Cherry Cola On The Lips, Sunscreen In The Soul

I never thought my February lemming would taste like a 90s vending machine and smell like Memorial Day. Yet here we are. Vacation has linked arms with Pepsi for the Wild Cherry Tinted Lip Gel, and it’s the kind of cross-category flirtation that makes fragrance nerds perk up. When a scent-first sunscreen house plays with a soda icon, you don’t get subtle. You get fizz.

Let’s decode the vibe. Think glossy cherry syrup, cola spice, a little vanilla foam, and that signature Vacation sun-slick aura that telegraphs pool tile and late-afternoon heat. It’s SPF-forward, tint-forward, nostalgia-forward. I can already hear the eye rolls from the sandalwood purists, but cherry cola is a legitimate modern gourmand lane. This doesn’t pretend to be “clean” or “skin musk.” It leans into sticky-fun, the kind of aromatic you can practically hear crackling over ice.

Key bits perfume lovers might actually care about:

• Brand DNA: Vacation is unabashedly scent-driven, so their take on Pepsi Wild Cherry was never going to whisper.
• Mood map: Not a candy bomb, more a soda float with a sunny filter. Cola spice brings structure, cherry brings the grin.
• Utility: SPF 30 on the lips means you can be frivolous and sensible in one swipe. Let’s call it practical hedonism.

Quick facts for the lemming tally:

• Name: Vacation x Pepsi Wild Cherry Tinted Lip Gel
• Size: 15 ml
• Price: $14
• Where: Target

Is it a perfume? No. Is it perfume-adjacent in all the right ways? Absolutely. The olfactory story is loud, playful, and instantly legible, which is precisely why it works. In a market drowning in beige “wearable” releases, a cherry-cola lip gel with sun swagger feels refreshingly unbothered. If your winter bag needs a hit of summer mischief, this is it. If your shelf craves discipline, avert your eyes. Either way, the message is clear. Gourmand isn’t going anywhere, it’s just getting glossier.