Shiseido has launched Max Mara Le Parfum, the first fragrance developed under the long-term licensing partnership announced with the Italian fashion house in 2024.
The first fragrance stays relatively close to the house’s positioning. Conceived as an “invisible coat”, Le Parfum combines sandalwood and cedarwood with tuberose and vanilla, while the bottle incorporates a belt detail referencing Max Mara’s fashion codes. The formula is vegan and made with 90% natural-origin ingredients.
The fragrance started rolling out in North America and Europe on August 24 and will be available across more than 50 markets from September. Europe, North America and Asia Pacific will be the initial priority markets in 2026, followed by China, Japan and Latin America in 2027.
Beyond the launch itself, Max Mara gives Shiseido another asset in a fragrance portfolio that currently includes 6 licences from fashion brands: Issey Miyake, Alaia, Max Mara, Tory Burch, Narciso Rodriguez and Zadig et Voltaire (note that the attached infographic only shows beauty licences for fashion and jewelry brands and exclude standalone fragrance brands and brands licences coming from other verticals like the car industry). That matters because fragrance has become an increasingly important part of the prestige beauty market, while Shiseido has been looking for new growth engines alongside its skincare-heavy portfolio. The group can also leverage its Paris-based Fragrance Center of Excellence and an existing global infrastructure for product development and distribution.
The more interesting question will be whether Shiseido can turn Max Mara into a meaningful fragrance franchise rather than a single successful launch. With the company explicitly planning a multi-year international rollout, the ambition clearly goes beyond one perfume.
