The fragrance industry has reached a creative crossroads and it is the niche brands that are spearheading the olfactive path to take, as Emma Reinhold reports
For an industry that has always championed creativity, exclusivity and luxury, today’s fragrance market has, for many, lost its way. Too many launches, too little olfactive risk taking and too much availability have created a generation of smell-alikes, prompting the consumer to constantly look for something new. In turn this has lead to a viscous circle of increased launch activity with little time for creativity.
“Savvy consumers are fed up with the current fragrance selection – it all smells the same,” explains professeur de parfums, Roja Dove. “Consumers are looking for more legitimacy. They don’t want to smell of a scent you can buy in a discount shop, they want something of great quality and exclusivity.”
“Consumers are bewildered by the amount of choice,” adds Jill Hill md, Aspects Beauty. “New brands have the marketing spend and sell better but it’s a short term fix. We should be trying to restore the high perceived value of fragrance rather than it being a commodity.”
John Ayres, chairman of the Fragrance Foundation UK agrees. “We are due for a creative burst in perfumery,” he says. “There is a move away from the middle ground of fruity florals to a more distinctive olfactive palette. Although there are a huge number of launches this year, the brands are very interesting.”
Ayres identifies the growing popularity of chypre notes, which he interestingly notes are more popular at times of social upheaval and conflict.
“They were popular at the end of WWI and WWII, during the battle of the sexes during the 1980s and today,” he continues. “In the world today we are facing a lot of uncertainty and we need emotional triggers that show confidence and assertion in the face of adversity.”
Indeed, with the current economic meltdown raging on the world’s financial markets looking more serious every day, this sentiment has taken on a new meaning and only time will tell if there is a more damaging economic prospect ahead for the fragrance industry. “Ten percent of all new launches will fall away in the next five years – NPD has a 10% success rate. There has to be a longer term business plan for the fragrance industry,” adds Ayres.
FINDING YOUR NICHE
However, the tide looks to be turning and although this year’s perfume launch programme is the busiest yet, the mixture of blockbuster and niche fragrances is at its most diverse. This new era in perfumery is being inspired by the niche brands that have championed the extraordinary, not bound by the same marketing rigours as the bigger brands.
“Perfumers are deliberately migrating to this sector,” says Ayres. “They are not restricted by price or the market and their fragrances do not have to be tested to death by the consumer panels that mainstream FMCG brands have.”
“We are continuing to see really well created scents gaining ground,” adds Dove. “Small creative companies are continuing to establish themselves or are coming onto the market. The fragrance industry is starting to see the same changes as the cosmetics industry, with niche brands coming through.”
The Italian brands Bois and The Party in Manhatten have both caught Dove’s eye as they “offer something different and exclusive to the consumer”.
In a similar vein, Harvey Prince’s Ageless Fantasy is being dubbed as the first ever anti-ageing perfume. The fragrance is said to make women smell younger by using aromas that are normally associated with youth. The fragrance opens with top notes of mango, pineapple and leafy greens, blending to a heart of creamy florals including jasmine and cherry blossom. Musk, dry woods and vanilla create the earthy dry down, while lemon and pomegranate cut through any sweetness. The effect, says the brand, is a feeling of euphoria, set off with feelings of youth and excitement.
Juliette has a Gun’s new scent Citizen Queen, a playful take on Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane has turned the concept of the traditional chypre on its head, creating an aldehydic chypre boasting a blend of rose, violet, powder and aldehydes.
“The fragrance market is such a competitive market that it’s a fierce fight for customers’ attention,” says Daniela Rinaldi, head of perfumery and concessions, Harvey Nichols. “Our customers love to find new quirky perfumes and the general trend seems to be on these smaller niche brands that use the finest ingredients and new unusual blends.”
Many of these niche scents have used travel as an inspiration, which not only provides interesting fragrance blends but provides the ultimate story to draw in the consumer.
Giorgio Armani’s new Onde collection is one such example. The three ultra-selective fragrances are inspired by the rituals of the Orient and are said to be neo-oriental scents, or reinterpretations of classic orientals. Onde Mystère, a blend of amber, benzoin, Moroccan rose and vanilla absolute is inspired by the Middle East, while India was the inspiration for Onde Vertige, a floral oriental combining frangipani, black liquorice, patchouli, pittosporum and jasmine petals. The woody oriental Onde Extase takes its inspiration from the art of the geisha, with notes including cedar, mimosa, pink pepper and narcissus absolute.
L’Artisan Parfumeur’s Fleur de Liane, part of the Odeur volée par un parfumeur en voyage collection, also explores travel, this time the island of Bahia Honda in Panama. The scent, created by Bertrand Duchaufour, combines facets of green with floral, aqueous, woody and mossy undertones.
