Niche perfume

Niche perfume is an alternative to mass perfume production. Niche is limited by the clientele and therefore with a limited sale range, thus the goal of niche houses is not to sell as much as possible. [1]

These companies are generally smaller than the major fragrance firms like Coty Inc., Puig, and Firmenich, but bigger than "indie perfume" lines that are generally owned and operated by the perfumer themselves.

History

In the last decades of the 20th century and first years of the 21st, niche perfumery gained a following especially in Europe and North America among people looking for unique scents,[2] as niche houses generally made smaller batches than designer or celebrity fragrances and were thus less ubiquitous at a given moment.[3] In Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez's Perfumes: The A-Z Guide (2010), Turin pinpoints L'Artisan Parfumeur, founded 1976, as “the first niche firm”,[4] and in the series’ second volume, names the opening of New York City perfume boutique Aedes de Venustas in 1995 as marking “the earliest days of the Cambrian Explosion of Niche.”[5]

In the 2010s, following a decade of decline for mass market fragrances,[6] international luxury conglomerates purchased many niche lines and put them into wider distribution.[7] Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. was an early entrant to this sector, buying the British niche brand Jo Malone London in 1999 (the founder, Jo Malone, stayed on as creative director until 2006, then left and eventually formed a new niche line called Jo Loves.)[8] Estée Lauder's niche acquisitions accelerated in the 2010s, buying Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle and Le Labo in 2014 and By Kilian in 2016. Also in 2016, Spanish perfume conglomerate Puig purchased Penhaligon's and L'Artisan Parfumeur and L'Oréal acquired Atelier Cologne.[9] In 2017, LVMH bought Maison Francis Kurkdjian.[10]

Le Labo Santal 33 in a 50 milliliter bottle

These changes complicated the concept of niche perfumery as many niche perfumes became as widely available and ubiquitous as designer perfume—where the latter had sometimes been termed "department store perfume", now many niche lines became frequently available in department stores as well. A September 2020 article in Marie Claire touting "Niche Perfumes That'll Set You Apart From the Crowd" mentioned Chanel No. 5 and Le Labo Santal 33–the latter a formerly exclusive niche scent—together as now broadly familiar fragrances to avoid in favor of more obscure niche lines.[11]

Notable niche perfumes

See also

References

  1. Knezevic, Elena. "What is Niche Perfumery?". Fragrantica.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. Armstrong, Lisa (2018-12-05). "Eau couture: the rise in bespoke perfumes and niche fragrances for olfactory connoisseurs". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  3. "19 Amazing Niche Fragrance Houses That You've Never Heard Of". Harper's Bazaar Singapore. 31 August 2018. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  4. Turin, Luca; Sanchez, Tania (6 August 2010). Perfumes: The A-Z Guide (E-book) (2019 ed.). Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84765-152-5.
  5. Turin, Luca; Sanchez, Tania (2018). Perfumes: The Guide 2018. Perfüümista ÖÜ. p. 35. ISBN 978-9949-88-553-4.
  6. Louis, Catherine Saint (2011-01-05). "Smells Like 2010". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2020-11-01. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
  7. Denis, Pascale; Vidalon, Dominique (20 March 2017). "LVMH buys Maison Francis Kurkdjian stake in luxury perfume push". Reuters. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  8. O'Connor, Tamison (2019-11-15). "Jo Malone Founder Is Teaming Up With Zara on New Fragrance Line". The Business of Fashion. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  9. Weil, Jennifer (2016-06-30). "L'Oréal Acquires Atelier Cologne". WWD. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  10. Weil, Jennifer (2017-03-21). "The Race for Niche Perfume Brands Accelerates". WWD. Archived from the original on 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  11. Freund, Tatjana (2020-09-07). "Niche Perfumes That Nobody Else Will Have". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  12. Rotunno, Anthony (July 7, 2012). "Call It Aedes de Venustas's Very Own". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  13. Barsamian, Edward (March 28, 2012). "Vain Glorious | Aedes de Venustas Signature Eau de Parfum". T Magazine. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  14. Regensdorf, Laura (October 26, 2020). "Frederic Malle Dreams up Perfume-and-Film Pairings for a Well-Timed Distraction". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  15. Goodman, Lanie (28 October 2011). "A French Perfumer's Seductive Sense". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  16. Regensdorf, Laura (February 9, 2021). "13 Perfumes for Valentine's Day, Plus the Movies to Make it a Night". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  17. Burr, Chandler (2007-10-21). "What the Cat Dragged In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
  18. Zulch, Sebastian (April 28, 2015). "Perfume That Smells Like Weed, And 7 Other Fascinating Scents To Try This Spring". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  19. Shariatmadari, David (2015-11-25). "Old spines – why we love the smell of secondhand books". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  20. Warren, Jane (2016-05-18). "Scents not to be sniffed at". Express.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-05-23. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  21. Ellenberg, Celia (22 April 2016). "3 L'Artisan Parfumeur Fragrances That Are Destined to Become Your Signature Scent". Vogue. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  22. Boisserie, Béatrice (18 November 2011). "Pionnier du renouveau des parfums artisanaux, Jean-François Laporte, s'est éteint". Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  23. Dhouailly, Claire (11 April 2017). "Les maîtres parfumeurs, des stars courtisées par les marques". Le Monde.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  24. Turin, Luca; Sanchez, Tania (2008). Perfumes: The Guide. Viking. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-670-01865-9. Premier Figuier was the fragrance that put Olivia Giacobetti on the map, and deservedly so: its fig-leaf note...was an overdue natural in perfumery, and pleasantly jarring.
  25. Hamilton, Denise (2012-05-20). "Scent perfumes their pages". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  26. Stover, Laren (19 March 2013). "Revealing a Lot, Aromatic and Otherwise". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  27. Druckerman, Pamela (2013-04-12). "Scents and Sensibilities". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on 2021-02-15. Retrieved 2021-02-01.
  28. "The Perfume Lover: A Personal History of Scent". Publishers Weekly. November 5, 2012. Archived from the original on 15 February 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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