Naomi Scott on Fragrance, Sustainability, and Her Motto: “Value More and Buy Less”

Beauty has always been an important part of Naomi Scott’s life. Starring in films like “Charlie’s Angels” and “Aladdin” requires a portrayal of various characters on screen, and with this, comes hours spent in the hair and makeup chair on set. It’s no secret that skin care and makeup is an important part of her life – and now, she’s adding fragrance to that list. The actor has partnered with Chloé for the release of the new Nomade EDP Naturelle fragrance, which boasts a beautiful combination of dates and mirabelle as its top notes, jasmine in its heart, and vanilla and sandalwood for the base. We sat down with Scott over Zoom to discuss the new fragrance, her beauty routine, and Chloé’s commitment to sustainability.

POPSUGAR: What can you tell us about the fragrance and why you were excited to work with Chloé on the campaign?
Naomi Scott: Chloé is such an iconic brand. It’s one that everyone’s aware of, and growing up, you recognise that brand, and you know what it is. It’s a really beautiful thing to be able to work with a brand that you love aesthetically and one that you can can get behind in terms of the ethos of what they’re trying to achieve.

PS: What came to mind when you first smelt the fragrance?
NS: It reminds me of getting out of the city. That feeling when you just know that you’re far away from home, like when we used to go into Center Parcs or Wales and start getting into nature again. It reminds me of getting out the city and being free.

PS: What’s different about this new fragrance from ones that Chloé has released previously?
NS: It’s made up of 100-percent organic ingredients, is vegan, and the outer packaging is also 40 percent PCR recycled materials. I’ve actually learned quite a lot about sustainability as I’ve been going through this process with the brand, learning about what that actually means and how companies are taking real steps. I do think Chloé has been so intentional about that, and they got their B Corp certificate, which is a huge deal, and it just shows that it’s not just being tagged on to a product. It’s something that’s really ingrained into the company, and I really love that. It’s really important, and it’s inspiring for me as well, because none of us are perfect when it comes to sustainability. I certainly am not, but I would like to think that I’m taking steps toward being more intentional about what I do, what I consume, and my waste consumption. So to be partnering with a brand that really is walking the walk and not just talking the talk is really, really cool.

PS: That sounds great. Do you remember what your first ever fragrance was?
NS: I’m sorry to say, it’s not a very elegant one, but it was Impulse. Those sprays really did the job, let’s be honest. I definitely remember having DKNY apple and in my adolescent years, having Marc Jacobs’s Daisy, which I really liked. I think my auntie got me that.

PS: What are the key things you look for when finding a new fragrance?
NS: Something that doesn’t give me a headache. I don’t want it to be too strong, and I don’t want it to make me think, “Oh, this is perfume, this is really perfume-y”. It’s a smell that’s quite natural in a way, and doesn’t feel too man-made. Something I can actually wear that won’t irritate my skin is important, too. Something that is fresh, and floral, and is moreish. My favourite smells are usually always food though!

PS: Oh, really? What are your favourite food smells?
NS: The best smell ever is literally the mix of fried onions, garlic, and ginger when you start making a curry, with some cloves. The start of the curry is the best smell in the entire world. I also love the smell of making chapatis because my nan used to put them right onto the stove. It’s funny because I don’t necessarily think that’s a smell that people would be drawn to and be like “mmm”, but it’s such a memory trigger for me and takes me back to making chapatis with her growing up. Anything related to Indian food for me is a winner. Then the complete opposite is talcum powder because of the English side of my family and the fact that my nan smells like talcum powder.

PS: You don’t ask for much! In terms of skin concerns, you’ve talked about having eczema in the past. How would you say that has affected your approach in beauty as a whole?
NS: It’s affected my whole concept of beauty. In the past couple of years, what I’ve been going through hasn’t actually been eczema, it’s been the result of creams that were given to me growing up when I thought I had eczema. So actually what’s happened is a withdrawal from steroid creams. The condition I have is called TSW, which is Topical Steroid Withdrawal. Your body then takes a really, really long time to heal and figure itself out, because it’s been relying on something else. There’s really something to be said about beauty and this idea that less is more. Our bodies are so incredible that they can actually heal themselves.

There’s an element of not wanting to be too reliant on something, and whether that be moisturiser or something else, that I do agree with. I’ve been going through TSW, and it’s been an ego death to be honest, because of some of the things that you go through. I can say that now, because I’m hopefully coming toward the end of it. When your face is your work, it really forces you to accept and understand that you are where you are based on your hard work, your talent, your skills and not just the way people perceive you physically and aesthetically. It forces you to be like, “Well, my self-worth can’t be in my face right now because I look like a lizard”. My self-worth has to be in something else, and it really does force you to have that reckoning with yourself. It also shows you who’s really there for you, who is willing to sit with you when it’s really terrible.

It also proved me how strong I was, sometimes it was very painful, and I had to shoot a movie where I had to put makeup on my skin when it was sore, which was very difficult and painful. As difficult a period as it’s been, it’s actually been a really good lesson. Now I question what even is beauty and when everyone’s like, “Oh, beauty is within”, I’m like yes, of course, but there is nothing more beautiful than someone who is comfortable in who they are and where they’re at. There’s nothing more sexy than that in a human being.

PS: Definitely. How do you feel like being in locked down helped that, too?
NS: Absolutely. That’s not me being anti-expression or makeup. I love that, and I respect so much the art of that. For some of my friends, makeup is almost therapy for them, and they love that expression, but it’s for them. It’s not just a piece of armour, it’s an expression. I definitely think we can all challenge ourselves with that every now and then.

PS: What advice would you give to people who are trying to live more mindfully in terms of beauty?
NS: Because I’m not an expert on the practicalities of that, I can only talk to my personal experience and the perspective shift. For me, it’s the idea of putting value back into items. There’s a book that I read called “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”, and it talks about how convenience and hurry culture is a big part of our problem. The fact that we’re so used to just picking up things, using things, and not thinking about where they came from or the idea of how they were made, or even just workmanship. There’s such beauty in the process of making something, and then you value that thing more when you understand where it comes from. I think that slowing down is a big part of what helps me personally. I don’t want to speak for anyone else, but I do think that there’s something in the concept of putting value back into things. When you do that, you begin to value more and buy less, in my experience.