The 2013 fragrance awards season is over, and we have a winner: Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb, which took 6 awards.* This is the first time in years that the "big winner" was a fragrance I actually liked.
The second place winner is Tom Ford Noir, with four awards, and we have a four way tie for third place — Marc Jacobs Dot, Balenciaga Florabotanica, Chanel Coco Noir and Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire took 3 awards each.
A quick run down of past winners:
2012: Gucci Guilty Pour Homme, with 5 awards
2011: Bleu de Chanel, with 8 awards
2010: Marc Jacobs Lola, with 7 awards
2009: Chloé Eau de Parfum, with 5 awards
2008: Marc Jacobs Daisy, with 7 awards
See also: the Perfume Awards page.
*This is my own (very) unofficial count, mind you, and only includes the award categories I report on — I usually skip awards for things like advertising and packaging, and I frequently skip consumer choice awards too. And it includes two late-in-the-year award programs from 2012 (Spain’s Academia del Perfume awards and the Fifi Awards Arabia, both of which take place in November).
This must have been the weakest year I’ve seen…
Yeah? I don’t know, it usually seems like a dismal bunch of choices to me. I do like Spicebomb.
I like Spicebomb and really like TF Noir. I even like Coco Noir quite a bit – once I got over wanting it to be a Coco flanker and appreciating it for itself.
I think Angie has come to appreciate Coco Noir more since she reviewed it. I admit I have not given it another chance, maybe I should.
it’s better if you Think of Coco Noir as a Darker Version of Coco Madamoiselle and NOT as a Darker Flanker to the Original Coco, Which it clearly is not nor could ever be! But as a Darker Coco Madamoiselle… I get it totally!
BTW…. I Do ADORE Coco Noir, Not saying I didn’t Like it. Just maybe clearing up some confusion, if there ever was any!
I’ve given Spicebomb a try a few times, but maybe only once on skin?, and it doesn’t do anything for me.
It really is a shame that the department store frags are generally pretty boring, IMO. Was discussing with a friend current pop music and it’s general lack of creativity at the moment , and maybe like music, I can look forward to scents having an ebb and flow of risk-taking and creativity? Until then, thank the gods for Our Lady and niche samples!
I do think it seems worse than it is just because of the sheer number of new releases. If 80% of new fragrances are going to be dull, it’s less noticeable at 300 new releases a year than at 1500. Also true that if there were only 300, presumably they’d take more care…
Oh, that’s a good point–it’s more than a matter of percentages but sheer numbers. I expect you’re right. Even still, I find that I’m pretty unwilling to sift through the numbers in hopes of finding the few that are worth a sniff.
How that Headache Inducing DRECK of Balenciaga’s Florabotanica won anything but WORST Fragrance is BEYOND ME!
It’s all a mystery.
Thanks for this very useful round-up. Spicebomb wasn’t one of my favourite releases of last year, but I certainly have no problem with it winning mainstream awards. It’s a good scent and streets ahead of most of the stuff clogging up department store shelves. Personally, I’m pleased to see that Tom Ford Noir has received the recognition it deserves.
To me, getting this kind of award recognition is almost a double-edged sword. I mean, say Tom Ford Noir won in a year when Daisy was the big winner — what would that say about TF Noir? If it were me, I’d rather not win at all. But I do like Spicebomb, so I’ll try to tamp down my cynicism for a year
Don’t really care for much of the scents, SB is kinda too masculine for me to wear but too Red Hot-y for my husband to wear! lol. Coco Noir was a big blah to me, wouldn’t want a fb.
I admit, I do really like Daisy though! lol.
Daisy is a really well done, very likable scent…just hard to believe it is the best thing the perfume industry can produce in a whole year, you know?
I know what you mean! And the bottle, while cute upon first sight..has become a bit of annoying looking to me, lol. Idk, maybe cause everyone jumped on the obnoxious fume bottle top train? Idk. I do like the black bottle with the gold flowers a bit. But ya..the Daisy flowers have gotten old to me.
I’m missing something. I don’t have any of the recent winners except Lola and Daisy and I bought those before I got into niche. I went to Daisy the other day and I liked it but after 20 minutes I was …angry that I didn’t know about one of my L’Artisans or Guerlains. Or some of my Diptyique, that’s what Daiay could be. It reminds me a little of Tam Dao or Do Son. Which I like better much better the Dyptique. I guess my point is I don’t understand why they don’t make a winner out of one of my niche loves.
All of these awards programs are sponsored & paid for by the mainstream fragrance industry. The US Fifi does have an indie award program now.
I haven’t given Spicebomb a try yet, but experiences of those who’ve tried sound amazing and now maybe I should. But yea, those award programs are a pure motivation for users.