Patty Geissler, the originator of the entertaining perfume blog Perfumeposse.com, has a separate room in her home dedicated to her vast collection of fragrances. 'I love scent, always have,' she says. 'Some of the things I have because they're old and impossible to find, or it's a beautiful bottle, others just because they smell great.'
— From Uncommon scents in the UK Telegraph.
Did the tidal wave of new scents send people back to their old standbys? According to Karen Grant, senior beauty analyst with NPD, sales of existing women’s brands (those that have been on the market since 2006) rose two percent or nearly $31 million last year. Which fragrances fared best? Acqua Di Gio, Beautiful, Coco Mademoiselle, Chanel No. 5 and Cashmere Mist were the top five prestige scents sold in 2007, according to NPD.
— From Scent Sales Slip ...Again in Happi magazine.
“Did the tidal wave of new scent send people back…” I think so. My interest in scent didn't begin until 2003 … and, in some ways, I think I entered the world of fragrance during a golden era. Maybe it's just my perception of it, but the niche scents seemed then to be not so self-conscious, and there was still the possibility to learn about, and even sample, authentic vintage classic fragrance. Now I believe, at least for me, there's a new classicism: I know and love the early S. Lutens and F. Malles, a single Etro, select Chanels, Carons and Diors … very few of the current niche offerings are attractive to me. They seem like lots of jumping on a lately-realized lucrative bandwagon from very weird companies offering surreal scents ('secretions' as an example). As with all things, eventually less becomes more. I wonder how many perfumistas eventually reach this state. xoxo
Here's one perfumista, Mireille, that is quickly reaching that state- the renewal of my love of scents and the subsequent sampling has, in many ways, pushed me back to vintage though I do enjoy some newer niche scents as well. Like you, though, I find so many of the new niches to be completely self-conscious (great description, btw). I'm still waiting for the scent that can equal Diorissimo for spring…or even Coty's Muguet des Bois!
That being said, I still am finding some interesting and enjoyable scents amongst the newer offerings – some of the Hermessences, for example, like Osmanthus Y and PoiveS, I wouldn't have imagined loving…but I do!
Few mainstream offerings move me;excepting the Hermes Jardins.they all seem to be much of a muchness. However I believe exploration is the basic tenet of a perfumista so I'm trying to keep myself open (not an easy task:-)and at least do a sniff and if it's not shockin' bad, then it's on to the spritz! That's how I found my new BFF, Poivre Samarcande…I'm still in shock that I love it so!
Probably not going to push to sample 'secretions', though:-)
Mireille,
So entirely agree about “not so self-conscious”. Niche brands seemed entirely less annoying then, is the way I'd put it. Now they're as ridiculous as the mainstream brands.
Also agree with “golden era” — in 2003, there was plenty of choice without it being massively overwhelming. It has been really sad to see the industry implode.
It is true: Diorissimo, Joy, — how many of today's new releases begin to approach them in pure beauty? But these days, as many mainstream offerings move me as niche.
Wow, the industry is imploding? Well, why not. If the real estate market can implode, if the art fair market can implode, why not perfume? I've been a perfume addict since the early 1970s, and while I don't have a room in my house to store it in, when I moved, and no one wanted the collection, it took two trips to a homeless shelter and a battered women's shelter to shed enough to keep just the “favorites.”
I generally grow a type and sniff a lot of that genre, then either disappointment or the changing seasons, or a change in me helps me move on.
Right now it's green chypres, and while I've had a jones for ambers and for orientals and for a few others, I've never liked white florals or fruity florals. But somehow, I didn't notice the implosion. Seen over the last 30 years, I thought it was some sort of marketing frenzy that would pass.
So what's going to happen? Are we going to be washed away in fruity florals and then. . . .back to classics?
Well, you know, that's just my humble opinion, and wouldn't say they're as bad off as the real estate market, just yet. But I do think the number of new releases — and the number of really bad releases — is starting to have a negative effect.