Similarly, Space.NK has drawn on founder Nicky Kinnaird’s favourite travel destinations to create four new niche fragrances. Tuberoli, reminiscent of a weekend in Rome, according to Kinnaird, combines tuberose, neroli, ylang ylang, orris, blackcurrant and peach; while Santalrosa, a blend of rose, lily of the valley, jasmine, sandalwood, heliotrope and musk was inspired by the foothills of Mount Fuji in Japan. Lapland provides the inspiration for Jasamber, a chypre combining citrus and green notes, osmanthus, jasmine, vert de lilas, precious woods, patchouli, amber and frozen musks; and Champaca, inpired by the Indian state of Rajasthan mixes black pepper, clove, cinnamon, cardomom, jasmine, myrrh and black woods.
The trend has also transferred to a wider audience, with Hermès launching Un Jardin après la Mousson, part of a trilogy of garden scents. Created by Hermès’ in-house perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, the fragrance is inspired by the Indian province of Kerala after the monsoon season and combines watery notes with green undertones.
Christian Dior’s Escale à Portofino, described as a reinterpretation of a classic cologne with feminine accents, also draws on travel and is said to bring the spirit of the town of Portofino to life thanks to a blend of Calabrian bergamot, Italian citron, Sicilian petitgrain, bitter almond, orange blossom, juniper berry, cypress and white musk.
These fragrances are underpinned by the quality of the ingredients they use, projecting them into a new sector of luxury and exclusivity due to their selective availability and premium price tags.
“Many of the big and small artisinal houses are going back to their historic fragrances and looking at quality,” explains Hill. “This is creating clear blue water between them and the other selective fragrances on the market. There is definitely a return to heavier chypre, leather and aldehydic fragrances which use traditional ingredients. These fragrances are
trying not be ubiquitous.”
SLEEPING GIANTS
The emergence of niche brands and their growth in popularity has also inspired a number of ‘lost’ fragrance houses to reappear. The last few years have seen several of these old perfumery houses reemerge back into favour, with Caron perhaps the most high profile. Historic fragrance house Houbigant has relaunched Quelques Fleurs and the now defunct French fashion house Jacques Fath is to make a comeback.
“These houses have come out of cryoegenics,” says Dove. “They have been sleepy for so long but now people are looking at them. In some cases it’s older consumers who knew the scents the first time round but now young women are discovering these scents too. They are seeing them as a find, an original which allows them to stand out from the crowd.”
“We are definitely witnessing a return to nostalgic longing – a feeling of luxury and heritage,” adds Hill. “Take the house of Guerlain for instance. Within its stable it has some of the best classics in the world.”
So what about the modern classics of tomorrow? Which brands will be granted such an accolade? The Elizabeth Arden fragrance portfolio is one to watch according to Ayres and Dove. Its collection includes smaller fashion labels such as Juicy Couture and Badgely Mischka which are slowly growing into serious brands on the market.
Canadian fashion label Dsquared2 is also hoping to replicate the success of the smaller fashion labels with the launch of She Wood, a follow up to its masculine fragrance debut, He Wood. The woody floral combines lemon, jasmine petals, neroli bigarade, violet blossom, heliotrope and musk with cedar wood, vetiver and vegetal amber.
John Galliano’s much awaited signature scent has been given the nod by many in the industry. The debut scent is described as an overdose of aldehydes, mixed with rose, peony, iris and violet, which create a fresh powdery aroma according to the British designer. Karl Lagerfeld has also launched a new fragrance, his first with Coty Prestige. Kapsule is a fragrance collection comprising three edts that interpret the major fragrance families – light, woody and floriental. The scents play on their simplicity but can be worn together to create different compositions.
“It’s about the richness and balance of the ingredients, the quality and purity,” Hill continues. “It’s more than just a name on the bottle.”
MAXIMUM APPEAL
The past 12 months have also seen the return of the blockbuster scent, with Lancôme, Estée Lauder, Jean Paul Gaultier, Tommy Hilfiger, Chanel and Ralph Lauren all participating in major fragrance launches this year. As with the niche launches, creativity and quality are the watchwords with brands taking more olfactive risks than ever before. And inspiration has most definitely come from the niche sector.
Boucheron’s B fragrance is said to have been conceived in a similar way to a niche fragrance, with no focus panels or price limitations. The fragrance, created to celebrate the jewellery brand’s 150th anniversary blends cedar from the Atlas Mountains, Australian sandalwood, patchouli, osmanthus flowers, apricot, spices, orange blossom and rose absolute. The bottle mirrors the quality of the fragrance ingredients, inspired by the Exquises Confidences jewellery collection.
Lancôme’s Magnifique is a spicy, woody floral that is being hailed as a pillar fragrance by the brand. Fronted by Hollywood actress Anne Hathaway, the fragrance combines saffron, Mai de Grasse rose, Bulgarian rose extract, Sambac jasmine, vetiver and sandalwood which create a sophisticated feminine fragrance.
“Creating a woody fragrance for women was a genuine creative challenge. The guiding principle at the origin of this fragrance was to reflect Lancôme’s perfumery tradition and its demands for individuality, quality and olfactive innovation,” explains Magnifique creator Olivier Cresp.
