"I think that scent and fragrance are really, really important," Willow Smith tells me over Zoom, both of us enjoying sunny days on opposite sides of the country (she's in LA, I'm in NYC—a tale as old as time). "I would probably say it's my favorite beauty tool." The Grammy-nominated singer and author is no stranger to turning out a look. She's often seen wearing smudgey black liner, structured smokey eyes, and defined lip looks. But the Dior Beauty Ambassador is showing her softer side with the new Dior Addict Purple Glow Eau de Parfum in tow.
The raspberry-focused scent is youthful and juicy—like a fruity candy that melts in your mouth. "It's sweet and feminine, which is very different for me in particular, but I've been really enjoying how it makes me feel," Willow says.
The new fragrance is part of a full Dior Addict line. Purple Glow is accompanied by two others (Rosy Glow and Peachy Glow, both of which have their own celebrity ties—Jisoo and Anya Taylor Joy, respectively), all of which were created for what the brand is calling the "Love Generation": those who seek "instant pleasure" and see life through rose-colored glasses. Each fragrance has an accompanying Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil shade—a Dior essential that's been reimagined for 2026 with nourishing cherry oil in three finishes (a shimmer, a pigmented cream, and a sheer juicy look). It's the brand's most viral beauty product. As a mainstay in Gen Z culture, Willow (in her shade, Black Cherry) is the perfect muse.
"My generation is stepping toward a more wide and inclusive view of beauty, and I think that the standard is becoming whatever makes you feel most confident," she says.
For her, beauty and creativity are intertwined, especially when it comes to creating her own looks. "I think music really inspires my beauty looks," she tells me. "Singing a song can put you into a world and inspire a makeup look or an outfit." She's not particularly a trend-follower, per se ("I just like to do what feels good, and if that ends up being a trend, then I'm definitely not upset about that either," she says), but she loves what Gen Z is doing for beauty online.
"There are a lot of people on social media who are expanding what beauty is more artistically," she says. "I'm really inspired by the people on social media who use beauty as an art form and not necessarily just to look good."
Her go-to look right now? Colors you wouldn't normally use. "I've been really into this forest green lip recently," she says. "It's very strange, but really cool."
Willow's not always covered in glam, though. If you follow her on Instagram, you'll see she's often in nature with her dog, Korn, focusing on rest. "The go-go-go mindset can be very disorienting. Yes, I love working, and I love being creative, but sometimes I just need to take a moment and really rest and have some time away from all of that stuff," she says.
A big way she grounds herself when she is working, though, is through scent. Burning incense, specifically, helps get her in the creative zone when she's in the studio, which she's been doing pretty often in anticipation of dropping her seventh album next year. "I've been working on some stuff that I'm really proud of and excited about."
Shop the full Dior Addict collection:
Dior Addict Rosy Glow Eau de Parfum
Dior Addict Purple Glow Eau de Parfum
Dior Addict Peachy Glow Eau de Parfum
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Dior Addict Lip Glow Oil
Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan, where she covers skincare, makeup, hair, nails, and more across digital and print. She can generally be found in bright eyeshadow furiously typing her latest feature or hemming and hawing about a new product you "have to try." Prior to Cosmopolitan, she wrote and edited beauty content as an Editor at The Everygirl for four years. Follow her on Instagram for makeup selfies and a new hair 'do every few months.
