The fragrance industry is one of the stupidest industries I've ever encountered. It is almost uniquely predicated on taking the customer for an idiot. Apple doesn't sell its products on the basis that you and I are stupid. But the fragrance industry does.
— Luca Turin, quoted in A Talk With Luca Turin at Georgakopoulos.org. Found via Bois de Jasmin at Facebook.
In total agreement with Turin on this.
It’s all true except the “uniquely” part — the whole larger beauty industry works this way, and to one degree or another, I’d argue other industries do as well — entertainment, fashion, luxury goods (watches!) and so on.
Also wanted to add, I wonder if it’s because the majority of consumers for fragrance, beauty, and personal care products are women. There is a don’t-worry-your-pretty-little-head-about-it attitude that is so typical – just buy our product, sweetie, and don’t ask questions.
You know, I really don’t think so. Beauty products geared towards men are really advertised in just as stupid a way…just watch the commercial for Invictus!
Or any Lynx/Axe commercial. Basically promises guys that model-looking scantily clad women will throw themselves at you the minute you leave the house. That’s not to say most men’s fragrance ads have been either promising that or turning you into some enigmatic broody type since the beginning of advertising, but I miss a bit of subtlety. Everything’s way too in your face nowadays, and that’s what I can’t stand. That and niche scents basically all promising to be ‘the’ different and unique one, nevermind the rest of what’s out there. Even being different is a herd mentality to be mined for bucks now.
Part of the problem with beauty products is that just about no objective information exists. A smart person with a good nose can compare scents for herself or himself, and there are plenty of independent blogs and reviewers (like this one, of course).
But many beauty blogs obviously praise favored (or perhaps subsidizing brands). Each line claims to have its own special mystery substance Scientific information on what categories of ingredients do what is almost impossible to find. It’s a little hard to judge how well treatments work. (If I look older is that because the treatment I have used for two years failed, or because I am two years older, or if I look younger, is it the treatment or a change in diet or better lighting, or my fooling myself into thinking the $39,000.00 bottle of MARTIAN YAM MILK in titanium packaging really did save me the cost of a plastic surgeon?
And by the way, what is with the fifteen year old models for skin creams? Of course they don’t have wrinkles, some of those models barely have adult teeth.).
Ha – yes. Always makes me laugh too, when I see some 20 year old beauty blogger raving about an anti-ageing cream targeted at 40-50 year olds. Like her opinion is going to convince me to part with my hard-earned cash!
Dilana,
For more objective information about cosmetic effectiveness and ingredients I encourage you to check out “Cosmetic Cop” Paula Begoun’s beautypedia.com. While she includes her own products in her “best” lists she also includes other companies’ products and has reviews of thousands of products. I have never bought her products (and have no affiliation), but I regularly use the reviews and lists when I’m looking for products. My belief in beauty blogs extends only to colour swatches.
You beat me to it, Robin. I was going to mention TV and movies as exceptions to the “uniquely” statement.
Turin is ….. forthright, isn’t he? 😉
Forthright? You are so kind. I think he comes off as an ass, an interesting one, but an ass none the less. LOL
That being said, I’d still love to have a coffee with him and argue about something, anything, he’d give you a good go.
I love my iPod and iPad, but I have to disagree with him. I think most industries, including Apple are predicated on the idea that all consumers are idiots. The idea that I have to swear my life and allegiance to Apple every time I update the OS or buy an app is evidence of this.
I just wanted to add – he has done very well by critiquing this industry that treats its consumers as stupid, hasn’t he?
You know, you could make lots of other arguments about Apple as well…they are not always better, functionally, than their competitors, but they are better at a) marketing to consumers and b) making their products *look* more appealing.
Yep. I can’t quite drink the Steve Kool-Aid to the extent some of these fans do, but there’s no denying there my house is purely an Apple house. For any problems their stuff has, it’s outweighed for me by the overall simplicity and ease of use – and all the syncing devices stuff is pretty hassle free for an idiot like me. I haven’t looked at one of their 50 page terms and conditions things yet, but deep down I know I’ve promised them my firstborn and possibly my internal organs.
