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Autumn in August?

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 12:14:43 +0200

You may have noticed it while strolling the aisles of perfume shops this summer: several of the new fall fragrances (from Dior, Prada, Van Cleef, Lancôme, Bulgari, Givenchy et al.) were already in stores in August, and some even in July. The phenomenon isn’t new, but it seems to be picking up speed this year. There are several reasons for it. Fragrance launches – like fashion collections – now come more often, and not just in spring and fall any more. In addition, while most Europeans are on vacation in August, there are plenty of tourists around… and department stores do their best to make sure they won’t go home empty-handed. Does releasing a new fragrance ahead of the others = success guaranteed? Yes, in a way, because consumers are more aware of the new releases, plus brands squeeze an extra month into that short season from September to Christmas. But even when they’re not bringing fragrances out in the middle of July, brands can be very imaginative. This summer, Paco Rabanne installed huge, wall-sized ads with the ‘gold bar’ bottle as a teaser for a new fragrance to look for from 19 August. You couldn’t miss it…

The Trends column will be back on Monday, September 1st

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:47:34 +0200

The Trends column is going on vacation, but Fragrance News will continue all summer long on osmoz.

What’s new for September?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:46:41 +0200

What does the fall season have in store for us? Like last year, a great number of brands are planning major launches for fall. But this year, it looks like the battle will be hardest fought amongst men’s scents. Especially in the fresh department, coveted by Dior, with Dior Homme Sport; Lalique, with Lalique White and Guerlain, with Guerlain Homme, a refreshing, mojito-style cocktail. Cartier will be exploring the fougère family, and Kenzo will try his luck with a floral for men. On the feminine side, Lancôme will be launching Magnifique, and Gaultier will unveil Ma Dame. There are also new scents coming from Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake, Armani, Prada, Paco Rabanne and Cacharel (a new duo). Star faces, like Anne Hathaway (Lancôme), Jude Law (Dior), Justin Timberlake (Givenchy), Eva Mendes (Calvin Klein) and Naomi Watts (Mugler) will obviously be part of the equation too.

Is this the end of fragrance and luxury sales on eBay ?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:41:04 +0200

On Monday, June 30, eBay was ordered to pay a record fine. The on-line auction site will have to pay almost €40 million ($60 million) in damages to 6 brands in the LVMH luxury group – Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior Couture – and 4 fragrance brands: Christian Dior, Kenzo, Givenchy and Guerlain, for violating their excusive distribution network. Even if eBay decides to appeal, many analysts believe that the decision will mark a turning point for on-line sales of fragrance and luxury items, and that eBay will undoubtedly have to rethink its economic model. This is not the first suit against eBay, nor, undoubtedly, will it be the last. Numerous luxury brands, like Rolex, Tiffany and Hermès have already sued the site. Other convictions may well follow, especially for ‘counterfeit fragrance bottles’ for brands in the L’Oreal group. Earlier fines were less harsh (Hermès was awarded twenty thousands Euros ($30,000) in damages for counterfeiting), but if this €40-million fine is confirmed in appeal it could be extremely dissuasive. Now that sales of decanted fragrances on eBay have been stopped (see our August 27, 2007 report), we may be witnessing the end of fragrance sales on eBay period. Indeed, more and more brands are taking control of on-line sales of their fragrances by creating their own on-line sales site or e-corners on the sites of fragrance chains like Sephora and Marionnaud. As for decanters, brands haven’t gone after them yet. To be continued…

Fashion, fragrance, cosmetics: where are the black models?

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:32:41 +0200

While the United States has a serious black candidate for president for the first time ever, in the world of fashion and cosmetics, the media are starting to wonder where the black models have gone. Back in the 80s and 90s, they were icons for many fashion designers, but black models have practically disappeared from the podiums today. Naomi Campbell, the best-known black super-model worldwide, drew attention to the issue when paying tribute to the recently deceased French couturier Yves Saint Laurent, who, in Campbell’s words, had ‘done so much for people of color.’ Italian Vogue has also taken the bull by the horns with its all-black July issue. In October 2007, the magazine Marie-Claire asked the question, ‘Is fashion racist?’. And what about fragrance? The best one could say is that it’s no worse. Aside from Beyoncé for Emporio Armani, black “faces” of fragrances are few and far between. The only instances that come to mind are the ones in the ads for Gaultier’s Fragile (Omahyra Mato Garcia), Ralph Lauren’s Polo Sport (Tyson Beckford) or in the multi-faced ads for Chanel’s Allure.

