6 hours ago
Tom Holland Redefines Masculinity with Prada's New Fragrance
READ TIME: 5 MIN.
Tom Holland—known globally as Spider-Man—stood at the center of Prada Beauty’s latest launch, Paradigme, a fragrance breaking boundaries in both scent and gender expression. The campaign, fronted by Holland, seeks to subvert the tired tropes of masculinity in the fragrance industry, inviting people of all identities to explore what it means to be themselves in 2025’s complex social landscape .
Paradigme’s marketing, crafted around the slogan “What if there’s another way?” actively encourages men—and everyone who connects with the message—to reject the binary choice between “alpha” hyper-masculinity and the softer, vulnerable masculine. Instead, it offers a celebration of nuance, individuality, and self-acceptance. In a short film advertising the new fragrance, Holland reflects on his past and wonders if there's "another way forward." In a sizzling moment, he whips off his shirt as his voiceover asks if there's "abnther way to breathe".
As the commercial continues, Holland reflects on artistic achievement and risk-taking — and shows off his dance moves in a sequence that cuts between a party in the present day and home movie footage of him as a toddler.
“For this launch, it was crucial to find an ambassador who not only embodies Prada's values, but also represents this concept of a ‘paradigm shift’ we are exploring with the fragrance,” Prada Beauty’s Global Brand President Yann Andrea told Cosmetics Business .
Tom Holland, for his part, says the campaign is an authentic reflection of his own evolution. “I never wanted to be in one of those commercials that was sort of overtly sexual in nature. And when I sat down with Prada, they pitched me the idea and it felt like an authentic representation of who I was,” Holland shared in a recent interview, noting that he hopes Paradigme opens up new, inclusive conversations about identity .
Holland’s role as Prada’s Global Ambassador marks a new chapter for the actor, who has also been open about his own journey with sobriety and self-discovery . Now nearly four years sober, Holland says the experience has given him a “brand-new identity almost,” and has allowed him to approach work, including his fragrance partnership, with renewed clarity and authenticity.
The new fragrance, developed over two years by perfumers Marie Salamagne, Bruno Jovanovic, and Nicolas Bonneville, is a smoky, woody scent with bright notes of bergamot and geranium—a far cry from the more traditionally “masculine” colognes of decades past . The campaign film, directed by Thomas Vinterberg, features Holland hiking, taking photos, and tap-dancing—activities that nod to both his on-screen work and his off-screen passions.
For LGBTQ+ audiences, this campaign resonates on multiple levels. The fragrance is refillable, sustainable, and, most importantly, marketed without gendered language or exclusionary imagery. It’s a signal that the beauty industry—and the celebrities driving it—are listening to calls for broader, more nuanced representation .
While Holland’s fragrance campaign is making headlines for all the right reasons, a separate conversation has gone viral on social media: fans joking about the “musty” odor of his iconic Spider-Man costume, which he’s been seen wearing in recent behind-the-scenes photos from the set of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” .
Holland has leaned in with characteristic good humor. At the Paradigme launch, when asked about the rumors, he laughed: “Let’s just say, no amount of Paradigme is going to fix a day on set in that suit. It’s the real superhero challenge.” Social media erupted with memes, but Holland’s playful candor turned the moment into a celebration of authenticity and relatability.
