Today it would be impossible to launch a perfume like Poison de Dior, for example. Brand interlocutors now mostly have a marketing approach. Furthermore, to alleviate the burden and responsibility of a launch, we now work with ten teammates on the development of a fragrance before it is tested. We are not looking for the best fragrance, but for one that will not displease anyone. We work for two years on finding an audacious accord for which we spend two years more smoothing. It’s very frustrating.
Perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer on why she left the big fragrance houses to become independent. Read more in “Independence restores the meaning to the art of perfumer,” Nathalie Feisthauer at Premium Beauty News.
Great article… thank you so much for sharing!
I work in marketing… and I have seen time and time again how marketing to the masses literally kills the creative process. When this is the approach, you are working to please the lowest common denominator, thus, as stated in this article, generally looking simply not to ‘put anyone off’. I would love to see how a launch for the original Poison would go down today. I remember my mother wearing this perfume and strutting her stuff!
Unfortunately, greed has caused businesses to focus on accessibility to ensure growth and profitability… and building for that lowest common denominator results in the production of a generally unremarkable output, no matter what the industry: fashion, art, cars, housing, banking, insurance, beauty…
This is why, over the years, my work has veered towards business anthropology… because going in for a quick buck isn’t going to serve society in the long run, whereas educating the masses bit by bit will benefit everyone.
Very philosophical, yes… I’m happy to see a person of influence breaking out on her own and making a statement!
The other side of that coin is that most of the perfumers who have started their own lines have done good, but hardly “audacious” fragrances. So by and large, independent perfumers who come out of the F&F co. system are not doing things like Poison either.
Frustrating, indeed, and long suspected by perfumistas. I haven’t smelt anything remotely original in a department store in years, I haven’t even bothered for the last two or so. Just can’t tell them apart. (I think Grain de Musc coined the phrase “I-frags”?) Could any of our top fives have passed muster in this “lowest common denominator” environment that’s prevailed recently? Perfume was once more closely allied to the fashion world, which does try to push boundaries, even today. Now perfume is much more like any other cosmetic, tamer, actually, than even hair products, which at least have some amazing new colors available! Indie and niche still have some wonderful perfumes to enjoy, thankfully.
Yep! But it is also the fault of how shopping has changed. Fragrances like Poison and Angel couldn’t become blockbusters now even if somebody stuck them on the counter at Saks.
“We are not looking for the best fragrance, but for one that will not displease anyone.” – exactly how I feel about the predominant trend in perfumery. Of course, with an approach like this, the results will be mediocre. Good luck to Nathalie Feisthauer.
Wow…imagine being happy to buy a not displeasing perfume….