What do you reckon the bestselling celebrity fragrance was in 2008 (the last year figures are available for, by the way)? Perhaps something by Britney, or Sarah Jessica Parker riding Sex and the City hype to the bank, or possibly even a J-Lo fragrance from the days when most people didn’t completely hate her. Wrong on all counts. Shockingly, the honour went to a perfume by somebody who has barely been in the public eye for years, other than occasional appearances as Michael Jackson’s friend, and retired from the celebrity world in 2003: the formerly radiant Elizabeth Taylor.

Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds was first released in 1991, at the tail-end of her career, but has gone from strength to strength over the years, becoming the all-time bestselling celebrity fragrance, and still continuously topping year-end sales lists nearly twenty years after its initial release. It just goes to show that while modern-day celebrity may be fleeting (does anyone remember Abi Titmuss?), back in the day celebrities were made to last, and with White Diamonds the world was given a perfume as enduring as entrancing as Taylor’s performances on the big screen. Get on the gravy train yourself: a 100ml bottle is available now at Fragrance Mad for the rip-roaring price of £19.99, postage included. I’ll let you know when the 2009 results are published.