To be a successful athlete in 2024 is to be a brand. Perhaps no one knows that better than Lionel Messi, the Argentine soccer legend and Inter Miami forward who has been at the forefront of his sport for close to two decades. With 504 million followers on Instagram, Messi’s star power goes beyond soccer and has already been used to promote everything from Louis Vuitton bags to Saudi Arabia tourism.
But Messi is increasingly launching products under his own name. In June, the soccer star launched a hydrating sports beverage brand, Más+ by Messi, and announced a partnership with global licensing firm Centric Brands to extend the Messi name to products ranging from apparel to home goods. Now, he’s applying the Messi name to another category: fragrance.
“It’s primarily targeted at men of all ages. I knew we had to create something versatile, so anyone who follows me could wear it,” Messi told Glossy of his namesake fragrance. “This fragrance can be worn for special occasions or daily use; it’s a scent that we believe will appeal to many and fits well for any moment.”
Developed by Game On Product Group and created by Firmenich perfumer Frank Voelkl, the nose behind mega hits like Le Labo Santal 33 and Glossier You, the Messi fragrance features notes of cypress and leather. On Tuesday, the scent launched at JCPenney, where it will sell exclusively for one year and retail for $72 per 100-milliliter bottle. But Sheralven, the distributor for the Messi fragrance, has ambitious goals beyond the initial launch.
“The goal of this is that the Messi umbrella of multiple fragrances over the next few years will be a well over $100 million brand,” said Steven Koss, CEO of Sheralven.
Celebrity fragrances have had something of a resurgence in recent years. After falling out of favor in the 2010s, as stars turned to skin care and makeup brands to monetize their image, celebrity fragrance has returned to the spotlight in recent years thanks to launches from the likes of Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Troye Sivan. Athletes are a less common presence, though Messi is far from the first soccer star in fragrance; David Beckham has been launching fragrances since 2006, while Cristiano Ronaldo joined the cologne aisle in 2015.
“At one point, celebrity fragrance was a third of our total business,” said Koss. “It got a little oversaturated, where, every day, a different celebrity was coming out with a fragrance. … I think the consumer is smart enough now to see what is authentic and what is not authentic.”
Sheralven sought out JCPenney as the initial exclusive retailer given the fragrance’s price point and positioning as “achievable luxury.” The mass retailer has been rapidly expanding its beauty selection since 2022, with a particular focus on fragrance. The Messi fragrance will be available both online and in all JCPenney locations that carry beauty, which has grown from 10 stores in 2022 to 604 in 2024.
“Today, fragrance is one of the highest penetrations in our business, followed swiftly by color,” said Jo Osborne, senior vp beauty, footwear and center core for JCPenney. According to Osborne, JCPenney’s fragrance audience is split evenly between men and women. The retailer expects the Messi fragrance to target male consumers, and potentially resonate with the Hispanic market. Other celebrity scents from the likes of Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish are already high performers in the category, and Osborne hopes the Messi fragrance will become one of the top 10 fragrances soon after its launch.
To promote the scent for the upcoming holiday season, JCPenney will mount in-store displays and also sell a grooming kit featuring the full-sized Messi fragrance and a body wash for $88. But few things would do as well to promote the fragrance as an appearance from the GOAT himself. Beckham did the same for his 2023 fragrance launch at the Roosevelt Field Mall JCPenney in New York.
“Messi would be the absolute icing on the cake. Should we be in a position to have him come into one of our stores, it would certainly be a wonderful time,” said Osborne.
