Heat is a perfume endorsed by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. It was created by her alongside Claude Dir and Olivier Gillotin of the company Givaudan. The product, which was released on February 3, 2010, uses the tagline "catch the fever". The release was promoted with a cover version of "Fever" recorded by Beyoncé and a limited edition extended play (EP) also titled Heat. She also appeared at Macy's Herald Square to launch the perfume and on The Today Show where she discussed about Heat.
The fragrance's commercial, directed by director Jake Nava and released in December 2009, spawned controversy for its sexually explicit imagery, and was only allowed nighttime broadcast in the United Kingdom. Macy's sold US$3 million worth of Heat between early February and early March 2010. It received mixed reviews from critics, and it was nominated at several fragrance award ceremonies.
Heat was followed by five additional releases: Heat Ultimate Elixir meant to capture a more private side of the entertainer, Heat Rush intended as a daytime fragrance, Midnight Heat, a night fragrance, Heat The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, a limited product dedicated to the tour of that name, Heat Wild Orchid, a floral update of the original, Heat Kissed, a romantic update of the original and Heat Seduction. Each scent was followed with its own Eau De Parfum release and multiple gift sets. In 2013, in addition to becoming the best-selling celebrity-branded fragrance line, the perfumes went on to become the third best-selling fragrance worldwide with $400 million earned at retail globally.
Conception Development
In December 2009, Beyoncé announced that she would release her first fragrance, titled Heat, the following year. Prior to releasing the fragrance, she had collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger on his perfume True Star in 2004 and Giorgio Armani's Diamonds for which she also appeared in several promotional campaigns. Beyoncé created the fragrance in 2009 with the testing of its smell done by Coty, Inc. Beyoncé presented Heat to her fans during backstage meetings on her I Am... World Tour (2009–10). It was released in the United States on February 3, 2010. According to Beyoncé's official parfum website, Heat is a "captivating fragrance that unleashes a spirited fire within." It was also described as "a unique expression of a woman's powerful sensuality: sexy, elegant yet feminine with an air of mystery", summing up that the fragrance reflects "a self-assured woman, who is not afraid to desire and to be desired." Beyoncés' official perfume website also described Heat as an "alluring [and] modern fragrance... [which] embodies a compelling spirit".
In a behind the scenes video, Beyoncé revealed the reason behind naming the fragrance Heat. According to her, it was because the scent comes off as "infectious", further elaborating: "It's like something you can't get enough of. It's hot, it's sexy, it definitely makes you feel like you caught the fever." She additionally stated that her favorite fragrance notes are red vanilla orchid, due to its "sexy" and "spicy" smell, and honeysuckle, due to its "sensual" and "sweet" smell. She concluded: "It was a lot of work but I was really really happy and I think it's something I'll be proud of 20 years from now." During an interview with Teen Vogue, Beyoncé stated that she loved the perfume because it featured notes of orchid, her favorite flower. She further said that it was suitable for her alter ego Sasha Fierce as it was "fiery".
Packaging and scent Heat is packaged in a red triangular bottle. The top of the bottle is edged with a gold band and the words "Beyoncé" and "Heat" and the cap is etched with the letter B. The scent has been described as floral, fruity and woody, and it was marketed as both "feminine and irresistible" by the entertainer's official perfume website. The fragrance is described as having top notes of vanilla, magnolia, neroli and peach; middle notes of almond macaroon, honeysuckle and musk; and base notes with "a warm and sexy dry-down" of giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber. Reviewers particularly identified tonka bean, neroli and almond, along with woody and floral notes. Following the release of Heat, Beyoncé described its bottle design, scent and inspiration in depth, as follows:
A lot of my performances have had fire involved, so we thought 'Heat.' Also, red is one of my favorite colors, as is gold. So then we thought of making the bottle look like it's on fire. I love antique bottles — my mother had a collection of them when I was growing up. I wanted something with an antique yet modern feeling. Even with my wardrobe, I always try to find things that have a little bit of something vintage, yet still timeless and classic. The bottle, I felt, was a great mixture of the two... Everything, from the bottle design to the name and the ideas for the commercials–that's me. When I commit to something, I do it 100 percent, and I've never had [creative control over a fragrance] until this project. I learned a lot of great things from the past — but I always asked myself, 'If I could have my own scent, what would it be?' I wasn't worried about deadlines. It could have taken me three, four, however many years — this was my first fragrance, and I wanted to make sure that it was something I would love forever.
