And it is evident that it is not the same, in the market of the “luxury products”, perfumes is a separated issue.
I was already a reader of the Basenotes forums about 2005; As one person mentions, we remember members like Joel Cairo, zztop, Paul Gamboa, Everso, Tigrushka, etc… many more …
They were niche brands trend as L’Artisan Parfumeur or Maitre Gantier et Parfumeur (both who became a true genius with Jean Laporte!), Etro, Goutal, Villoresi, etc … Lutens hit hard, a newcomer Malle, etc. etc.
It seems that we talked about 50 years ago, ladies and gentlemen, but not: 10-15 years ago, when you could buy a Malle and a Lutens with a minimum of artistry and commercial integrity for 60-80 euros bottle.
At that time no concepts of the imbecile type had been created such as “osmo absolu”, “cologne absolu”, “cool spray”, and it was about innovating in scents thanks to talent, a certain freedom, and artistry.
I still remember the first time I smelled Dzing! or Passage D’Enfer, Ambre Sultan, Messe De Minuit ….
At that time many brands launched 2-3 perfumes a year and it seemed unthinkable that they were more…
Shortly thereafter, gurus began to emerge and more gurus, the fragrance gurus.
Luca Turin and Cia became famous for writing a book of perfume reviews, as original as ephemeral.
Then many reviews in Basenotes were filled with very self-absorbed authors and reviewers, who had as an avatar photos from geniuses as Tolstoi or Buñuel, for example; these people with such an intellective and eminent pose loved to write enormously long sentences with a multitude of adjectives, something like:
Musky-floral concoction (smelling finally at same time subtle-floral-chic and warmly organic-musky on skin) and the dry down is almost identical to a familiar aroma for me (…) Despite a veritable massive floral presence the floral perception is moderate under the nose (like something substantially restrained) because of a really dominant and catalysing soapy-musky vibe. White musk and oakmoss are complemented by soapy amber, balsams, tonka and by a complex “flori-herbal” bouquet (mastered by rose, hyacinth and ylang-ylang). The first blast is edgy with its lamellar twist of leaves, bitter-green notes, aldehydes, green earthiness (vetiver) and aromatics. A musky aura is by soon evident in its balmy substance supported by a sheer ambery soapy presence with a multicolored floral kaleidoscope of sophisticated nuances (jasmine, iris, ylang-ylang, hyacinth). Ylang-ylang is super chic, radiant and exotic while a musky hyacinth enhances a dominant “neutral” mossy (earthy-humid) atm (…)
We started to speak loud and frequently about the noses, the artists, for the first time – I would almost say in history – as if they were rock stars, film makers … many fans started looking for perfumes by nose, not by brand, everything was in the crest of the wave …
But shortly after, before many of these people had noticed, niche market reached the 100% level of greed, the business came, they started doing business with all part of it.
Very lawful thing indeed, but up to certain limits.
Many independent “niche” brands tried to earn a place in the market waiting for a small piece of cake (many of them were just amateurs without any study in perfumery or anything like that, because when you are a smoke seller, you only have to be a good seller).
Prices went up, niche brands began to create lines and sublines, sub-lines of the sub-lines and seemed to launch perfumes every week.
I remember when Lutens launched his first L’Eau, the anti-perfume (lol): to the Lutens fans it seemed a “betrayal” before the traditional concept that he himself had of perfumes (you only had to smell Chergui, Fumerie Turque, my beloved Cuir Mauresque) .
The IFRA restrictions came, I do not know exactly in what year; In any case, I do not think the year is important, since I think there were later revisions and I do not think it means ANYTHING in the world of perfume.
Yes, and I say it very loudly: I do not think it means any LIMITATION in the world of perfume, except the obvious.
The big brands started to cry… they were victims!! They came to tell the world: but how I, Ponderic Malle, Servius Lutens can now perform my fantastic, complex and lasting perfumes, if the government takes away the oakmoss and the tree moss , the Methylcoumarin, the Citral and others …? !!
Oh, what will become of me, I have a huge capital of money, I can travel all over the world to look for and buy raw materials that at the beginning of the century gentlemen like Ernest Beaux could not see or dream about them, I have plenty of laboratories that can reproduce almost any imaginable and unimaginable smell, and at my disposal the most talented noses of my generation … but yikes! perfumes can no longer be what they were, that must be made clear to consumers and fans … the fault the IFRA has it; in any case it’s not my fault…
And there we come to the apex, to the dramatic climax.
The market began to become inflated and inflate; new brands, new perfumes.
The prices went up about 10 USD every 6 months, 20 USD a year (and rising …).
The perfumes began to be filled with bases or chords composed mostly of synthetic origin, such as the famous ISO-e, Ambroxan, etc. (what an eye, many of them already existed since the 70’s! but not in such a indiscriminated use).
The perfumes became more recognizable and forgettable, the fringe dividing perfumes let’s say mainstream with the niche became not only thinner but nonexistent: you could usually smell a niche perfume of 200 USD that was worse made and with worse materials that one of 40 USD (when this happened more rarely before), you could read marketing campaigns that were – and are – an insult to the intelligence of people and consumers, and ridiculous releases that hit your head again and again: Red Mandarino, Red Mandarino Acqua, Red Mandarino Forte, Red Mandarino Absolu, Red Mandarino Parfum, Red Mandarino L’Eau …
Self-indulgence and more self-indulgence, higher prices and more price increases.
Advertising, masterpieces and more masterpieces …
For example, Neroli Portofino? A masterpiece !! a masterpiece…
The umpteenth “original” copy of a type of colony like 4711 that should be known since 200 years ago, they sell it to you in 2018 for 160 USD and it’s a damn masterpiece, man!
But before that what can be said? Before such a short look?
Ladies and gentlemen, a “masterpiece” is a work that is considered a milestone for most, a before and after in its genre, something that shows an innovative capacity never before seen, something that offers something new, something that is so successful worldwide that causes a trend, either you like it or not.
A masterpiece may be Fahrenheit, or Le Male, or Chanel No. 5, ladies and gentlemen, but not Neroli Portofino that I have in my house for more than 20 years with the name of “Nenuco”.
And after all this miasma of self-indulgence, what’s left?
Every time more perfumes are made, similar, worse perfumes, and more expensive.
A round business for brands: the level of consumer demand in general is increasingly low and the profit increasingly high.
If a brand was able to bottle Iso e Super in a horrible bottle without a cap and sell it for 120 USD, without anyone throwing one of those bottles at the head of the creative genius of that idea, there are few limits to pass.
I just hope that these clumsy and hurried notes in a language that is not my native language can provide some interesting point to the OP questions.
Regards, Pipi :beer: