Katy Perry to release fragrance this fall

(AFP/Leon Neal)

Singer Katy Perry is preparing for the launch of Purr, her first signature scent, which she developed with perfumers Firmenich.

The name was inspired by Perry's Catwoman stage costume (even the bottle will be cat-shaped), as she told Women's Wear Daily: "I'm a very lyrical-based person, and the whole ‘purr' thing kept coming back - [the sound in] perfume, perfect, even Perry if you say it a certain way. It just seemed logical."

While the reasoning behind the name was straightforward, the actual creation process of the fragrance, said Perry, was not: "There are amazing fragrances backed by other celebrities, but what I'm bringing is not like any other. ... I really wanted to develop a scent that was completely unlike anything I'd smelled before ...."

However, Purr's top notes of peach nectar, forbidden apple and green bamboo, combined with a heart of jasmine blossom, pink freesia and Bulgarian rose, and a drydown of vanilla orchid, white amber, creamy sandalwood and musk would seem pretty familiar to a fragrance-loving customer - it's not like she used caviar and figs (Thierry Mugler, anyone?), after all.

Maybe it's because she had too many references to draw inspiration from: according to WWD, the singer has 50 fragrances and especially likes those of her celebrity colleagues Beyoncé Knowles and Kim Kardashian, as well as Clinique Happy, Ralph Lauren's Romance and Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle. When it comes to image and marketing, however, she adores Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers.

Purr will be available in the US from Nordstrom and nordstrom.com in November, priced between $45 and $65. International launch details have not yet been announced.