Molton Brown is doubling down on perfumes as it overhauls its identity to become a “fragrance-first” business.
The British brand's new direction takes the form of ‘Artists of Note’, which aims to raise more awareness of its 27-strong perfume line which was released in 2019.
“We had not realised how little awareness there was of our fragrance category up until a few years ago,” Beatrice Descorps, VP of Marketing at Molton Brown, told Cosmetics Business.
“So the brand is well known for its bath and body care range, but not really for the category we want to be.”
Descorps said that the Kao Corporation-owned brand has invested in its advert production value and expanded its influencer outreach, "which are things which we hadn't really done in the past".
Fashion designer Nicholas Daley, jeweller Gala Dennison and punk poet Dr John Cooper Clarke have also been appointed as brand ambassadors.
Each artist was matched with one of Molton Brown’s hero scents and created a piece of art inspired by the perfumes they were given.
From left to right: Nicholas Daley, Gala Dennison and Dr John Cooper Clarke
Daley, who is the face of the Re-Charge Black Pepper fragrance, hand-knitted a bespoke hat and pouch.
Dennison created a silver art piece based on the Rose Dunes edp and Cooper Clarke wrote a maritime-inspired poem influenced by the Coastal Cypress and Sea Fennel fragrance.
“This campaign is more than just a marketing initiative - it represents Molton Brown’s strategic move to assert itself as a leader in the fragrance industry,” Molton Brown said in a statement.
“By collaborating with prominent artists, the brand is reinforcing its identity as a fragrance-first company, dedicated to crafting memorable, sophisticated scents that inspire and resonate.”
‘Artists of Note’ builds on the brand’s ‘Summer Scents’ campaign which was featured at London Heathrow and Stansted airports in June this year.
Molton Brown’s performance has bolstered its Japanese owner during a challenging financial year in 2023.
Kao Corporation sales decreased by 1.2% to ¥1.53bn due to a sluggish recovery of the Chinese market post-Covid, but was offset by a “steady” performance from Molton Brown.