The holiday season is here and people around the world are revisiting their favorite holiday traditions. For some, this is setting up holiday lights, going sledding, decorating gingerbread houses or exchanging gifts. For Bath & Body Works customers, the holiday season marks the annual return of Winter Candy Apple, a highly anticipated tradition since the 1990s. This year, the beloved fragrance is celebrating 25 years of bringing joy and nostalgia every holiday season to its millions of fans.
Givaudan perfumer Mary-Louise Quince partnered with Bath & Body Works to create the iconic holiday favorite which was released in 1999. It was inspired by the trend of sweet apple haircare products popular during that era.
“The sweet apple is the heart of this fragrance, swirled together with candied orange and crisp pear for an overdose of fruits and a hint of spice to transport the customer to the holiday season,” says Noelle Marois, Associate Vice President of Fragrance Development at Bath & Body Works. “Our customers anticipate Winter Candy Apple’s arrival every year and it has become part of their own holiday traditions for the past 25 years.”
So why has this particular scent seen so much success? Mike Regina, Vice President of Research and Development at Bath & Body Works says, “While there’s no magic formula, Winter Candy Apple is the perfect example of when a fragrance comes together in the most optimal way— it’s warm and inviting but also uplifting, placing you right in that seasonal moment.”
While the fragrance has remained unchanged over the years, Bath & Body Works keeps Winter Candy Apple fresh and exciting for customers. Through updated packaging and new product forms like haircare and laundry, the brand continues to evolve this fan favorite to meet customer demand.
In 2006, Bath & Body Works introduced a Winter Candy Apple candle for the first time ever. The following year, Bath & Body Works released the fragrance in hand soap. The “Holiday Traditions” collection which included a variety of Winter Candy Apple products like body spray, hand soap and body cream, began in 2008. This year, Winter Candy Apple makes its debut in haircare, laundry and hand soap refills.
Since its introduction in 1999, Winter Candy Apple has been offered in 28 different packaging designs, the first featured imagery of snow, ornaments and bows. In 2014 and 2015, the fragrance featured a polar bear icon as a main design element throughout all its products. This year, customers will see a new bold and bright, highly chromatic look with a slight nod to the design roots—the 3-wick candle is topped with a metallic gold bow, making it perfectly giftable for the season.
Winter Candle Apple has become a holiday staple for millions of households across the world over the past 25 years. “When you get the color, the package, and, most of all, the fragrance right, people will keep coming back for it year after year,” says Regina.
Visit bathandbodyworks.com to celebrate this holiday season with Winter Candy Apple.