[1] The project began when Parker, a long-time fragrance fan,[2] told her agent that she would like to create a scent of her own; he put her in touch with Catherine Walsh of the Lancaster Group.

Though most celebrity perfumes are created via licensing deals that involve the face of the fragrance in little besides publicity for the scent, Parker, with a long-standing interest in perfumery,[3] was an unusually active participant in the scent's creation, bringing in her own proposal to her collaborators, who included Walsh, Coty, and perfumers Clement Gavarry and Laurent le Guernec, based at International Flavors and Fragrances.

"[4] However the initial effort to recreate her blend felt too "oily", and Walsh also persuaded her to aim for something more "feminine"; to that end, orange blossom and lavender were added to the formula.

[4] The Financial Times gave the scent a rave review, saying that in contrast to the frequently-poor reputation of celebrity fragrances, "Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely is so good it could be a Chanel...and is considered by connoisseurs such as Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, authors of Perfumes: the Guide, to be the best celebrity perfume.

Created by the same perfumers who worked on the original fragrance (Gavarry and le Guernec), Lovely Sheer has notes of mandarin, bergamot, orange flower absolute, gardenia water, pink pepper, blonde woods, vetiver, musk and amber.