While an average of three fragrances per day were launched in 2011, perfumers are increasingly looking for innovative ways to stand out in an oversaturated market, and events such as the recent Esxence perfume fair are growing in popularity -- with personalised body creams and memory-evoking scents among fair’s top picks.
The annual artisan perfume expo in Milan came to a close April 1, with some 155 international showcasing their latest innovations and attendance increasing by 12%.
While niche scents, which are produced on a much smaller scale and are therefore less common, have enjoyed success in the independent category, big name designers have also contributed to the rise of the phenomenon -- Tom Ford's Private Blend launched in 2007 at selected US retailers and is now available in international department stores.
Journalist Claudia Stagno of international publication Export Magazine, who was a special guest at Esxence, argues that the mass market fragrance industry needs to keep up in terms of personalisation.
"Niches fragrances are gaining popularity as a result of the increasing lack of richness of mass market perfumery. People need to find a reply to their needs; they're more sensitive and ask for value," explained Stagno.
Popular exhibitors at this year’s Esxence included Sweden’s Agonist, Japan’s Nippon Kodo and Spain’s Sepai with Body by Sepai -- a kit which contains a base cream, three extracts and a syringe allowing users to create their own personalised body cream.
Meanwhile, Paris and New York based company Atelier Cologne showcased its latest, Vanille Insensée, which blends feminine notes of vanilla, jasmine and fresh lime with masculine oak moss, woods and spicy coriander and has been designed to evoke the moment a man bumps into a former flame and realises she has “stolen” his signature scent.
Other rising stars of the niche fragrance industry that appeared at Esxence include Icelandic artist Andrea Maack, whose debut scents Mart, Craft and Sharp were launched in 2010. The creative showcased a cashmere scarf printed with her artwork that has been designed for women who prefer not to spray directly onto the skin during the event.
Other big names in the niche field include Odin New York, whose fifth signature scent, 06 Amanu, received the inaugural “Indie” Fragrance Award during independent fragrance show Elements Showcase in New York earlier this year. The category for men's and women's independent scents was a new award organised in conjunction with the US Fragrance Foundation, organiser of the perfume industry’s “Oscars,” the FiFi Awards.
06 Amanu blends top notes including blood orange with bottom notes such as amberwood and middle notes including aged cedarleaf. The four other finalists comprised Siberian Snow by D.S. & Durga, Miller Harris's La Fumée, Come L’Amore by Bois 1920 and Cuirs by Carner Barcelona. --AFP RELAXNEWS