Hilary Duff doesn't need to live in the past to feel good. That's the refreshing takeaway from sitting down with the actor and performer about Bath & Body Works' new Fruit Fusion collection, where she's the face of a lineup designed for pure present-moment joy, not wistful longing for what was.
The Nostalgiacore craze is everywhere right now, from Y2K fashion to retro tech aesthetics. But when asked what nostalgia actually smells like to her, Duff doesn't wax poetic about simpler times. Instead, she goes specific: Cucumber Melon. "I was a big bike rider as a kid, and I remember always putting on my Cucumber Melon splash before going for a ride around the neighborhood," she explains. Her second favorite Bath & Body Works scent is Warm Vanilla Sugar, a gourmand fragrance that feels right at home in today's dessert-inspired perfume landscape.
The new Fruit Fusion collection launches with four core scents: Tangerine Twirl (blending sparkling pink grapefruit, blood orange, blonde woods, and sheer musk), Banana Blend (candied jasmine, sweet vanilla, warm amber), Berry Bliss (blackberry, acai, pineapple, and musk), and Watermelon Whirl (watermelon, peony petals, blonde woods). The pitch is simple: wear them solo or layer them into what Duff calls a scent smoothie. When she extends her wrist to demonstrate a banana and tangerine combination, the creamy and citrus notes work better together than logic would suggest.
Beyond the body mists, each scent comes as body wash, body butter, hand cream, lip oil, and hand sanitizer. Duff keeps her Banana Blend lip oil close during the interview, a small detail that signals genuine product use rather than perfunctory endorsement.
What drives her attachment to these fragrances isn't sentiment, though. It's function and timing. "I want to be hydrated. I want to be dewy. I want to be juicy, and I want things that work because I don't have that much time," she says. "But also this stage of my life, I'm in this very joyous, celebratory, sweet moment, and all of the products really suit that."
Home fragrance tells a different story. Duff separates her personal scent identity from her living space. "I don't necessarily want my home to smell like me," she notes. Seasonal shifts drive her choices: October brings woodsy scents that complement her fireplace, while other times call for different moods. One year-round exception is Black Tea For The Botanist from her own home fragrance line, Below 60.
The strongest scent memory, though, belongs to her mother. "My mom always smelled like Chanel No. 5, so anytime I smell that, I'm like, 'Oh, that's me hugging my mom after school.'" It's the kind of olfactory anchor that sticks across decades, regardless of trend cycles.
For the campaign film, Duff dances to Squeeze's "Tempted" while singing along, creating a soundtrack that doubles as unintentional nostalgia. The filming brief centered on one word: strong. "They wanted me to hold these poses and represent singing in the shower and doing things that make you feel powerful and strong," she explains. The campaign captures that energy, stripping away any pretense and focusing instead on the moment itself.
Author Jessica Williams: "Duff's approach here is refreshingly grounded, trading Instagram-ready sentiment for actual product performance and real-life joy, which is exactly what the fragrance space needs right now."
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