Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a licensed fragrance brand that extends the German automotive marque into perfumery. Its first scent launched in 2012 [7], following a worldwide license granted in 2011 to the Versailles-based fragrance manufacturer INCC Group [6]. The fragrance line is distinct from the carmaker itself: Mercedes-Benz Group AG owns the trademark, while a separate company holds the license to create, produce and distribute the perfumes. Since April 2024 that licensee has been Give Back Beauty, a prestige fragrance group based in Paris and Milan [4].

The brand remains active. After more than a decade of direct online sales, its consumer e-shop is closing, but this reflects a shift toward wider retail distribution under the new licensee rather than a wind-down; the most recent fragrance lines were still rolling out through 2024 [5].

Mercedes-Benz entered perfumery as a brand extension, a strategy in which an established name licenses its identity to a specialist manufacturer in an unrelated category. The fragrance license was first awarded in 2011 to INCC Group, a lifestyle fragrance company founded in 1990 and based in Versailles, near Paris [6]. Announcing the deal, INCC president and chief executive Rémy Deslandes framed it around the carmaker's age, noting that the company was entering the fragrance world "125 years after the creation of their first automobile" [6].

The debut scent arrived in 2012, a woody-spicy fragrance for men created by the perfumer Olivier Cresp [7]. Cresp has remained associated with the brand, which describes its scents as faithful to what it calls an "innate sense of detail and a passion for what is rare and unexpected."

The Mercedes-Benz perfume business sits under two distinct entities. Mercedes-Benz Group AG, headquartered in Stuttgart, owns the trademark and licenses it out; the operational fragrance work has always been handled by a French-based licensee. From 2011 to 2024 that licensee was INCC Parfums.

In April 2024, the prestige fragrance group Give Back Beauty acquired INCC Parfums, taking over the licenses for Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG and Mercedes-Maybach [4]. Give Back Beauty operates a Paris-based prestige division and reports activity in more than 130 countries; its wider portfolio includes fragrance licenses for Zegna, Elie Saab, Chopard and Tommy Hilfiger [4]. The company has said it aims to develop the Mercedes-Benz line toward a more upmarket and eco-responsible positioning while supporting the existing bestsellers [5].

One point of record is worth clarifying. A brand brief circulated for this entry named InterParfums as the fragrance licensee; this is incorrect. Trade reporting confirms INCC Parfums held the license from 2011 until Give Back Beauty's 2024 acquisition, and InterParfums has not held the Mercedes-Benz fragrance license [4][6].

The portfolio is organised into men's, women's and home fragrances, spanning several collections. Among its longest-running sellers are Mercedes-Benz Man, an eau de toilette, and Mercedes-Benz Club Black, an eau de parfum. More recent additions include the LAND·SEA·AIR trilogy, launched in 2023 and built around notes such as patchouli, mugwort oil and marine algae, fronted by ambassador Valentin Garat. Sub-lines extend the range further, with Mercedes-Maybach positioned as a niche haute-parfumerie offering and Mercedes-AMG as a more performance-themed collection.

The brand emphasises ingredient sourcing in its marketing, citing materials such as rosewood, pear wood, apple blossom, neroli, and woods including sandalwood, cedar and oud as base notes. It also names collaborating perfumers beyond Cresp, including Honorine Blanc and Dominique Ropion.

Mercedes-Benz frames its fragrances as an emotional extension of the carmaker's identity rather than functional products, describing them as "based on pure emotion rather than functionality." The brand sets out four stated values — emotion, creativity, excellence and modernity — and carries over the carmaker's "The best or nothing" motto into its perfume communications. The three-pointed star appears on packaging as a recurring emblem.

Sustainability claims feature in the brand's own messaging. According to the company, its bottles use recycled and recyclable glass produced with French glassmakers, with one luxury line citing "40% recycled glass," alongside recycled and eco-sourced paper and water-based inks.

The brand is active. Its sub-lines were expanding through 2024, with the first Mercedes-Maybach fragrance line debuting in September of that year under Give Back Beauty [4]. The closure of the direct-to-consumer e-shop, announced on the brand's own site, accompanies a stated move toward broader retail and selective distribution channels rather than a discontinuation of the fragrances themselves [5].