BECOME: The inside story on how Bentley and Carré Basset redefined luxury fragrance for a new era
Few brands evoke the power, prestige, and artistry of Bentley Motors. For more than a century, Bentley has defined what it means to create automotive masterpieces – vehicles that marry elegance, performance, and craftsmanship in perfect harmony. In 2013, Bentley extended this commitment to excellence beyond the road, venturing into the world of fragrance. Their scents, much like their cars, have become benchmarks of refinement, designed not for fleeting impressions but enduring emotional connections.
At London Packaging Week 2025, audiences are invited behind the curtain to glimpse the creative journey of Bentley’s latest fragrance, BECOME – a bold new chapter in luxury design that reimagines what refinement means in an age of change. Conceived for those who seek more than surface beauty, BECOME is an invitation to introspection, transformation, and responsibility. At the heart of this evolution is a seamless collaboration with Carré Basset, a globally renowned agency whose ethos aligns perfectly with Bentley’s pursuit of timeless innovation.
Founded in 1995 by Guillaume Carré and Franck Basset, Carré Basset has spent three decades crafting narratives and designs that transcend traditional luxury boundaries. With offices spanning Paris, London, and Shanghai, their work embraces both heritage and disruption, marrying artisanal craftsmanship with bold innovation.
As Franck Basset, Founder & Creative Director, articulates, “Carré Basset captures Bentley’s timeless British luxury—refined, never showy. The fluid silhouette of the fragrance echoes the brand’s signature design lines, blending classic elegance with a modern edge. Sleek and sophisticated, it reflects Bentley’s commitment to innovation and style.”
This elegant fusion is visible in every facet of BECOME, beginning with the fragrance itself. The scent opens with a luminous burst of orange and bergamot, an invigorating introduction underscored by the subtle warmth of Madagascan black pepper oil. As it evolves, juniper and myrrh unfold, rich and inviting, before grounding into a complex base of Virginian cedarwood, santal album, vetiver, and patchouli—notes carefully selected to convey depth, warmth, and a subtle ruggedness.
But BECOME is more than an aromatic journey; it is a narrative vessel. “The statement of Bentley BECOME is an invitation to embark on a journey of self-discovery, where each olfactory note is a step toward revealing one’s true essence,” Franck explains. This concept of “becoming” extends into the bottle’s very shape and materials.
“The rounded shape of the bottle, conceived as a sculpture, exudes a subtle yet confident presence, in keeping with the balanced proportions so important for the brand,” he says. The form is deliberately restrained, avoiding flamboyance in favour of dignified understatement. “The bottle is defined by a play of symmetry, with the cap drawing a horizon line – a symbol of balance and escape.”
This horizon line is more than aesthetic; it is a metaphor for transformation, for the moment when past and future converge in equilibrium. This carefully calibrated design honours Bentley’s legacy without being tethered to it. “BECOME marks the starting point of a new direction for the brand, distinct in both style and scent, embodied in a sleek bottle design that reflects a discreet and sophisticated form of luxury,” Franck reflects.
In the context of contemporary luxury, BECOME stands apart for its genuine commitment to sustainability, a core value increasingly integral to Bentley’s future. The fragrance itself is crafted using 70.81% renewable carbon and 46.97% upcycled materials, sourced in partnership with Symrise, a global leader in sustainable fragrance development. Artisanal botanicals are drawn from Maison Lautier in Grasse, France, a region renowned for its perfumery heritage.
On the design front, sustainability is deeply embedded. “With Bentley BECOME, the bottle design introduces new details aligned with Bentley’s commitment to sustainability,” Franck highlights. “The cap, made from 100% recyclable aluminium, and the biodegradable green colour gradient create a striking visual impact. The fragrance name, hot-stamped on the bottle, adds a distinguished touch. This elegant design is also reflected in the recyclable, FSC-certified packaging.”
This marriage of environmental responsibility and aesthetic refinement speaks to a broader evolution in how luxury is conceived. Franck articulates it as a shift from object to emotion: “Today, luxury is first an emotion, more than an object. While it stems from craftsmanship and savoir-faire, it has become intangible – no longer just a story or a legacy, but also a vision of the future.”
Craftsmanship remains paramount, but it is a craftsmanship that embraces innovation. “Craftsmanship has always been innovation: since the dawn of time, artisans have invented and created their own tools,” Franck says. “The coexistence of ‘traditional’ craftsmanship and technical innovation stems from a shared pursuit of excellence in the creation of luxury objects.”
This philosophy pervades every decision made in the creation of BECOME. From the choice of materials to the production techniques and even the storytelling embedded in its design, the fragrance embodies the rare luxury of lasting value without excess. “Luxury is inherently sustainable: first, because it is made to last and be kept over time; and also because its lack of excess or artifice makes the product itself rarer and more essential today,” Franck explains.
Indeed, the narrative coherence between Bentley’s heritage and its new lifestyle expressions is critical to the brand’s success. “Storytelling tells the story, scents are life, and essences are memory – they define a space, a moment… they are souvenirs,” Franck notes. “The brand continuum is about conveying that same vision, the same story, with coherence and relevance.”
Behind this project was a close, transparent collaboration between Bentley, Carré Basset, and Lalique. “The tripartite collaboration between Bentley, Lalique, and our agency is characterised by seamless co-creation, open communication, and full transparency as the new vision unfolds,” Franck says. This trust and shared creative vision enabled a freedom that resulted in a product both original and deeply respectful of its roots.
The balance between legacy and modernity, between form and meaning, is what sets BECOME apart in a crowded market of luxury automotive fragrances. It is less about spectacle and more about presence. Less about external performance, more about internal well-being. “The storytelling is more focused on personal well-being, introspection, and a connection to the environment, rather than a pursuit of performance,” Franck explains. “It speaks about the Bentley Man.”
This meticulous attention to detail, coupled with a profound sense of responsibility, signals a new chapter for Bentley and its lifestyle ambitions.
Looking ahead, Carré Basset’s founders foresee a shift in luxury design’s guiding principles. “The future of design for luxury brands will rely more on EI than AI. It is Emotional Intelligence that must first guide the designer in the search for meaningful solutions,” Franck asserts.
For Bentley, BECOME is not just a fragrance; it is a manifesto. It’s a quiet call to pause, reflect, and evolve. It is an invitation to wear not just a scent, but a story, an ideal, a future.
The journey of BECOME and its vision for the future will be spotlighted at London Packaging Week 2025 in a session titled BECOME the Future: Unveiling a New Icon, a Bold Vision of Tomorrow in Fragrance and Design on Wednesday 15 October from 1:30 to 2:00 PM. Artistic Director Camille Ten Horn, alongside Bentley’s design team, will share insights into how emotional storytelling, sustainability, and innovative design converge to create this new icon.
In a world where luxury is ever more complex and meaningful, BECOME stands as a testament to what true refinement looks like today: thoughtful, purposeful, and deeply human.
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