If there's one celebrity beauty brand I'm ready to stand behind, it's Rare Beauty. After doing some extensive testing on the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush and lip oil, it's become a staple in my (very minimal) makeup bag. Last year, former PureWow beauty editor Chelsea Candelario raved about Rare Beauty's first perfume launch, so when the brand announced its sophomore act a few weeks ago, I was all ears. Below is my review of Rare Beauty's new Rare Beginnings perfume ($78), a fruity floral concoction with a delightfully nutty twist.
A Fragrance Aficionado Tries Rare Beauty's New Rare Beginnings Perfume
An excellent follow-up to the original
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Published Aug 14, 2026
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What We Like
- ergonomic, accessible packaging
- fruity floral profile grounded in nutty woods
What We Don't Like
- may lean too gourmand for some tastes
Rare Beauty
Fast Facts
- Top notes: pear nectar, pistachio
- Heart notes: gardenia, jasmine, lotus blossom
- Base notes: vanilla bean, pink sugar, cedarwood
- Sizes: 50mL, 10mL
The Pros
Rare Beauty
Ergonomic Bottle Design
Candelario called this out in her review, too. Rare Beauty designed its perfume bottles with accessibility in mind, making the bottle easy to navigate for those who may struggle with dexterity. But even as someone who does not need to deal with that challenge, I found it convenient and unique among the literal two dozen bottles of fragrance littering my vanity. I've struggled to spray perfumes with smaller nozzles, especially if my hands are still slick from any moisturizer or hair product I've been working with. The large surface area of Rare Beauty's pump is a real winner.
Floral Heart Notes with a Fruity Punch
I'm a big sucker for floral scents, though I normally lean towards bright, green, fresh florals. (My signature is Diptyque's Eau Rose.) Rare Beginnings stuffs its heart notes with some of my favorite flowers—gardenia and jasmine, though the note that really surprised me was pear nectar. Imagine biting into a ripe piece of fruit...that's the juiciness the pear nectar conveys. I'm normally not a nutty person, but the pistachio—combined with a base note of cedarwood—were both necessary to provide a balance.
Long-Lasting
I've worn perfumes I couldn't wash off in the shower and perfumes that barely stuck around for a few hours. Rare Beginnings is the sweet spot with about 12 hours of wear. I sprayed it early in the morning before going to the office; by the time I got home, it lingered but was faint. Heaven knows I lug around enough in my work bag; I'm not looking to reapply throughout the day. The last thing I appreciated was that though it's obviously got staying power, it didn't overwhelm me. Scents can sometimes give me nausea, but despite the more gourmand profile, I felt fine.
The Cons
Rare Beauty
Scent May Lean Too Gourmand for Some Tastes
As I mentioned above, this is definitely a gourmand scent profile, especially with vanilla bean and pink sugar in the base notes. Personally, I would have been fine without the pink sugar; the pear nectar and vanilla add enough sweetness as it is. I could see this perhaps overwhelming someone who prefers lighter, muskier, fresh floral scent profiles.
The Bottom Line
Rare Beginnings is a solid showing for the brand's sophomore follow-up to the original perfume. Both lean gourmand, which seems now to be Gomez's M.O., but I like the fruits and florals in this new debut, which temper the richness and give it a balance. Additionally, the launch is accompanied by two new layering fragrance balms, Fruity Pear ($20) and Sweet Marshmallow ($20), that can be worn alone or layered with the perfume to create a new dimension. Pick this up if you love floral scents with a big, juicy punch.