Similarly, Ralph Lauren’s Notorious fragrance, described as a modern classic by the brand aims to push olfactive boundaries with the inclusion of the chocolate cosmos note, a burgundy flower exclusive to Ralph Lauren, alongside a patchouli musk accord and blackcurrant.
Estée Lauder has moved away from its dominant position in the floral category to create Sensuous, an opulent ambery woody fragrance, which features a blend of ghost lily accord, magnolia, jasmine petals, molten woods and amber, balanced with black pepper, mandarin and honey.
Perhaps the most ambitious launch of 2008 is the long anticipated roll-out of Eau Première, Chanel’s modern reinterpretation of its iconic No5 scent.
“Eau Première is a different interpretation of No5, just as the No5 Parfum, Eau de Parfum and Eau de Toilette are already three different interpretations, explains creator and Chanel’s in-house perfumer Jacques Polge. “No ingredients have been added or removed. In any olfactory interpretation of No5 we still find this abstract bouquet of flowers with rose and jasmine blossoming at its heart. With Eau Première I wanted to reveal the soft and delicate facet of No5.”
MALE MOMENT
New product development has not gone unnoticed in the men’s fragrance sector either, with a number of high profile launches, and new and unusual fragrance compositions helping to push creativity in this sector.
“What has been happening in the men’s skin care market is beginning to happen in men’s fragrance but penetration is still low. Around 40% of men don’t think it is appropriate to wear aftershave, perfume or cologne so there is still a lot of work to be done,” says Ayres.
Ingredients such as lavender, cinnamon, vodka and even coffee have all been included in recent launches, which Ayres says is an interesting development.
Paco Rabanne’s 1 Million personifies the new breed of men’s fragrances. The fragrance, a major launch for the brand combines blood mandarin, mint and grapefruit with rose absolute, cinnamon and spicy accents blending to a base of leather, white wood, amber and Indonesian patchouli. The fragrance is housed in a striking bottle shaped like a gold bar.
Also from the Puig stable, Prada’s Infusion d’Homme is the masculine follow-up to the popular Infusion d’Iris feminine fragrance. The masculine fragrance contains iris, neroli, cedarwood, vetiver, incense and benzoin.
Powdery notes are also used for Lalique’s masculine scent, White, which blends bergamot, violet, nutmeg and cardamom. Thierry Mugler has extended its A-Men portfolio with the launch of A-Men Coffee, while Joop plumped for a vodka accord for Jump. Juicy Couture took a more mainstream approach for Dirty English, its first men’s fragrance, using leather as a core accord, while Kenzo Power contains the most abstract accord of all, an ‘imaginery flower’ accord, combining orris and violet with musks.
“Some of the latest male fragrances are an acquired taste and as such will only be available in limited doors,” says Cathy Cormell, head of sales at The Perfume Shop.
CELEBRITY STAR STILL SHINING
Contrary to industry predictions, demand for celebrity fragrance shows no signs of waning. New fragrances from Jennifer Lopez, Paris Hilton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwen Stefani and Patrick Dempsey, along with new license agreements between Shakira and Puig, and Halle Berry and Coty show there is still a lot of life left in the sector.
“From a marketeer’s perspective, celebrity fragrances have definitely reawoken the fragrance industry,” says Hill. “It brings in younger consumers and those who are alienated by big houses, and they have created interest within a group of retailers.”
Cormell agrees: “Celebrity fragrances have encouraged younger consumers to experiment with fragrance. They are buying into the sector at a much younger age.”
Cormell has begun to see a new sector open up as a result of the celebrity fragrance boom. “Unusual brands such as TV shows [UK teen soap Hollyoaks] and record labels [Hed Kandi] are also coming onto the market. You have to ask what will be next?”
Dove believes philanthropy could become a popular path for manufacturers, using fragrance as a way to give back. Estée Lauder has already embarked on this with Jo Malone donating a proportion of the proceeds of its Red Roses Cologne during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and its Origins brand supporting the homeless charity Shetler.
Coty has gone one stage further launching La Voce by Renée Fleming, a limited edition scent honouring the Metropoliatan Opera soprano, Renée Fleming. All proceeds from the fragrance are to be used to support the New York Metropolian Opera, the first time the entire proceeds of a Coty scent have been used to support a third party organisation.
With such diversity in the fragrance market, there really is something to please everyone. Quality and creativity are slowly creeping back into mainstream perfumery but the spiralling cost of raw materials will undoubtedly affect bottom lines. And with a global recession looming, fragrance may not see the global gains it has in recent years.
“There could be a backlash against conspicuous consumption,” says Hill. “Consumers will go back to basics.”
Dove thinks this could have a positive effect on the industry. “The economic climate won’t put the brakes on fragrance, but it will slow it down rather than running at the breakneck speed its is now.”