If there’s one thing to note about Mugler’s latest fragrance, Alien Pulp, it’s that, as the press release stated, “she is not what you expect.” In the ad campaign, the sky is dim with purple clouds that mirror onto seductive waters—out of which a sexy, seductive siren appears: Supermodel Anok Yai, the face of Mugler fragrances.
“I remember being on set and asking, ‘When is [the fragrance] coming out? When is it coming out?’” Anok Yai tells ESSENCE over a Zoom call. When told Alien Pulp wasn’t releasing for another year, “I had to force myself to try to forget that I shot it because I was just sitting and waiting for it to release.”
Now, the wait is over. Mugler’s new otherworldly eau de parfum has finally arrived. “It’s fresh, it’s fruity, it’s seductive,” Yai describes of the fragrance, housed in a pink talisman bottle. “It’s my official summer fragrance because it’s so fruity and there’s raspberry and jasmine notes.”
As the top note, Yai says the pulpy raspberry notes don’t smell sweet and innocent like most fragrances. “It’s sweet in a way that’s flirtatious, but you still feel seductive,” she says, which she likes during the daytime. Meanwhile, as her day progresses, the jasmine has a sillage that smells like night.
Designed by Dominique Ropion, master perfumer and originator of the classic Alien Eau de Parfum, the fruity floral fragrance embodies the essence of Mugler. “The thing with the Mugler family is they have the craziest ideas and they love allowing women to feel sexy and feel different,” Yai says. “They are the epitome of what I want for myself as a woman.”
And, as the face of their fragrances, “I have a bottle of perfume in every single one of my purses,” she says. In tune with floral scents, she’s partial to jasmine which is one of the iconic notes throughout the Mugler Alien line. While two spritz to the heart with Alien Pulp is enough, “if I feel like layering, I’ll take something with oud, something a little heavier than the floral,” she says.
But, her fragrance ritual doesn’t end there. With bottles of perfume next to her bed, even the self-proclaimed “workhorse” uses fragrance to help unwind. “All my life, I always really prided myself in how hard I worked [and] I would feel guilty whenever I would get tired or want to relax,” she says. So, she decided to make relaxation an entire activity.
At the end of the day, she dims the lights, takes an “everything shower,” lights candles, and of course, sets the scene with scent. “I take this perfume and spray on my duvet and under my pillow, so when I’m sleeping, I can still smell it,” she says. “When I do that, I feel like I approach the world differently and I feel grounded again.”
From fragrance to painting, winding down has turned into an art form for Yai. “A lot of people don’t know that I do art,” Yai, who is an avid oil painter, says. “My goal right now is to have at least five to 10 paintings done so I can finally do my first exhibition.” From the top of the modeling industry, the supermodel looks at what’s next: “I’m praying and hoping that my art career is as strong as my modeling career,” she shares.
As unexpected as the fragrance she embodies, wherever her heart desires, the aura of Alien Pulp forever follows.
Mugler Alien Pulp Eau De Parfum
“It’s fresh, it’s fruity, it’s seductive,” Anok Yai tells ESSENCE. “When you wear it, it feels like you’re sparkling.”
