EmmKay Beaute

JLove, Lopez’s latest, will hit Kohl’s counters in October.

“When I did my first fragrance, Glow, I didn’t really think much beyond making it the best, most beautiful fragrance ever created,” said Lopez, who is widely credited with kick-starting the celebrity fragrance market from an Eighties relic to a viable and legitimate moneymaker in 2002 with Glow, which did $100 million in retail sales in its first year on counter. “We did beautiful things with that fragrance, and I fell in love with the business.”

And with her fragrance licensee, Coty. “They’ve been one of my greatest partners as far as business goes,” said Lopez, “and I think it’s because we understand each other. They understand my brand and they understand who I am. They’ve let me creatively drive what the product is going to become eventually. They’ve really let it come from me, and then they take it to the next level. I think that’s what a great partnership is — understanding each other and letting everybody use their strengths.”

In fact, Lopez cites love as a driving force with her latest scent. “With number 20, it’s a landmark,” she said. “I asked myself, ‘Who am I and what do I encompass?’ My message has always been love, whether it’s my music or my movies or whatever. It’s such a big part of who I am. We decided to call it JLove for that very reason, because it encompasses everything about me in one simple little word.”

Lopez concocted the fruity floral citrus with Firmenich’s Honorine Blanc. It has top notes of white raspberry, frozen pineapple, pink grapefruit and tangerine; a heart of coconut orchid, water lily and Tahitian tiare, and a drydown of vanilla sorbet, white wood and skin musk.

“With every fragrance [I do] it’s different,” said Lopez of the development process. “Sometimes I’ll have an idea and be all, ‘Oh, I love this, the way a plant in my backyard smells and how the woods smell, after it’s been raining,’ and I’ll give them those types of ideas. With this one, we created a scent that’s glamorous and kind of sexy at the same time.”

There is one constant ingredient in Lopez’s arsenal, however. “I always want to put a musk base on it, because I feel like it gives such a nice sexiness at the bottom, no matter how fruity it gets at the top,” she said.

A 1-oz. eau de parfum will sell for $39, while a 1.7-oz. edp will retail for $49.

The leopard print on the bottle cap is another nod to sexiness, said Lopez. “We wanted something that would encompass the whole brand,” she said. “And I always find myself drawn to classic Hollywood glamour — so I thought of animal prints and fur and clean lines, just to celebrate that glamour and luxury. The actual juice reflects that as well.”

Advertising, shot by Mario Testino, features Lopez draped in white fur. The majority of the advertising will break in October fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines. Sources estimated Coty would spend about $3 million on advertising and promotion in the scent’s first year on counter.

JLove will be exclusive to Kohl’s and its 1,155 doors in the U.S. While executives declined comment on projected sales, industry sources estimated JLove would do about $10 million at retail in its first year on counter.

“From the design of the bottle and packaging to the soft color of the perfume, the new fragrance is a wonderful extension of the Jennifer Lopez lifestyle brand that customers love,” said Peggy Eskenasi, senior executive vice president of product development for Kohl’s Corp.

Lopez noted that her relationship with Kohl’s is heading into its second year. “We had a really amazingly successful first year,” she said, noting that her products with Kohl’s include apparel, intimates, activewear, accessories, jewelry, shoes and home. “It’s the perfect marriage, to be bringing Coty into the mix.”

Fragrance is just one of the many projects on Lopez’s plate these days. Her production company, Nuyorican, is executive-producing “The Fosters,” a show about blended families which was just picked up for a second season on ABC Family. “I’ve been in television and movies for so many years, doing my shows. Producing was another creative venture. It was a natural extension to go into that area. It’s almost inevitable, being in the business as long as I have. It expands my creative business.”

She’s also reportedly in preproduction on “The 33,” which tells the story of the 33 trapped Chilean miners who were rescued safely in October 2010.

“Sometimes I don’t look at the calendar very far in advance,” said Lopez with a laugh, referring to her overpacked schedule. “It’s better to take it day by day!”