Polina Semionova Helped Create a New Fragrance Inspired by Dancers

When London-based perfume company The Beautiful Mind Series was looking for a collaborator for their next scent, they skipped the usual celebrity set and brought in prima ballerina Polina Semionova instead. “I was fascinated by what goes on in the mind of a great dancer,” perfumer Geza Schoen said in a press release. Semionova’s ballet-inspired scent, Precision & Grace, celebrates the intelligence and beauty behind her craft.

Courtesy of The Beautiful Mind Series

Working with Schoen in the laboratory to come up with the perfect scent to capture that freedom onstage, Semionova chose a blend of fruity and soft floral notes. “I wanted to have pear and plum because they remind me of summer in the Russian countryside of my childhood,” she said. “When I smell pear and plum it makes me smile.”

Courtesy of The Beautiful Mind Series

With the top notes focusing on fresh fruit scents like pear and mandarin, the middle notes blend Semionova’s favorite plum with lighter florals like freesia and white blossom. To keep the fragrance from being too sweet, Schoen and Semionova chose a warm base that includes notes like sandalwood and pink pepper.

“When you first smell Precision & Grace it’s like a breeze, so light and feminine,” said Semionova. “But then there is this unusual note that I love, the pepper. This adds something deeper that gives a core of strength to the fragrance. It’s like the ballet itself: Without the hidden strength, you can’t make it light.”