Formerly, the niche perfumes were defined by limited retail distribution, a criteria set by The Fragrance Foundation (FiFi), the non-profit, educational arm of the international fragrance industry. But it has all changed.

[...] The evolving fragrance market makes the definition moot, said Chong and he suggested this perspective: “Did it start as a perfume house? Heritage is a limiting factor as some niche brands have longer histories while others like Byredo are younger but no less distinct.” He added that another big tell is the scent narrative. Niche fragrances have more depth and authenticity because they reflect the inspirations of the perfumer, his lifestyle or travels for instance.

— Alwyn Chong of beauty distributor Luxasia on the difference between mainstream and niche fragrance. Read more at Uncommon scents: 6 unique fragrances to leave a deep impression at Channel NewsAsia.

I am no qualified nose but, to me, all of these fragrances smelt pleasant rather than weird, and they were somewhat similar. Dent de Lait is lateral thinking on childhood - it smells like baby powder. Concrete supposedly has metallic threads underneath the rose, but it’s buried too deep for me – it’s certainly the sweetest concrete I have ever smelt. Rubchinskiy’s fragrance will appeal to the teenagers that occupy skateparks but it’s clean and out-of-the-shower, rather than gritty - the rubber and tar seem absent.

— Lauren Cochrane of The Guardian finds niche perfumes don't always live up to their promise. Read more at Wake up and smell the concrete: the rise of alt perfumes.

I know that Tom Ford was incredibly meticulous when he was creating Black Orchid, his first fragrance, and I know that Hermès works with some of the best noses in the business and is highly regarded among the fragrances connoisseurs. But in many other cases, you know that [mainstream scents] are lowest common denominator product that was made formulaically and probably dictated by business managers and not by perfumers themselves.

— Eugene Rabkin of StyleZeitgeist on the "boundary-pushing fragrances" from the cult fashion houses. Read more at Fashion's avant-garde find scent irresistible at Financial Review.