We are not quite all-Apple — I use and love an Android phone, and my desktop and laptop are Dell, simply because I can afford Dell. But I’m a huge fan of iPods & iPads, and my husband adores his MacBook Air. I am drooling over the new iPad Air. They do know how to market!
I’m completely un-Apple. There was a poll to compare Apple and PC users and Apple users are (allegedly) more likely to consider themselves individuals. That’s because they’re falling for marketing based on pseudo-individuality. My friend is all ~*anti-consumerism*~ but had an Apple sticker on his car, which made me laugh. Last weekend he asked me about my laptop because he’s fed up with his mac book and he noticed my laptop is really fast and looks brand new (but I’ll have to admit it doesn’t actually look brand new). I purchased my laptop 4 years ago and it was sold refurbished rather than brand new.
The health food industry is pretty bad too. I remember when acai berries were being heralded as these magic weight loss berries that were until then hidden in the Amazon. Now they’re not magic weight loss berries but Superfruits because that’s the trendy marketing thing now. Yes, they have vitamins and antioxidants and so on, but the word “superfruit” sends shivers down my spine. And people take all these supplements which often cancel each other out. And they think they’re being smart and healthy but they just call for bogus science and and marketing! I guess that’s the difference–Apple’s marketing is based on making you feel smart even if you aren’t.
I’ve been both PC and Apple. Neither is perfect, but Apples don’t turn blue every five minutes.
Agree with him to an extent. Am always surprised when I seem to know more about a particular fragrance, or indeed fragrance in general, than the sales person trying to sell me something. I remember many years ago in Fraser’s department store in Glasgow (when it was worth going to the fragrance department!) with a friend from the US who commented on the bottle for the then relatively new (possibly relaunched?) Madeline Vionnet perfume, so I started to explain who MV was etc – the sales person came over & was horrified she hadn’t been given the relevant background info when she was responsible for pushing the product! Also, some years ago in London’s Nicolai store, I came across Le Temps d’Une Fete which I had worn some years previously, possibly in a different incarnation, but the sales person was adamant it was ‘new’ – I know it wasn’t, I still have the box my first purchase came in (!), but it wasn’t worth arguing with this particular lady!
I do become upset if the SA isn’t helpful or wants to argue with me. But I don’t expect them to know as much as I do about fragrance. I worked in a toy store years ago and just about every parent who came in to buy knew significantly more about toys than I did. In many instances, SAs make little over minimum wage and are assigned to a department with no regard for their interests or skills.
Interesting interview – his always are – but I find it hard to believe Turin’s claim that more people are writing about perfume than wine. Actually, I don’t believe it at all and assume he’s being facetious.
It is hard to believe, but I don’t follow wine so couldn’t say. There certainly are a lot of perfume bloggers.
This interview made my afternoon after a long meeting with an accountant! Thanks, Robin. And I might embarrass myself by admitting this, but he reminded me so much of my father, an uncle on my mother’s side (both deceased), and one of my brothers. In other words, I come from a family with a lot of intelligent, but opinionated and obnoxious males! 😉
Glad to do anything to help after a long meeting w/ an accountant 🙂
An SA in major London Dept. store trying to sell Guerlain’s ‘Insolence’ said to me ” You see the bottle is a spiral so every time you spray it the molecules come out differently and the perfume will smell very different.” So many things wrong that I did not know where to begin. Sometimes the things people say are so stupid I am lost for words…..and just smile and walk away…
Priceless!!
Oh that’s great! Mind you, they are trying so hard, I hope he/she did OK anyway.
And I agree Turin would be a great person to have a chat / arguement with about anything but especially perfume. I am sure he would be very rude and entertaining.
I love reading Turin. He is so steadfast and blunt in his opinions. I work in an elementary school where you have to be so PC and gentle and not upset any child or adult with an actual conviction about something that it is a refreshing end to a day to read the article mentioned. And by the way, don’t wear any perfume anyone might actually smell…. (rough day)
As a middle school teacher who currently works with 6th graders, I hafta say, it’s super fun the first time I tell a kid to “please be quiet, by which I mean, shut up!” They’re so shocked! (I say it as a joke, just to get their attention.) Untrain that PC right out of ’em! 😀
That was a really gutsy interview… loved it. It’s that kind of brutal honesty that had me reading his perfume guide as if it were a page-turning spy novel 😀