But these days, the sweet smell of success is proving elusive as customers walk away from fragrance counters empty-handed. While department store sales of beauty products fell 3 percent in dollars in 2008 — a drop credited to the recession — the decline was most profound in the fragrance industry, according to NPD Group, a market research firm.
— From The Hunt for That Genie in a Bottle at The New York Times.
I almost draw the inference that these stupidly inflated prices of niche scents are caused by MUA and the scent blogs. Surely that can’t be true? The article may as well have said that all these new niche brands could see a sucker coming. I personally flatly refuse to blow so much money on these gallon bottles/uber miniscule bottles of very overpriced juice. The one niche bottle I’ve bought in years is Byredo Pulp which I think was very well crafted and unique enough to warrant it. But I certainly don’t equate $$$, a niche name, or even a big fashion name with superior juice. I do agree with EL and Gwen Stefani have the right idea with smaller bottles with good price points – a much more realistic financial indicator of the times we live in. And good for you for getting a mention!
I don’t think I quite drew that inference…but I do see what you mean. Personally I think many niche lines are drastically overpriced, but I do see why people who love fragrance turn to niche for something interesting to wear. The other thing that’s implied but not directly stated is how unoriginal most fragrances are, and that’s true for niche and mainstream.
Yes, that’s just a huffy inference on my part! I guess the money is (or brands feel) on slight reworkings of previous big/classic sellers – see the flanker bit below. I suppose the rationale is, if you spent your money on A, you’ll spend your money on B and C if it’s got components of A in it.
It would be interesting to note the length of time between flankers or general releases now as opposed to pre 2003 ish? (isn’t that when we started to get stuff like the Paris, Opium, CKOne and Eternity flankers?) It seems like the minute one has been released these brands get cracking on the next one.
It has to be much faster given that the total number of launches has more than doubled since 2003…
Interesting idea that once the ‘high-octane’ 80s scents passed we were ‘trained not to smell’ lighter frags. Also, there’s just too darn much of this stuff. Reminds me of the It Bag crazes — one is a Holy Grail but after a while the luxe handbags were absolutely everywhere. Dilutional effect, I guess…
There’s a thread on basenotes featuring a video of a gal rubbing fabric softener all over herself as an alternative “when you can’t locate your perfume.” Dilutional, indeed. I think I’d rather go au naturel!
I, too, feel there is too much. I’m trying to really enjoy my existing wardrobe these days and commit to one scent a week (as well as wear down the ones I won’t replace but just can’t swap away). I can see my drobe topping out at 15. I feel like I have acquired quite a few loves, and anything else at this point would be superfluous. The thing is, nothing I like is terribly new. The newest fragrance I own is Pure Poison.
What I’d really like to know is why Chanel won’t break up their massive jugs o’ Exclusifs and if they really get that much proffit from them. Ounce for ounce, they’re some of the most reasonable, but darn, 3.4 oz really is plenty! : )
Agreed…I’d happily, happily pay $45, maybe even more, for 30 ml of Bel Respiro, but am not about to cough up $200 to own 200 ml. I’d never come close to using that much. Maybe if splits take off even more than they have, the companies will clue in to the fact that someone else is making the extra margin off the smaller sizes…
Oh that would make me a very happy customer to be able to pick up more of the exclusifs in a reasonable size and for a better price! I guess their target audience is not exactly me though…oh well. It’s a pity cos quite a few of them make me drool. Where are my lottery winnings? 😉
Clearly, hiding out in a far-distant location with mine, alas.
I don’t really buy that part about lighter fragrances…I don’t think it’s that they’re lighter so much as that they all smell so darned similar.
Or so BLAND. I guess I can’t complain too much though…that’s how I wound up here. Couldn’t find a single frag I wanted to buy in my usual haunts bc they all smelled like sugar water.
Yes! That’s why I always end up with niche scents…because most of the department store ones always smell so darned sugary!
Or yet another generic citrus 🙁
Generic citrus doesn’t bother me, fortunately, lol. But I don’t need several of them, just one or two.
Hmmm, I wonder: if the decline continues in fragrance sales, maybe we’ll be seeing JAR, by Killian, Tom Ford etc. at TJ Maxx and Marshall’s for $29.99? One can only hope.
Maybe it will be the same price, but reformulated to be made out of the most dirt cheap fragrance ingredients available.
LOL…don’t think so!
I just saw a Tom Ford at Marshall’s today! Still waiting for JAR, however — I’ll let you know when hell freezes over.
LOL…yeah, if you see a JAR, do let me know 😉
I just now stumbled on the article, and came over here to congratulate you on another NYT appearance.
I liked the closing paragraphs of the article: if the fragrance industry dialed back on the amount of product sold, and focused on selling meaning rather than promiscuity (tip o’ the hat to Kevin), consumers would regard the industry with less of a jaded eye. I understand that the cat is out of the bag, but still.
Thanks!
I’ve been seeing similar sentiments from people inside the industry for years…nothing ever changes. I’m cynical!
