Cast your mind back to 2006. The only social media we knew about was MySpace, Hips Don't Lie by Shakira was blasting on the radio, and on the TV, Charlize Theron was strutting through a dark Parisian hall in her advert for Dior Parfums' now best-selling scent, J’adore Dior. As she stripped off her lace ball gown and choker necklace, huskily stating, “Gold is cold, diamonds are dead, a limousine is a car, don’t pretend, feel what’s real,” the American actress’ feisty allure kept the scent’s icon status safe for decades to come.

24 years after J’adore first hit Duty-Free shelves, Charlize is still bringing her flawless attitude as a Dior ambassador. Her latest gig has taken her back to J’adore, as the face of Francis Kurkdjian’s reimagining of the famed scent. Announced perfume creation director at Parfums Dior in 2021, Francis’ exciting update takes the aroma’s golden reputation a step further for the next generation of fragrance fiends, naming it ‘L’or de J’adore’.


It’s safe to say Francis nose best after 30 years in perfumery, and his experience has culminated into a pruned floral bouquet, soft as the jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, lily of the valley and violet that make up the fragrance, and rich as the gold that inspired it. The original scent has been refined down to the core, making it as intensely minimalist and streamlined as its iconic curved bottle. Warm and supple, L’or de J’adore is the versatile scent we’ll be donning all year round to channel our inner Charlize.

By Mimi Francis

Photography by Shayma Salah