More than 2,000 new perfumes were launched all around the world in 2016, a high figure that mirrors the progress observed over the past few years. Among them, 41% come from niche perfumery, and 34% from the selective network – a significant shift since 2015. It should also be highlighted that the share of women and men’s perfumes is declining, to the advantage of the “mixed” or “non-positioned” types typical of niche perfumery, which has become the prevailing genre: it now represents 43% of the offering, compared to 17% in 2006.

— Isabelle Ferrand of Cinquième Sens on 2016 fragrance launches. Read more at More launches in niche perfumery than in the selective network in 2016 at Premium Beauty News. (Note that while her figures may not be directly comparable to those of Michael Edwards, his 2015 numbers were not really all that different — he had attributed about 40% of the 2000+ fragrances introduced in 2015 to the "artisan" category, up from something closer to 25% in 2012.)

But she also worries that the sector has lost its way. ‘I feel the true meaning of niche has disappeared,’ she says. ‘That, for me, is authenticity, creativity, showing craft, doing something unique and breaking away from trends. Today, I see none of that. I see groups of people – some from the commercial world – seeing an opportunity to make money and doing a me-too brand of something that already exists in this arena. Niche should be about being different, about standing out from the crowd – and that seems to have gone.’

— Wallpaper (again) on the explosion of niche; the quote is from Lynn Harris (the founder of Miller Harris and Perfumer H). Read more at Eau zone: the makers of niche perfumes explain why uncommon scents are in the ascendant.

The first is that there are more small brands than ever: 271 this year, with 80 of those showing for the first time. This reflects the success of niche brands in general over the last ten years, where they’ve often outperformed the big boys – but it also suggests that the sector is becoming unsustainably overcrowded. 

— Wallpaper evaluates "the pulse of the niche-perfume sector" at the Pitti Fragranze fair in Florence. Read more at Nosing out niche perfumes and bold packaging at Pitti Fragranze.