German sport apparel and equipment brand, and discover the latter’s new footwear and sportswear products, as well as its latest licensed lines. Marcolin unveiled a new model of sports glasses, Dunamis, as worn by Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the 100 m sprint, and Coty presented the new Adidas perfume collection.

The master perfumers at century-old Coty, Gabriela Chelariu, Ilias Ermenidis, Fabrice Pellegrin, Emilie Coppermann, Marypierre Julien and Frank Voelkl, have developed not just one fragrance but a line of six perfumes in collaboration with Adidas. The line is called Vibes and features a cheerful, ultra-colourful packaging, with rounded bottles and a palette of vibrant primary colours. The range was first tested in Paris, in the beauty section of three branches of the Monoprix mass-market chain, before its official launch this September. Adidas and Coty have recently revealed the ambassadors featured in the social media campaign for the Vibes line, whose unisex codes are clearly targeted at Gen Z consumers. They are French athlete Sasha Zhoya, US pop artist Ava Max, and US gymnast Nia Dennis.

“This is the first time we have a simultaneous launch of six fragrances. It is the result of a co-design effort by Adidas and Coty,” said Guillaume de Vitton, vice-president in charge of the Adidas licence at Coty, underlining that the relationship between the two groups has been established for several decades. “We have been working together for a long time, notably with the best-selling Ice Dive perfume, launched in 2001,” he added.

Ice Dive is still on the market. Its scent is virile, fresh and sporty, packaged in a bottle reminiscent of an ice cube. Just over 20 years later, the sporting world has changed, and so have consumer attitudes, and Coty has opted for a different approach to create the new line. “Our goal is to reflect the moods and emotional well-being of our customers,” said de Vitton. “For the first time in a mass-market line, we have tapped neuroscience and semiotics, for example facial reaction analysis. Our research has enabled us to optimise scent combinations, creating fragrances that generate a positive feeling,” he added. Coty’s consumer tests found that 81% of interviewees said wearing the Vibes perfumes improved their sense of well-being, and 85% of them felt a positive impact on their mood.

To cover a full range of moods, the perfumes have been matched up in pairs. Those looking for a sense of escape can select between ‘Full Recharge’, with notes of cedar leaf and Clary sage, and ‘Happy Feels’, with notes of grapefruit and jasmine. For relaxing moments, the choice is between ‘Chill Zone’, with notes of lavender and vanilla, and ‘Get Comfy’, a tangier scent featuring vanilla and tangerine. Finally, for those energetic moments, the scents are ‘Energy Drive’, with cardamom and spicy pink pepper, and ‘Spark Up’, a combination of sweet orange and black pepper. The line will be promoted with colourful displays in the selective perfumery channel, and is available in bottles of 30 ml, 50 ml and 100 ml.