Products 100 ml/ 3.4 oz 50 ml/ 1.7 oz 30 ml/ 1.0 oz 15 ml/ 0.5 oz Body Lotion 200 ml/ 6.7 oz Shower Gel 200 ml/ 6.7 oz Sparkling Body Mist 125 ml/ 4.2 oz
Promotion In November 2009, the print advertising for Heat was shot by Michael Thompson, who described Beyoncé as "sultry" on the poster. Thompson said in a behind the scenes look at the shoot for the fragrance, that he wanted to capture Beyoncé "in her true essence", where she "generates heat" and is just "sensual and fun and full of energy." A writer of Rap-Up praised her look, saying that she was "burning up" the print. The advertisement was published in fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines in February 2010. On February 3, 2010, Beyoncé launched the scent at Macy's Herald Square in New York City, where she posed for photos and signed autographs for fans. Heat was released in 2,000 department and specialty store doors in the United States. The collection was also released in Canada and Latin America in February 2010 with additional global distribution in Europe, Asia and Australia in August 2010. On February 9, 2010, Beyoncé appeared on The Today Show where she talked about Heat. From January 15, 2011, to February 15, 2011, Seventeen magazine gave away 10,000 free samples of Heat. A sample of the fragrance was given for each copy of the February 2011 issue of the magazine bought. A sample of Heat was distributed alongside each copy of Beyoncé's live album, I Am... World Tour (2010) and her fourth studio album, 4 (2011). Industry sources estimated that Coty Beauty spent a total of $20 million on advertising and promotion of the perfume the first year after its release.
Commercial The television commercial for Heat was directed by Jake Nava, who previously directed Beyoncé's videos for her singles "Crazy In Love", "Baby Boy", "Beautiful Liar", "If I Were a Boy", and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Trey Laird was the executive creative director, while Hans Dorsinville was the creative director of the video. Laird stated that the main theme of the commercial was that Beyoncé should appear "sexy and a little bit dangerous", but in a "sophisticated and elegant way". Released on television channels in December 2009, the commercial is set to Beyoncé's cover version of "Fever" (2010) playing in the background. It features her in the same red satin kimono that she has worn on the print advertisement. Beyoncé is seen sweating profusely in a steamy bathroom while in one of the scenes, she is seen seemingly enjoying herself in a bath.
Nava praised Beyoncé's acting in the commercial, stating: "She's so scorchingly hot that even when she touches the floor with her dangerous high-heels, she kind of sets her world on fire." In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, Beyoncé described the sexual tone of the video stating: "'It's called Heat, so we wanted the ads to be really steamy and dewy. My sexiest moments are when I'm just getting out of the tub or the shower and I'm clean, so I wanted to incorporate that in the ads. The dress was this liquid-y satin. The song Fever I did years ago and always loved it. [For the commercial] I got to sing it a bit more whispery, more natural." "Fever" was re-recorded by Beyoncé on two different occasions. Knowles first recorded her version of "Fever" on September 9, 2003 for her film The Fighting Temptations. Before the release of Heat, she recorded "Fever" again for the fragrance's television commercial. After the launch of Heat, the latter version of the song was officially released as a promotional single to the US iTunes Store through Columbia Records on February 8, 2010, to promote the fragrance. It was made available digitally in the United Kingdom the following day.
The commercial for the fragrance found controversy in the United Kingdom with UK's Advertising Standards Authority. It was banned from the country's daytime TV rotation due to its "sexy imagery" and was only shown after 7:30 in the afternoon. The U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority commented on the ban decision, stating "We considered that Beyoncé's body movements and the camera's prolonged focus on shots of her dress slipping away to partially expose her breasts created a sexually provocative ad that was unsuitable to be seen by young children." Coty, Inc., the world's largest fragrance company, replied to the ban, stating that they do not think there is anything too explicit about the TV spot. Coty continued that the commercial was "intended to reflect the singer Beyoncé's personal 'sexy chic' style," and while Beyoncé's cleavage is exposed at certain parts of the commercial, Coty stated that it is not "overtly graphic or explicitly sexual and at no point was Beyoncé naked." Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly defended Beyoncé, saying that "[the advertisement] is sexy. It's suggestive and sultry. But it's certainly not X-rated." Beyoncé's mother and collaborator Tina Knowles called the commercial's ban "very good", as people purposely went to watch the video which further increased sales.
Reception
Amy Odell of New York magazine gave Heat's scent a negative review. She criticized the fragrance's packaging as being very similar to that of K-Y Jelly. She stated: "Once on the skin, the scent transformed in a matter of just a few minutes from something floral-y and vaguely acceptable to an offensive mix of car fumes and that vanilla body spray Victoria's Secret used to sell to 12-year-olds", then adding that the perfume's logo and gold swirls "sway too similar to that of KY Jelly's", before concluding that "calling to mind sex is kind of Beyoncé's thing, which is why this fragrance could just be a smashing success." Holly Siegel of The New York Times complimented the fragrance's scent of "floral-fruity-woody blend and notes of neroli, almond and tonka bean." On October 25, 2010, the perfume won a gold status at the Design of the Times Awards by The Strive Group. At the 2011 CEW Beauty Awards, Heat won in the category for Best Fragrance of the Year: Mass. The same year, it also won in the category for Best Fragrance at the Dutch Drugstore Awards, and Best Fragrance in the Lifestyle at the Norwegian Cosmetic Awards. It also received a nomination in the category for Media Campaign of the Year at the 2011 FiFi Awards.