Sol de Janeiro is banking on the staying power of the ever-growing body mist category. On Monday, the Brazilian-inspired body care and fragrance brand announced the launch of its new Intense Perfume Mists, a more potent version of its famed body mists with the promise of up to 10 hours of wear.
“We really see Intense as a new expression of what we call the prestige body fragrance,” said Sol de Janeiro CEO Jordan Saxemard. “It bridges the space between fragrance mist and fine fragrance by combining the ease and spontaneity of a mist, which people love and our consumer loves, but with a higher fragrance concentration.”
Saxemard said the impetus for the new format came from consumer demand for more longevity in Sol de Janeiro’s body mists. The launch includes intensified versions of three of Sol de Janeiro’s existing scents, Cheirosa 65, 59 and 91, and a new pineapple-orange flower scent, Cheirosa 74.
The Intense Perfume Mist versions of Cheirosa 62, 59 and 74 will launch at Ulta Beauty on August 23, followed by the launch of Cheirosa 91 Intense as a Sephora exclusive later in the year.
“[The intense format] really allows us to evolve with our consumers, while also bringing a more elevated fragrance experience to a whole new generation, and also a generation that grew up with us,” he said. Sol de Janeiro, now 11 years old, has risen to become the top-selling brand at Sephora, with its popularity inspiring dupes and knockoffs from brands like MCo Beauty.
Saxemard declined to share the exact concentrations of the new mists, but described them as containing more than double the concentration of the originals, along with a new “solar amber accord” added to the formula. The Intense mists were created by Robertet perfumer Jérôme Epinette, the nose behind the original Cheirosa 62 scent that appears in Sol de Janeiro’s signature Bum Bum Cream. To promote the mists, Sol de Janeiro tapped Brazilian singer-songwriter Iza to front a campaign shot in Rio de Janeiro.
Sol de Janeiro has made significant expansions to its fragrance lineup throughout 2026, as the category remains a fast-growing sector in beauty. In February, the brand launched solid perfumes designed to be layered with its body mists. It expanded to male-targeted scents with the launch of the Cheiroso Cologne Mists line in July.
Those launches join a saturated body-mist category, with brands like Eos and Summer Fridays, and even luxury brands like Byredo and Penhaligon’s, all expanding to the format in recent months.
The rising mist category speaks to consumer demand for more affordable fragrances. Mass-market fragrance was the fastest-growing beauty category by U.S. retail sales in the first half of 2026, according to data from market analysts Circana.
Increasing prices may be partly responsible for that growth, however. According to Circana, while dollar sales of mass fragrance grew 15% in H1 2026, units sold rose just 7%. At the prestige end, dollar sales grew 6%, while units sold remained flat. Circana cited double-digit growth in higher-concentration perfumes in the prestige market, however.
Sol de Janeiro’s Intense launch reflects the trend toward both the body mist format and higher-priced, more concentrated formulas. The 90-milliliter bottles of the Intense Perfume Mists will retail for $34, compared to $26 for the same size in the standard mists. But Saxemard is confident that consumers are willing to pay higher prices for mists that promise the longevity and complexity of traditional fine fragrances.
“If you think about the body fragrance category, it’s no longer a secondary or entry-level category,” said Saxemard. “Now consumers are approaching mists with the same curiosity and discernment as they bring to fine fragrance. They’re thinking about notes, concentration, layering, mood, longevity, moments in the day. And that shift really creates an enormous space for innovation.”
Launching intensified — and, subsequently, more expensive — versions of popular scents has proven a successful strategy for boosting sales at the luxury end of the fragrance market. According to Omani perfume brand Amouage, sales of its Exceptional Extraits collection almost doubled in the first half of 2026, helping the brand achieve 74% in retail sales growth to $360 million. Those high-concentration perfumes, which include extrait versions of its best-selling eau de parfums like Guidance and Purpose, retail for $550 apiece.
In addition to creating new fragrance formats, Sol de Janeiro has also undergone major changes to its C-suite in 2026. The brand’s founder and CEO Heela Yang departed the company in April, with Saxemard succeeding her in the top role. Saxemard said fast-to-market innovation in fragrance will be key to his strategy moving forward.
“Fragrance is a huge part of everything that we do, and body care, as well. And we’re not gonna go away from those categories,” said Saxemard. “Evolving with our consumer and their needs, anticipating their needs, and solving problems of their daily lives through solutions within fragrances, within beauty, is what we will keep on doing. And Intense is proof of that.”
L’Occitane Group acquired a majority stake in Sol de Janeiro in 2021 in a deal that valued the brand at $450 million. The company went private in 2024, but in 2025 reported that Sol de Janeiro made up 31.6% of its €2.8 billion ($3.25 billion) in annual sales.
