Reese Witherspoon Creates 'In Bloom' Fragrance

Reese Witherspoon is taking on a new role this fall — that of perfumer.

The Academy Award-winning actress has teamed up with Avon Products Inc. to launch her first fragrance, called In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon. While Witherspoon has spent the last two years serving as Avon’s global ambassador and brand spokeswoman, creating a fragrance marked something of a new endeavor for the 33-year-old.

“It was a unique experience for me because I had no idea what goes into making perfumes,” said Witherspoon, who sat down at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills last month to discuss her new scent. “I thought you just pick a fragrance and it’s easy. But there were all these different levels of creating a scent that were new to me, but really fun and exciting.”

Witherspoon admitted that while the nearly two-year development process was more “complicated” than she imagined, it was also a bit of a natural extension for her. “I’m such a girly girl anyways,” she said during a trip to New York last week, where she emerged from her hotel suite wearing a pink Valentino dress and matching Christian Louboutin heels. “I really enjoy makeup and perfume.”

Due out globally in November, In Bloom is the largest fragrance initiative this year for Avon, which has slowly been building its scent stable by collaborating with designers such as Emanuel Ungaro and Christian Lacroix and celebrities like Derek Jeter and Patrick Dempsey. Witherspoon — who has an Oscar for best actress under her belt for her 2006 role as June Carter Cash in “Walk the Line” as well as leading roles in box-office hits like “Legally Blonde” and “Sweet Home Alabama” — undoubtedly adds a new level of star power to the direct-sales giant’s lineup.

“It’s really our first global women’s celebrity fragrance,” said Tracy Haffner, Avon’s vice president of global fragrance marketing and strategic alliances. “Our alliance strategy is meant to be diverse. We will never be only celebrities or only designers.”

While Avon declined to discuss sales projections, industry sources estimated that In Bloom could surpass $15 million in first-year sales.

“We’re hoping for great results,” Haffner said. “Our past alliances have performed extremely well and our success with Bond Girl 007 and Ungaro and Lacroix has really raised our profile in the marketplace.”