PARIS — Actor Austin Butler is the worldwide ambassador of Yves Saint Laurent Beauty’s latest men’s scent, MYSLF.

“I felt honored when Yves Saint Laurent Beauty asked me to turn into the ambassador for its latest fragrance, MYSLF,” Butler told WWD. “In 1964, Yves Saint Laurent released his first fragrance. I feel privileged to be a component of the heritage he set in motion all those years ago.”

In a press release, Butler also said: “Over the previous few years, I’ve spoken with individuals who knew M. Saint Laurent. He broke through labels. He was a rebel, and I like that about him.”

Butler, a swiftly rising star, has worked with directors including Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrmann and Jim Jarmusch. The acclaimed “Elvis” actor will likely be appearing next in Jeff Nichols’ “Bikeriders” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two.”

MYSLF will start its launch Tuesday on YSL Beauty’s platform within the U.S. prior to rolling out elsewhere starting on Thursday. This comes six years after the brand introduced Y for men, which was created with Millennials in mind and a deal with the theme of self-accomplishment. Prior to that were La Nuit de L’Homme, from 2009, and L’Homme, dating back to 2006.

“We desired to bring a proposal to Gen Z,” explained Stephan Bezy, international general manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauty at licensee L’Oréal. This will likely be a primary for the brand. He added: “That generation has been exposed to lots of tensions.”

Those include the exposure of toxic masculinity throughout the #MeToo movement, which led to the questioning of old-time masculinity, the frontiers of which have turn into rather more blurred and inclusive of gender fluidity, for instance.

“It has raised the query: ‘What does it meant to be a person today?’” continued Bezy, saying for Gen Z it’s not a lot concerning the “having” as concerning the “being,” the “who am I?” “They realize that to be a person is to have the liberty to be yourself. It’s a generation that has decided to interrupt down the frontiers, tear down clichés and people barriers, to precise and be themselves.”

YSL held 4,000-plus interviews over greater than three years across the globe to grasp this.

“The territory they wish to explore is the self,” underlined Bezy.

That echoes designer Yves Saint Laurent’s famous quote: “I’ve understood that an important encounter in life was the encounter with myself.”

The notion of self-ownership became the springboard for the brand new scent’s name, MYSLF, which also reflects Gen Z’s penchant for wordplay. Bezy said inside the moniker, young men swiftly see “YSL” and a few even “MY YSL.” There’s also the “m” for masculine and “f” for feminine.

Designer Suzanne Dalton helped create the fragrance flacon, which is an upright rectangle in black lacquer that becomes more transparent toward the underside. YSL’s logo was engraved into the mold.

“From scratch, we desired to develop this project with ASAP philosophy,” said Bezy, using the acronym for “as sustainable as possible.”

The refillable bottle is product of recycled glass that’s FSC Mix certified, as is its outer packaging. Each are recyclable.

The floral woody fragrance was created by Givaudan perfumers Daniela Andrier, Christophe Raynaud and Antoine Maisondieu.

At the highest there’s a fresh accord, including notes of bergamot heart from Calabria, Italy; vert de bergamot, and clary sage. The center has an accord of orange blossom hand-picked in Tunisia, while the bottom is comprised of a wood accord with Ambrofix, an entirely natural biotech material, and an Indonesian patchouli heart note.

The thought was to precise olfactorily the fluidity and multifaceted quality of today’s masculinity. Bezy highlighted Butler’s versatility, too, and said there was a desire to “have a female gaze on this project.”

So YSL signed on director Julia Ducournau, the second woman ever to win the Palme d’Or, in 2019, for best movie on the Cannes Film Festival. This marks her first commercial.

“She’s a really strong, talented, smart and interesting personality,” said Bezy.

Still images were shot by Gray Sorrenti. Bezy described the promoting as having a masculine image, without it being a caricature.

“It’s very modern, Gen Z and sensitive,” he said.

In France, the 60-ml. eau de parfum will likely be priced at around 82 euros, and the 100-ml. edp at 112 euros.

Bezy wouldn’t discuss numbers, but industry sources estimate the brand new scent will generate greater than 100 million euros in wholesale revenues during its first 12 months on counter.

MYSLF should bring YSL Beauty from strength to strength. In 2022, it became the third-ranking prestige fragrance brand and number seven prestige beauty brand worldwide, up from numbers 4 and 12, respectively, in 2021.

Bezy credited growth to all three of the brand’s product categories — fragrance, makeup and skincare.

The perfume industry has experienced a boom because the coronavirus pandemic began.

“There may be this latest way of using fragrance,” said Bezy, explaining it’s less for social purposes than for one’s own self. “We’re browsing on that stunning fragrance market trend, but we’re beating the market, gaining market share.”

Meanwhile, YSL’s Libre women’s fragrance became the fifth-ranking feminine perfume globally and top-three in Europe in 2022, slightly greater than three years after its launch. 12 months-to-date ended June, the scent placed second in Europe, behind Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle.

“Libre continues its incredible journey,” confirmed Bezy, adding the brand has very high expectations for it because it performs across all geographic regions.

Libre, with a fragrance built on a masculine olfactive structure, is worn by men in addition to women. A latest extension for the brand is coming out in September.

From the YSL Beauty men’s scent portfolio, Y ranks sixth worldwide today.

YSL Beauty has three fragrances in the highest 10 globally, also including Black Opium, which ranks ninth. The brand counts five in the primary 20 globally.

Makeup-wise, YSL Beauty became the bestselling brand in China in full-year 2022, and year-to-date there, it has turn into the first-ranked in selective distribution. The brand also has the topselling lipstick in China, with Rouge Pur Couture The Slim and Velvet Radical.

YSL Beauty has the primary and second bestselling cushion foundations in China, as well — Cushion Encre de Peau, launched in 2016, and Glow Pact Cushion, introduced in 2022. They’re primary and number three, respectively, in Asia.

Meanwhile, Candy Glaze Lip Gloss Stick is selling strongly within the U.S. Lash Clash mascara ranks number third in Europe and second in France, where Volume Effet Faux Cils is first.

In skincare, YSL Beauty’s Pure Shots is among the many top-10 antiaging serums in North Asia.

Overall, YSL Beauty is growing faster than the sweetness market.

“We’re gaining share on all markets and growing strongly on all categories,” said Bezy. “We had a really strong start of the yr, so we’re very confident for 2023.”