Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Launch Amethyst and French Grey

As a rule, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to granting interviews, so the fact that they have only spoken to Vogue about their newest fragrance launches is unsurprising.

And when the 31-year-old twins do give interviews, they very seldom reveal any details about their private lives.

The new Vogue piece isn’t an exception to that per se, but in between discussing the notes behind the two additions to their Elizabeth and James Nirvana line, Amethyst and French Grey, they do open up ever-so-slightly about growing up in the spotlight and their earliest scent memories.

What can’t they do? The designer duo is behind both the Elizabeth and James line (named for their siblings) and their high-end collection The Row

While celebrities often reference the smell of their grandma’s home or the perfume their mother wore as their introduction to fragrance, Ashley and Mary-Kate are more specific.

‘For us, when we were in, like, the seventh grade, people loved Clinique Happy,’ Mary-Kate, who is married to French banker Olivier Sarkozy, 58, told the magazine. ‘That was a big moment. I didn’t personally wear it, but I remember that being very popular.’

‘Our [thing] was more oils,’ added Ashley. ‘One of our parents’ friends was very hippie, and she would take us on outings to go mix our oils and lotions in Topanga Canyon. Those are more the experiences that I remember. They were much more personal and creative.’

Perhaps those fragrance adventures were also where the duo behind The Row also picked up their love of sage and crystals, which Ashley said they keep everywhere.

‘I sage everything, all the time. Constantly sage-ing,’ Mary-Kate volunteered. ‘I don’t want bad energy.’

Starting young: ‘We were, like, born in a hair and makeup chair,’ Mary-Kate said in an interview with Vogue, referencing the time the twins spent playing Michelle Tanner on Full House

A perfectly polished toe in the door: From about the time they were 12, Mary-Kate and Ashley (pictured here in 2002) worked in the ‘beauty industry at a very mass level’ for almost a decade

Their personal preference for all things niche extends to almost every facet of their lives but it may well have been born from their initial mass appeal, both as actresses on Full House and their subsequent kid-friendly movies, and their entre into the beauty business.

‘We were, like, born in a hair and makeup chair, so we were exposed to all those things at a very young age,’ Ashley told the fashion glossy. ‘Then we worked with the beauty industry on a very mass level when we were 12 for seven or eight years, where we learned a lot about the business and packaging.’

Despite those formative years and their clearly successful business (Elizabeth and James has been around for ten years), Mary-Kate is adamant that there’s nothing mass about the scents in the Nirvana collection. 

Shop it: Elizabeth and James Nirvana Amethyst (left) and French Grey (right) are available in three sizes ($28-$85) at sephora.com

‘Amethyst and French Grey continue to build upon the story of Nirvana as we further explore notes that Ashley and I are drawn to – dark and rich, light and floral,’ Mary-Kate said in a press release for the scents. 

Nirvana Amethyst blends notes of tobacco, honeysuckle and cedarwood, while Nirvana French Grey is comprised of lavender, neroli and musk.

‘I think when you smell the fragrances, [you can tell] they’re not made with a commercial intention,’ Mary-Kate said. ‘They’re really quite niche and very considered.’

She was quick to explain that while she and Ashley are consistently drawn to vanilla, sandalwood and musk, not all notes are created equal.

‘When I say these things, I mean it very specifically: the right sandalwood, the right musk,’ she said in the Vogue story.

How exacting: As the twins, who turned 31 in June, have grown up, they’ve embraced a love of sage, crystals and musk – but only certain types of musk

All things considered: ‘I think when you smell the fragrances, [you can tell] they’re not made with a commercial intention,’ Mary-Kate said. ‘They’re really quite niche and very considered.’

Another thing the twins are particular about is how their scents are used.

‘When we talked about how we wear fragrances, we didn’t really want to get into shampoo, conditioner, body soap,’ Mary-Kate added.

Dry shampoo, however, is always on the table. Nirvana Black and White as well as last year’s Bourbon and Rose have also found second homes as souped-up hair perfume.

‘…When you give someone a hug and you’re like, “Oh, my god, what’s in your hair, what did you use,” it’s part of that warmth, that comfort,’ continued Mary-Kate.