While factors influencing fragrance purchase for women, such as price, celebrity endorsement or season may be well known, latest research from Mintel reveals that the biggest influence may not be a fixed factor. It seems mood is now the most popular motivator of fragrance choice for women, as over half (54%) of female fragrance users decide what fragrance to use based on how they're feeling.
— Read more at Women Like to Smell How They Feel, Reports Mintel.
Well, as a market researcher myself – who would give her eye teeth to work in the fragrance industry! – I found this fascinating. Can’t see too much of a distinction between “activity” and “time of day”, though you could attend a smart lunch function I guess, or want a casual scent for an evening visit to the gym.
Anyway, I love this sort of stuff!
Well, some people spend evenings at concerts, theaters, clubs, or swanky restaurants. I spend most of my evenings doing laundry, cooking dinner, or going to the grocery store. Conversely, I might choose a different daytime scent for my days off than for the days I work. For one thing, if I am at home, I don’t worry about my sillage or about offending any perfume haters.
It would be more interesting (to me) if they explained what *used* to be the prime motivator.
Hmmm…I wonder what % of women don’t wear perfume – surely not 62% (the sum of all the “no” reasons). But if those are just the main % reasons why not, where are the other 38%? They are probably multiple reasons – like the motivators of fragrance choice, because they exceed 100% – but I would like to know how big the “no” proportion is of the total.
I agree with mood affecting my selection of fragrance. Sometimes though a fragrance can put me in the mood for it.
🙂
This seems to imply that the purchase of a new fragrance and selection from among fragrances already owned are the same thing, and of course that’s not necessarily true. Celebrity endorsement might be the primary motivator of purchase, but the purchaser still has to choose between Queen Latifah, SJP, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian et al in the morning, and I think it’s always been true that the factors they mention for selection — mood, occasion, etc. — are what tend to drive that choice. As opposed to, say, who their favorite celebrity is that day.
I’m not convinced this is saying anything new, rather than just an attempt to tout their own market research.
Its sort of preposterous that they’v run the two together!
Excellent point!
Interesting. I suffer from depression (80% of Americans do at some point) and am menopausal..yikes, but, I don’t like dark brooding fragrances; I think they make me feel even worse but not quite suicidal. I like Big happy citrusy florals with a nice woodsy, musky dry-down ;D Are they sure it isn’t what you want to smell like?!
Maybe if I go shopping when I’m feeling randy I’ll buy a big oriental civet thing?
Does this mean that most women these days are in the mood for a fruit salad?
I’m sure theres some connection between my high anxiety and the proportion of vanilla/heliotrope/amber in my collection!
Yes, I agree, they are comfort scents and are therefore anti-anxiety. I really think it’s what you want to smell like.
I was wondering, at the end, whether ‘samples’ meant testers, or take home samples. Big difference. Where I live, take home samples are only offered as part of special promotions, and then only rarely. Still, one of my local dept stores has refurbished its fragrance and cosmetic floor, and testers are much more accessible and well organised. A couple of the SAs have told me that it is more common than ever now for the testers to be stolen!
I think it works both ways. For example in cold weather I’ll usually go for something cozy. The perfume is the effect.
But for me to feel glamorous, I have to put on the perfume. There the perfume always has to be the cause, the feeling is the effect.