CAROLINA HERRERA
LA BOMBA
2025
pitaya dragon fruit
cherry peony
red frangipani
solar vanilla
Release date: June 16, 2025 exclusively at airports. A wider release follows in 2026.
‘Enter the World of La Bomba. She arrives like a spark. Vivid. Vibrant. Free-spirited. La Bomba, a scent that embodies the explosive spirit of the Herrera woman – joyful, sensual, and unapologetically bold. A juicy, sparkling opening: Exotic Pitaya bursts in with tropical freshness and creamy sweetness. Its fiery skin and refreshing heart evoka flame, exotic allure and a hint of mystery. Then comes a floral surge with no restraint: Cherry Peony unfolds its generous petals in a heady bloom touched with rose. A flower that takes up space, bold and unapologetic. Frangipani follows, sun-soaked and radiant. Its scent – jasmine-like, but more citrusy, more fruity – floats in softly, tinged with a delicate vanilla warmth. Finally, the vanilla settles in. Extracted through tincture, it reveals a spiced, intimate depth. Lingering on the skin like a whispered signature – warm, lasting, unmistakable.’ – Carolina Herrera
La Bomba opens… intriguing; not how I expected. Although the brand speaks of a creamy sweetness from the pitaya (dragon fruit), I was not quite expecting the scent to instantly have so much sweetness. It’s very reminiscent of cherry-almond/tonka scents that have been popular. Feeling a tad retro, 90’s… fun, in-your-face, vibrant, fruity, sweet.
Once the first minutes have passed, it tones down a bit and a hint of almost shampoo-like fruity-florals start to blend in. It stays sweet, but not cloyingly so, or at least, it’s a bit ‘darker sweet’ than other loud sweet bubblegummy or candied designer releases, that I tend to find too juvenile (or simply obnoxious). La Bomba, I could quickly tell, was not for me either, but it has interesting facets and I like that the florals fight back pretty significantly and don’t get lost in the sweetness. It almost has a reverse trajectory, where the sweetness overpowers the citrussy, soapy and brighter facets at first, but they take over in the mid of the wear.
(Overripe) Fruits, sensual florals, tonka-vanilla like sweetness and when it all comes together, a smooth shampoo vibe. While it has that kitschy, somewhat dated aesthetic to me (I’m not even going to speak on the bottle), I can see this being a success for many people and I’m not mad at it. If you like loud sweet fragrances, like a Lady Million or Juicy Couture, this could appeal to you, but if you’re into a bit more mature women’s designers, this may still be within the limits.
