Fragrance has long been shrouded in symbolism, embodying ideals of femininity, sensuality and power.
Historically, however, fragrance marketing has largely been filtered through the male gaze, with sex as the central selling point.
Back in 1975 there was the unsettling Love’s ‘Baby Soft’ campaign, where the tagline “because innocence is sexier than you think” accompanied a young Lolita in heavy make-up contrasting with the teddy bear she is holding.
Then there was Tom Ford's YSL Opium fragrance campaign featuring Sophie Dahl in 2000 – her body posed like a marble statue, impossibly flawless, and her allure framed purely for male desire.
And in recent years, we saw fragrance campaigns like Marc Jacobs’ Lola, which faced criticism for sexualising a then-17-year-old actress Dakota Fanning.
These campaigns arguably perpetuated a narrow, objectifying view of femininity to sell perfume.
The mainstream is entrenching itself into ‘ultra feminine’ versus ‘ultra masculine’
The impact
Perfumer Pia Long, co-founder of British fragrance brands Olfiction and Eau de Boujee, notes how traditional scent marketing has reinforced outdated tropes.
“Hoping to smell sexy or enjoying the confidence that comes with smelling something that makes you feel fantastic are obvious and still legitimate uses of scented products,” says Long.
“The issue is when brands still use tropes from a hundred years ago to signal desirability or luxury.”
Veronique Gabai, founder of the eponymous fragrance range inspired by the French Riviera, echoes this sentiment.
“Fragrance will always have a glamorous, seductive spell,” notes Gabai. “But we are more and more interested in its effect on our moods and our wellbeing.
“In essence, we are looking (or smelling) less about the impact our fragrance has on others, and more about the impact it has on us.”
This points to a critical distinction – there is nothing wrong with
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