Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice Review: A Pink Mugler Under Sedation

My Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice review completes the Starlicious trilogy after four official samples and several full wears. Pistachio Praline remains firmly in first place because pistachio and I have abandoned any pretence of objectivity. Berry Licorice takes second place, while Pineapple Musk finishes third. Nobody has been eliminated from the villa, but the ranking is clear.

Berry Licorice is the pink member of Mugler’s 2026 Starlicious collection, a trio of light, layerable fragrances inspired by mocktails. The official sample identifies it as a Fragrance Mist, which is the classification used in this review. Some Mugler product pages call the Starlicious scents Eau de Toilette or Eaux Gourmandes, creating a small and completely unnecessary identity crisis.

The official composition is compact: sparkling strawberry and raspberry, freesia and a deep licorice accord. On my skin, however, those few notes move through several distinct moods, beginning with something bright, edible and almost frozen before gradually becoming darker and more bitter.

A pink popsicle in perfume form

The opening immediately reminds me of a popsicle and a piece of candy. The berry accord is juicy, fizzy and unapologetically artificial in the most enjoyable way. There is a fleeting bubble-gum quality too: pink, playful and sweet enough to make subtlety wait outside.

Strawberry and raspberry do not smell like freshly cut fruit to me. They feel closer to fruit translated through sweets, ice lollies and brightly coloued syrup. That is not a criticism. Realism would almost be beside the point in a bottle this pink. Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice understands that it has arrived dressed as dessert and behaves accordingly.

The freesia is difficult for me to isolate as a separate floral note, but it may contribute to the airy brightness that stops the opening from feeling dense. The result is gourmand and sugary, yet it initially retains a sparkling, almost cooling lift.

Licorice darkens the berries

The licorice accord works surprisingly well with the sweetness. At first, it sits beneath the berries as a darker line, giving the fragrance more character than a straightforward fruity candy scent. As the perfume develops, that contrast becomes increasingly important.

The juicy, playful fruit begins to recede and the bubble-gum effect loses some of its volume. Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice gradually darkens, although it never becomes genuinely heavy or threatening. This is still a pink fragrance wearing a silver cap, not a Victorian apothecary preparing a mysterious tonic.

What I enjoy most about Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice is precisely this duality: succulent fruit on one side and a deeper, more aromatic licorice accord on the other. The composition remains easy and cheerful, but the darker element prevents it from collapsing into generic berry sweetness.

From sugary to almost bitter

After a while, the sweetness begins to fade more noticeably on my skin. The licorice becomes less candy-like and develops an almost bitter nuance. This transition surprised me because the opening promises a much more consistently sugary experience.

I would not describe the drydown as dark in an absolute sense. Compared with the opening, however, it feels calmer, drier and more restrained. The fragrance moves from pink sweets and frozen fruit towards a softer aromatic bitterness, as though the party has lowered the music without actually asking anyone to leave.

That evolution gives Berry Licorice more personality than I expected from such a lightweight format. It does not reinvent licorice in perfumery, but it uses the note well enough to create contrast and keep the berries from becoming monotonous.

Performance: a Mugler under sedation

The official sample identifies Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice as a Fragrance Mist, and its freely sprayable, layerable character behaves exactly like one. Expectations should therefore be adjusted accordingly. This is not Angel entering a building five minutes before its owner.

Among the three Starlicious fragrances I tested, Berry Licorice sits in the middle for presence. Pistachio Praline is unquestionably the strongest. Pineapple Musk feels the most delicate and ethereal. Berry Licorice makes itself known without becoming loud: a Mugler under sedation, if you will.

Its lighter character suits the playful concept, although anyone expecting the force usually associated with the Mugler name may find it surprisingly polite. I do not need every perfume to announce itself to the entire neighborhood, but the distinction between the Starlicious line and the house’s traditional powerhouses is impossible to ignore.

How Berry Licorice ranks in the Starlicious collection

After testing all three through four official samples each, my ranking is straightforward. Pistachio Praline wins through its creamy, edible richness and darker patchouli drydown. Berry Licorice follows because its berry-and-licorice contrast gives it a satisfying evolution. Pineapple Musk remains pleasant, but its airy personality never becomes the tropical explosion I expected.

For the collection’s most convincing gourmand, read my Mugler Starlicious Pistachio Praline review, where pistachio yoghurt, caramel and patchouli predictably destroyed my remaining resistance.

Pineapple Musk takes the opposite route, combining pineapple, coconut and musk in a much more delicate composition. Its full review can be linked here once published, completing the comparison between all three Starlicious fragrances.

Would I buy Mugler Starlicious Berry Licorice?

I like it, but the full bottle is not an automatic yes. The opening is fun, delicious and immediately appealing, while the licorice gives the drydown enough contrast to stop the fragrance from feeling completely disposable. At the same time, its moderate presence and lighter format make the purchase slightly less inevitable than Pistachio Praline.

Unfortunately, the bottle is pink. I also happen to love pink and black, which means this product has been designed with an irresponsible degree of accuracy. I may not actively plan to buy it, but if that pink bottle found its way into my hands, events could escalate quickly.

Berry Licorice earns a confident second place in the collection. It is playful without remaining childish, sweet without staying entirely sugary and darker than its appearance initially suggests. Mugler may be sedated here, but it is still awake enough to cause trouble.

More perfume tested properly, worn repeatedly and judged without pretending every launch changed my life. Explore more fragrance reviews here.

Images courtesy of Mugler.