Courtesy of VyraoBeautyBeauty DeskMia Khalifa and Isamaya Ffrench get sexy for VyraoVyrao releases two sex-based scents, Ludeaux and Ludatrix, with an erotic campaign – plus the best beauty launches of August 2025ShareLink copied ✔️September 2, 2025BeautyBeauty DeskTextTiarna MeehanTextAlex PetersMia Khalifa and Isamaya Ffrench for Vyrao10 Imagesview more + What does sex smell like? For Mia Khalifa, it’s “heat, sweat, a bit of dried saliva, and your partner’s perfume molten onto your skin.” It’s also the new fragrances for which she stars in a campaign alongside make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench. Leaning into its sensual side, wellness-fragrance brand Vyrao has released two sex-based scents, Ludeaux and Ludatrix, out today (September 1). The two scents – which are the ninth and tenth fragrances in the brand’s collection – are both gender-neutral and formulated with “neuroscience-backed natural ingredients” to spark arousal, elevate desire and enhance self-esteem. “Ludeaux is like part one of the erotic process, the scent of flirtation and seduction,” founder Yasmin Sewell tells Dazed. “Ludatrix is part two, what happens after you’ve pulled.” The notes themselves feel like they’ve been assembled from the contents of a messy nightstand: lipstick, latex and musk, alongside softer notes like milky peach skin and rose. While creating the scents, Sewell was simultaneously having some custom latex made by the iconic designer Atsuko Kudo on Holloway Road. “Spending time in her store, trying on the pieces, and of course, taking in the smell of the fabric, it all came together there,” she says. “Weirdly, when I called Meabh McCurtain, our nose at IFF, to ask if we could incorporate a latex note into the scent, she was already thinking about how to work with it for the first time.” The result is what she calls a “kinky rubberiness” that sits alongside the elegance and playfulness of the perfumes. Courtesy of Vyrao In the campaign, we see Ffrench embody the Ludeaux counterpart, dressed in peach tones, while Khalifa represents Ludatrix, clad in red latex. “I couldn’t believe I was working with one of my dream brands alongside the best make-up artist in the world,” Khalifa tells Dazed. “Isamaya being the yin to my yang was very reflective of the scents for me.” The fragrances continue Vyrao’s exploration of wellness perfumery, creating scents with neuroscience in mind. Working with IFF’s Science of Wellness program, the brand has identified ingredients shown to activate positive emotional responses through MRI scans. Scent profiles include sandalwood to enhance libido, ambrox for sensuality, and tonka bean for romance. Each bottle also contains a charged Herkimer diamond crystal. Who knew neuroscience could be so sexy? With this wellness function in mind, applying the scents is something Khalifa likens to a spiritual experience. “It makes me feel like I’m performing a ritual, the same way lighting sage or their incense before I journal makes me feel. Choosing the scent for my day is very intentional.” See the full campaign in the gallery above and read on below for the best beauty launches from August 2025. As summer winds down, we swap white-sand beaches and candlelit street-side dinners for morning commutes and sterile office lights. While reality creeps back in, beauty brands are intent on keeping us inside their fantasies a little longer – and they’re building whole worlds to do it. 1/8 You may like next 1/8 1/8 Courtesy of Boy SmellsBoy Smells x BRATZNostalgia comes in many forms. This time it’s the scent of plastic dolls. Collaborating with baby-faced doll brand Bratz, this scent from Boy Smells is fruity with notes of strawberry, vanilla, orchid and a strange but whimsical plastic doll accord to create the “world’s first doll skin musk”.view more + 2/8 2/8 Courtesy of Balmain BeautyBalmain Beauty Cuir ÉlyséesSince launching into the world of fragrance last summer, Balmain has been on a roll. In March, the brand released Blanc Galaxie, a citrus and patchouli scent inspired by the spring equinox that has been firmly in my rotation ever since. And now they’ve come out with another hit. Balmain’s Cuir Élysées is a horseback fantasy bottled. With notes of leather and flowers, raspberry and wood, it smells like leather reins on horseback cutting through fields of flowers. We’re desk-bound, but this scent almost tricks us otherwise.view more + 3/8 3/8 Courtesy of Tsu Lange YorTsu Lange Yor Sage’s RoseThe latest from pop-it boy Troye Sivan’s brand Tsu Lange Yor, Sage’s Rose is infused with notes of damask rose, myrrh, sugar and poppy. Inspired by his sister, Sage, the scent joins the league of TLY’s cult-followed scents. view more + 4/8 4/8 Courtesy of Rare BeautyRare Beauty x TajinI’ve always been a bit sceptical of beauty x food collaborations, but as someone who grew up with and deeply loves Tajín, I can’t help but have a soft spot for this new Rare Beauty limited-edition set. The collab comprises of a blush and a lip gloss, and the two shades are inspired by the hues of the Mexican sauce and the classic seasoning, respectively. “Just like Tajín, these shades bring boldness, warmth, and a spark of joy to every occasion,” founder Selena Gomez says in a press release. In honour of the collaboration, Rare Beauty plans to make a donation to the National School of Ceramics, which Tajín co-founded to help preserve the legacy of Mexican ceramic artists. The brand will also make a contribution to Latinx Therapy, which aims to destigmatise mental health in the Latinx community.view more + 5/8 5/8 Courtesy of GisouGisou Honey Milk 5-in-1 Styling CreamBee-loving haircare brand Gisou has released Honey Milk 5-in-1 Styling Cream, which works to protect, hydrate, control frizz and add shine to your hair. With notes of honey nectar, jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood, it doesn’t get much sweeter (or functional) than this. Alongside the launch, the brand has announced Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as its new global ambassador. “Hair has always been a powerful form of self-expression for me, and this partnership feels like a natural fit,” she said.view more + 6/8 6/8 Courtesy of Maison Margiela ReplicaMaison Margiela Replica Never-Ending SummerSeptember might be trying to give us a reality check, but Maison Margiela Replica’s Never-Ending Summer is taking us straight to the Amalfi coast to keep the fantasy going for a little longer. It’s an Aperol spritz, but as a perfume, drawing on the cult favourite summer drink to keep us clinging on to the warm sunny vibe. Notes of bitter orange, earthy vetiver and spicy ginger. If we can’t actually be on summer holiday, this is the next best thing.view more + 7/8 7/8 Courtesy of HerbarHerbar The Sun Shield SPF 30Catch the last of the summer sun and stay protected while doing it. Sun protection that feels like skincare. Milky, weightless, zero cast. Herbar’s SPF 30 slips on clean and soothes skin post-pool, post-sea, post-anything.view more + 8/8 8/8 Courtesy of Tom FordTilda Swinton for Tom Ford Black Orchid ReserveTilda Swinton fronts the campaign for the new Tom Ford fragrance Black Orchid Reserve. The scent features Ghost Orchid, a phantom-like flower that is revered as one of the most elusive in the world, while the campaign was designed by creative director Haider Ackermann and shot by Inez and Vinoodh. “It is a profound honour for me to play a part in the history of Tom Ford’s legendary Black Orchid. Transformation, the blurring of boundaries and the celebration of magical properties have always drawn me close; Black Orchid Reserve is precisely such an enchantment,” said Tilda Swinton.view more + 0/8 0/8