This is really true. Just look at the stock prices of Givaudan, IFF, etc. They have dropped like Detroit.
The real downside to this is the fact that with the profits dropping so considerably over the past while, a lot of the industry is going to have to play it safe; this means that innovation and the more interesting aspects of fragrance could be held back for the time being.
The bigger guys are a hell of a lot less flexible than the smaller producers, leaving the larger houses in generic world for quite some time to come.
On an optimistic note, my prediction is that we will have more niche brands that recognize that there is a definite market for small bottles of moderately priced juice that doesn’t smell like a synthetic cedar tree dipped in calone, surrounded by a field of candied roses.
Maybe sometime soon we will have niche=innovative/good instead of niche=$$$
By the way, have you noticed an uptick in the membership here since the downturn started robin?
I think you’re right that companies are if anything more likely to play it safe. But, we already do have too many niche brands, in my (very jaded) opinion, and most of them just aren’t that fabulous. The whole idea of niche has become as diluted as anything else. I have no optimistic note to share, LOL…
My readership has grown very steadily since I started in 2005, so no, not really any dramatic upswing, just slow & steady.
As your readership grows your influence will increase.
More people will begin to be able to do consumer research on what they buy, and end up getting a unique quality product.
Even if there is a sea of niche brands out there- people will be able to navigate towards the ones of worth through reviews on sites like now smell this. Take fuddy duddy’s second comment as an example.
Critical acclaim is going to matter more and more, while conventional perfume ads are going to trend towards the opposite direction.
In my opinon, critics will aid the market in finding what they need and desire. In 2005, I think that you began something that adds to the wave that will end up drastically changing the smellscape of perfumery.
I’m guessing that you may disagree slightly and add a slightly less glass half full perspective, but I am not the only one who feels this way.
So, keep doing what you are doing, keep bringing olfactophiles stuff to drool over and keep telling us what is better left to the delta-chi-delta-i-pop-my-collar crowd.
I think there’s a market for good stuff. Where there’s a market there’s a way. And this site makes it way easier for the market to find what they want.
LOL…I have a bit of Erin’s contrarian nature, I guess (see her Lavender post today) — I don’t want influence, and that isn’t why I blog. I do think in general, though, that the number of “perfumistas” is much greater than it used to be, and that is primarily due to the internet.
I totally agree that there are too many and that the too many smell way too much alike. The homogenization of the world continues to proliferate. Soon all of the charm of being unique to who you are, dressing and smelling the way you do because of where you come from and from where your tastes and emotions have led you will all be forgotten. We will all dress in uniforms and act and like robots – how Orwellian! 😉
I like having a varied wadrobe of scents just like I like having a varied wadrobe of shoes, scarves, pocketbooks and jewelry to go with my clothing staples. However, I am not willing to pay a ton for a large bottle of something that smells exactly like something else I can get in a smaller bottle for a lot less!
In the article someone suggested trying to tie the selling of scents to an emotional point in one’s life. I can see how that may be appealing as many of us here have shared our stories of a special “scent memory”. The fact that scents do indeed enhance our being able to remember stuff is also a plus. I would love to see the marketing of perfumes go with this idea instead of just jumping on the next big celebrity bandwagon, Could be quite fun!
I actually don’t like the thought of selling scents to an occasion. To me, that seems like trying to manufacture emotion. The beauty of that association between a time/place/emotion and scent is that it is a wholly natural process. If they try to manufacture it, I think it becomes cheap. All they need to do is to return to making quality, interesting scents, and the rest (sales, attachment, memory) will follow naturally. Not that I’m naive enough to think the advertising isn’t also necessary, mind you…but even that will flow more naturally out of a quality product.
oh very well said and very true indeed, Boojum but I was just thinking how fun it would be for us to see the new ad campaigns for us to pick on and pick apart …instead of “smell like Paris Hilton and therefore BE Paris Hilton!”….choose our fabulous scent for your “insert rite of passage here” and remember it with “our fabulous scent” every time you wear it! C’mon it could get pretty entertaining. 😉
Forgot to include this…to Robin and the rest of everyone at NST a great big thank you, If it weren’t for your blog I never would have discovered the Chanel Exclusifs, Frederic Malle and Artisan and Serge Lutens on my own. And not to mention that I never, ever would have found out how to get samples and small decants of these expensive brands. So thank you all very much for providing a great service. I think the perfume houses owe ya’ll a cut! 🙂
Well thank you, that’s nice! And agree w/ your first comment…there is already too much sameness in the world. We don’t need 1000+ perfumes a year, we need 250 really good ones.
A huge second to that from me, as I sit here at work with a $300 bottle of perfume under my desk, just waiting to be split into manageable sizes and costs. 🙂 Not to mention the fact that I now know better than to leave it sitting in the hot car all day…
LOL…yes, don’t leave that perfume in the car! And that’s where my husband keeps his Guerlain Vetiver by the way, despite what I tell him 😉