"Eva" by Eva Longoria to Launch in the Spring

Eva Longoria Parker, the actress and L’OrEal Paris front woman, has delved deeper into beauty with a signature women’s scent, called Eva by Eva Longoria.

The eau de parfum, which was developed by Falic Fashion Group, is due to launch in the U.S. in spring.

“I have always been somewhat allergic to all perfumes and really wanted to create something that every woman could wear,” said Longoria Parker. “So I decided to create my own fragrance that is light, fresh and unique. I think the scent of a woman is extremely sexy and this scent will prove that.”

Longoria Parker, who stars in the ABC TV show “Desperate Housewives,” was closely involved with the scent’s creation, according to Jerome Falic, chief executive officer of Duty Free Americas, parent company of Hollywood, Fla.-based Falic Fashion Group.

“Eva was involved from Day One with all aspects of the project,” said Falic. “At the end of the day, it’s about Eva. She wanted something different, so we designed quite a few different [versions].”

“I never knew how complicated it was to create a unique scent that hasn’t already been done,” said Longoria Parker. “But I enjoyed the process.”

The scent was composed by Takasago and features top notes of citrus, neroli, bergamot tea and aldehydes. The heart of the fragrance includes sheer jasmine, muguet, violet and freesia, and the scent dries down into notes of skin musk, amber and sandalwood. The bottle, intended to resemble a feminine silhouette, was designed by Wilhelm Liden at Paul Meyers & Friends and manufactured by Bormioli Luigi.

Eva by Eva Longoria is not directly associated with “Desperate Housewives,” Falic noted. “It’s just Eva Longoria’s brand,” he said. However, existing fragrances tied into the hit show have been developed. For instance, in 2006, Coty Inc. launched a “Desperate Housewives” scent called Forbidden Fruit. Also, German direct sales company LR Health & Beauty Systems introduced during the summer a line of four scents named for the characters in the show — Bree, Susan, Lynette and Gabrielle (the last of whom is played by Longoria Parker).

Eva by Eva Longoria is Falic Fashion Group’s first celebrity fragrance, and Falic explained the firm had been on the hunt for a celebrity deal when it approached Longoria Parker about a year ago. “She’s got worldwide presence,” said Falic, “so we feel we have a worldwide brand.”

Eva by Eva Longoria is to make its debut in April in more than 1,000 doors in the U.S., including Macy’s, Dillard’s and Bon-Ton. Throughout the rest of the year, the scent will be rolled out to Mexico, South and Central America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

The fragrance will come in a 1.7-oz. version for $45 and a 3.4-oz. version for $58. Industry sources estimate the scent could generate upward of $15 million in first-year retail sales volume.

Longoria Parker is slated to make personal appearances in the U.S. and abroad to promote the scent, Falic noted, and a print ad campaign featuring a visual of Longoria Parker — lensed by Randall Slavin — is to break in April issues of fashion and lifestyle magazines. Industry sources estimate as much as $6 million might be spent to advertise and promote the fragrance.

“The plan is to, in the future, bring [out] more fragrances with her name,” said Falic. (WWD)