Patrick Dempsey Dishes on New Fragrance - Exclusive Interview

by Laura Kenney (Subscribe to Laura Kenney's posts)
Posted Nov 23rd 2009 at 6:15PM

Twice as Nice: Patrick Dempsey shares a tender moment with wife Jillian for the Patrick Dempsey 2 advertising campaign. Photo: Courtesy of Avon

On the heels of Unscripted, Patrick Dempsey's first foray into the fragrance world a little less than a year ago, comes Patrick Dempsey 2.

The actor's second fragrance, which Avon launched earlier this month, is a sophisticated evolution of his first. "Both of the fragrances are aspects of me, but this one is more complex, says Dempsey. "It pushes it a little further -- it's bolder, not as sweet, and more spicy."

Dempsey loves creating scents -- and in an industry where many stars slap their names on juices for an easy profit, his involvement is refreshing. We interviewed Dempsey about his first scent, Unscripted, and his exuberance was contagious - he described raiding Barney's and buying twenty of his favorite scents to study the notes and the bottles.

Now more seasoned, Dempsey has traded his wide eyed newcomer persona for that of a fragrance insider. It's the nuances of scent creation -- and the emotions fragrance evokes -- that are sparking his interest this time around.

Patrick Dempsey 2. Photo: Courtesy of Avon

"I really enjoy the overall process of creating a scent," Dempsey explained. "You learn that the top, middle and base notes play like a song, and if you change just one note it can either improve or disrupt the melody."

"Unscripted is about the individual, while Patrick Dempsey 2 is about coming back to the person who makes you feel special; it's about the importance of a union," he said. "This scent evokes the feeling of strength and intimacy you experience with the person you love."

The scent is no doubt inspired by his relationship with wife Jillian Dempsey, a beauty industry icon who started as a Hollywood makeup artist (the two met on set), created the cult favorite Delux Beauty line, and is currently Avon's Global Creative Color Director.

With three children and busy careers, keeping their relationship strong is a huge focus. "It's hard to find a date night and steal those moments together," he said.

Ironically, work has actually helped the Dempseys spend more time together. "Working with Avon brings Jill and I together, and it's really fun because it's not so much work as it is creative play."

The two appeared in front of the camera together for the first time for the advertising campaign for Patrick Dempsey 2, pictured above. "It's fun to be in front of the camera with my wife," he said. "It was neat to see the different sides of each others personalities in front of the camera."

With top notes of saffron and mandarin, middle notes of green fig and spiced wood, and base notes of patchouli and skin musk accord, Patrick Dempsey 2 serves up some totally new notes, while doing new things with Dempsey's old favorites. "Some of my favorite notes from Unscripted, fig and patchouli, appear again in this fragrance with a darker, more mysterious effect --
it's a completely different way to wear the notes."

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