Uncommon Creates Baby-Scented Fragrance to Showcase Fragrance Free Ecover Zero

Nothing smells as good as babies. Fact. Research has found that one sniff activates the same reward centres in our brains that drugs do - only babies are way more legal. But we’ve become accustomed to covering our babies in products full of synthetic smells and chemical nasties. Uncommon and Ecover want to celebrate our love of the pure, unadulterated scent of a baby and ask the question; why would you cover it up with harmful products containing chemical fragrances and allergens?

Uncommon and Ecover have created L’eau de Bébé, a gender-neutral fragrance that smells of new born baby and nothing else. The fragrance will be supported by a hilarious online film and social campaign which aims to mark the launch of scentless hypoallergenic range Ecover Zero and encourage today’s conscious consumers to rethink their cleaning habits at a key lifetime transition moment - when they become parents. 

Uncommon and Ecover have designed and produced the satirical fragrance from scratch. The scent was created with one of the world’s largest fragrance houses Givaudan, who were briefed to craft a sustainable aroma that evokes the smell of new born babies. With notes of breast milk, soft skin and sweet baby goodness. The bottle design and manufacturing was handled in-house at Uncommon. The fragrance is part of Uncommon’s first campaign for Ecover, which also includes a perfume parody ad shot by the Norwegian comedy directors Matias and Mathias through Object and Animal. 

The work opens on a backlit baby, sitting on a countertop looking as jaded and elegant as a supermodel would. We then see striking models taking in the baby’s scent, closing their eyes in ecstasy. Then moving to a shot of L’eau de Bébé wrapped in indulgent and fashionably chic fabric, which is then blown away in a cliché breeze to reveal the exquisite and premium baby-shaped perfume bottle. The group of models continue to enjoy the magical and heightened scent of babies until a clever twist. The work flips to showcase the real message behind the humorous spoof: Ecover Zero is zero fragrance for zero baby scent interference. Allowing us to enjoy the scent of babies with no restrictions from the cleaning products.

The work is Ecover’s first film piece which highlights their important brand mission ‘Let’s Live Clean’, encouraging conscious consumers to join Ecover in a movement that isn’t just about cleaning homes, but about cleaning the world. 

Nils Leonard, co-founder of Uncommon said: “In our game it’s a dream to work on a product and a brand that has a positive and meaningful effect on the world, but often that’s the last way we should advertise it. Akin to the noise of the insurance category people are weary of the ranty and often pious voice of environmental messaging, so we wanted to make something people wouldn’t see coming. With L’eau de Bébé you can save the planet, protect your babies skin and have a laugh at the same time, which is what Ecover is all about.”

A recent survey, conducted by Ecover and Red Consultancy, revealed that over three quarters of parents in the UK believe their baby has the best smell in the world. It also showed that over half of those parents wanted to bottle the scent. And it’s not just parents who are obsessed - six in ten parents have had someone else ask to sniff their baby. 

Sara Mendez, European Head of Brand at Ecover, added: “Our research proves that nothing in the world smells as good as natural new born babies, and yet as a nation we’re in the habit of surrounding babies with overly fragranced laundry products that have the potential to irritate delicate skin. That’s why we’re championing babies’ right to smell like babies and have access to clean ingredients with zero added fragrance. Since its creation in 1979, Ecover has campaigned for a ‘cleaner’ world, and our latest launch makes no exception.

The film will run online and across targeted social from 30th April. The campaign will be supported by Ecover’s PR agency Red Consultancy, and a social competition, led by Media Bounty, with (100% recyclable) samples of L’eau de Bébé to be won.