By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
Vendetta isn’t the name you’d expect to see on a perfume bottle.
It sounds more like the title of a revenge film than a new fragrance sitting on a beauty counter. Most perfumes promise romance, flowers or happily-ever-afters. Valentino Beauty has gone in the opposite direction, choosing a name that immediately makes you stop and look twice.
That alone makes Vendetta one of the more memorable fragrance launches this year.
It also marks Valentino Beauty’s first new prestige fragrance franchise in six years, introducing a pair of scents that are designed to be worn together or entirely on their own. Rather than creating his-and-hers versions of the same perfume, Vendetta Donna and Vendetta Uomo each have their own personality while sharing the same confident attitude.
The biggest surprise is Vendetta Donna.
For a fragrance with such a dramatic name, it opens with something unexpectedly bright. A juicy red orange nectar accord immediately lifts the scent before tuberose begins to take centre stage. The flower has long been one of perfumery’s most recognisable ingredients, known for its rich, creamy character, and Valentino Beauty pushes it even further with its exclusive Tuberose Osmobloom™ extract, developed to capture the flower as it blooms.
The citrus keeps everything lively instead of overly sweet. As the fragrance settles, creamy sandalwood gradually comes through, softening the floral notes and leaving behind a warm finish that stays close to the skin.
It feels polished rather than overpowering.
Vendetta Uomo takes a different approach.
The fragrance opens with sparkling ginger alongside Italian citrus before warming into a spicy cinnamon liquor accord. Patchouli and modern woody notes give it depth, creating something that feels smooth, textured and quietly confident.
Instead of chasing the louder style of men’s fragrances that have dominated for years, Vendetta Uomo is far more restrained. The spices never become too sharp, while the woody base keeps everything balanced from start to finish.
Together, the two fragrances don’t feel like matching bottles with different labels. Each has its own identity, making it just as easy to wear individually as it is alongside the other.
The bottles deserve some attention too.
Valentino keeps the design clean, letting a bold V motif become the defining feature across both bottles. Pleated caps reference the folds often seen in the Maison’s couture collections, while the sharp lines give the packaging a modern edge. Vendetta Donna stands out immediately with its deep crimson juice, turning Valentino’s signature red into the focal point of the bottle.
It is simple, recognisable and unmistakably Valentino.
The campaign follows the same direction.
Photographed by Inez & Vinoodh, Dakota Johnson and Alexander Skarsgård front the launch without falling into the usual fragrance campaign clichés. There are no exaggerated poses or theatrical declarations of love. Instead, the images focus on quiet moments between the pair, allowing their chemistry to do the work.
That understated approach makes the campaign feel far more believable than the overly dramatic perfume advertisements we’ve become used to.
After six years, Valentino Beauty could easily have returned with something safe.
Instead, it chose a name that sparks curiosity before you’ve even smelled the fragrance. Thankfully, the scents do enough to back it up. Vendetta Donna delivers creamy florals with a bright citrus twist, while Vendetta Uomo keeps things warm, spicy and understated.
Sometimes that’s all a fragrance needs.
A memorable name, a bottle you’ll recognise across the room and a scent you’ll want to reach for again.
