Ariana Grande’s New Cloud Pink Perfume Smells Like A Tropical Dream

Ariana Grande ruled headlines all summer. No matter who you are, I’m sure you’ve seen the hundreds of unavoidable, bombastic news about Grande, including: Ariana going blonde! Ariana on the set of Wicked! Ariana’s leaked song going ultra-viral on the clock app!

In an era of our favorite pop girlies finding it harder for their music to impact in a meaningful way, Ariana is making more moves in her off-season than most people are with albums. Even when she’s away, the quote from our nation’s Poet Laureate, Nicki Minaj, rings truer than ever: “young Ariana run pop.”

Well, the drought is over. After a summer of ruling the headlines without lifting a finger, Ariana has finally given us new to talk about with the release of her newest fragrance, Cloud Pink.

Fast Facts:

• Price: $68
• Best for: Anyone who loved the original Cloud perfume
• Your rating: 5/5
• Brand: Ariana Grande
• What we like: Stays true to the original but adds a tropical twist
• What we don't like: Nothing!

Ariana Grande Cloud Pink Eau de Parfum

Now before you get at me with all of that “I’m sick of celebrity brands,” let me just say, I get it! There are far too many, launching for no reason, every day. But we’re going to allow this one to be grandfathered in because, like it or not, the Ariana Grande brand has been creating beautiful, singular, fragrances for years. What started with her first fragrance in 2015 was reinvented in 2018 by her tentpole fragrance Cloud, a sweet, airy, electric scent that, with its bottle design and arresting blend, signaled a new direction for Grande’s perfumes that has only gotten better since.

The original Cloud perfume is, without any argument, fantastic. Just ask the shoppers at Ulta who quickly made it the retailer’s number-one seller for multiple years running, with one bottle sold every eleven seconds, or the multiple editors and beauty girlies who name it as one of their faves.

Haters are quick to say that it’s a dupe of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540, but the truth is, it’s just not. Cloud is sweeter, creamier, and more plush than Baccarat. I know hyperbole always wins out over nuance, but the truth is that they’re just two different scents altogether. It’s odd that no one was so eager to cry “dupe” over the many designer fragrances that actually ripped off Baccarat Rouge, but again, celebrity fragrances will always be the easy target.

Cloud Eau de Parfum doesn’t need my defense though. It speaks for itself, and chances are, you already know how good it is. Six years later, it was time for its first true flanker (second if you could Cloud Intense, which was, well, more intense.)

Flankers can often be a touchy situation, especially if you’re a fragrance lover like me. A flanker is a term for a new fragrance that was inspired by one that came before it, like Mugler Angel and Mugler Angel Elixir, or Britney Spears Fantasy and Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy. It’s a fragrance that’s sort of like a chapter two (or three or four) that takes the original idea then expands upon it. A lot of flankers feel like cash grabs, completely abandoning the original inspiration. But, I’m happy to say that if you loved Cloud, you’ll love Cloud Pink.

The Review

Not to be obvious, but this flanker is everything you love about Cloud but…pinker. Instead of nectary sweet pear, bright bergamot, and floral lavender, they swapped in top notes of luscious pink pineapple, tart dragon fruit, and juicy berries. The heart of the scent features creamy, familiar notes of soft vanilla orchid, fresh coconut water, and warm blush ambrette, with a smooth, earthy base of magenta moss, amber woods, and musk praline.

It’s not abnormal, especially with celebrity fragrances, for the only difference between the original scent and the flanker to be…more berries. But Cloud Pink took what worked about the first scent and breathed new life into it in a way that reimagines it while keeping the integrity of the original. It’s just as airy and effervescent as its predecessor, but a bit more tropical. It’s not just a generic sweetness either — they didn’t simply up the sugary notes and call it a day. It’s a lush, juicy take that feels just as lightweight, but doesn’t lose its original magic.

Wearing Cloud Pink feels like standing on a warm beach, looking up at big puffy clouds painted grapefruit and watermelon by the setting sun. Oh, those clouds are made of marshmallow, by the way, and the sand is made of sugar.

Final Verdict

Cloud Pink strikes the perfect balance of being more of a good thing, without being too similar to its source material that it becomes indistinguishable, or too far from it that it becomes another fragrance altogether. It’s right where it needs to be, and it, forgive the fragrance and music pun, hits all the right notes.