New fragrances are overturning the Top Ten

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:33:58 +0200

Did you know that the Top 10 best-selling perfumes in France are all French? And the top-selling fragrance in America, Estée Lauder’s Beautiful, is practically unknown in Europe. It’s true that tastes on the two shores of the Atlantic are quite different: American women appreciate floral accords, where French, Italian and German women have less-floral tastes, and much greater interest in orientals. As a rule, the Top 10 doesn’t change much from one year to the next (Chanel N° 5 dates back to 1921, Beautiful to 1985, Shalimar to 1925 and Eau Sauvage to 1966) and new launches don’t have an easy time breaking in. But we have been noticing some changes lately. The very conservative French men’s market, for instance, has seen a few rising stars, like Terre d’Hermès, YSL L’Homme and probably Diesel’s Fuel For Life. Elsewhere, particularly in the USA, fresh new scents have been chipping away at the supremacy of the best-selling Acqua di Gio pour Homme. And in the American women’s standings so far this year, Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel) and Light Blue (Dolce & Gabanna) have stolen the crown from the reigning champion, Beautiful. The classics will undoubtedly come up with a way to defend their turf. Who knows, maybe with a new ad campaign, or a new face?

Surfing a scented wave of scent

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 11:23:06 +0200

After couture houses, jewelry houses, designers and celebrities, get ready for surf and surfwear brands at your favorite perfume store. A wave of brands from the world of surf has been crashing over perfumery lately. There’s Roxy, Quiksilver’s women’s sportswear brand, which now has two fragrances. Plus a fragrant duo from Kanabeach – the sportswear brand designed by surfers for surfers, which has started aiming for a broader public. Earlier in the year, Oxbow got in on the act, with a duo too. And in July, look for the first men’s scent from Quiksilver. These brands have acquired a certain legitimacy to launch fragrances by broadening their range to include sportswear and accessories for a variety of board sports and street sports, creating a strong brand image. Still, one can’t help but notice some striking similarities between their fragrances – like the color blue, and fresh, aromatic scents.

The return of the in-house perfumer

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:22:42 +0200

They were a rare species not long ago, but times are changing: perfumers are pairing up with houses to become what’s known as “in-house perfumers”. After Jean-Claude Ellena went to Hermès in 2004, Mathilde Laurent to Cartier in 2005 and François Demachy to Dior in 2006, in the space of a single month 2 new house perfumers have been named. Having designed their men’s scent coming this fall, Thierry Wasser has joined the House of Guerlain, while L’Artisan Parfumeur welcomes Bertrand Duchaufour, who had already designed several fragrances for them. Although perfumers like Jean Michel Duriez (Patou) and J-C Ellena (Hermès) are alone at the helm, that‘s not always the case. For some in-house perfumers, the role is more like that of olfactory artistic director than of a solitary fragrance designer. Houses like Cartier, Dior and L’Artisan Parfumeur still work with other perfumers (either independent or from a group like Firmenich, Givaudan or IFF). That’s how it will be at Guerlain, which has been confiding some of its creations to Jean-Paul Guerlain and other outside perfumers (Maurice Roucel, Marie Salamagne, Beatrice Piquet et al.). But these in-house head perfumers, whatever their precise role, will clearly add to the house’s image and reputation in consumers’ eyes.

Perfumes and faces… the stakes are rising

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:07:25 +0200

Can you still launch a perfume without a famous face any more? Yes, but… The phenomenon isn’t new, but it has been growing ever larger lately. Even osMoz has added a star-gazing section to its news column. The fact is, not a week goes by without a brand announcing that it has just signed with an actor, singer, athlete or model. Even niche brands have been getting in on the act: with Caron, for instance, featuring rugby player Sébastien Chabal.

Now that Matthew McConaughey for Dolce & Gabbana, the trio Sevigny / Rubik / Poesy for Chloe, and Evangeline Lilly for Davidoff have been revealed, , we can’t wait to see the campaigns with Jude Law for Dior, Eva Mendes for Calvin Klein, Audrey Tautou for Chanel, Josh Hartnett for Armani, Naomi Watts for Mugler and Justin Timberlake for Givenchy. To be continued…

Aquatic notes are making a big splash

Mon, 26 May 2008 12:03:10 +0200

Purity, freshness and a sea-blue hue, water notes are making a comeback this season. For the most part, the phenomenon concerns men’s scents. The newcomers are all probably secretly hoping to do as well as Armani’s best-seller, Acqua di Gio pour Homme. Hugo Boss has launched Boss PURE, an aquatic aromatic enhanced with fruity and floral notes; Azzaro has introduced Chrome Legend, a fresh aromatic scent with sea-mist notes; and Escada, Moon Sparkle Men, a sparkling aromatic that jumps on the aquatic bandwagon too. The trend also concerns niche products, like some unisex scents: Hermès’s Un jardin après la mousson, with its moist, green notes, and Acqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo Mirto, a blend of citrus and aromatic herbs refreshed with marine notes. Women can try Biotherm’s new skin-care eau, Eau Pure, with fruity and aquatic notes.