Fragrance Fashion: Spring/Summer 2004

Recovery is already underway, as the fine fragrance market launches what it hopes will be the new classics.

As if on cue, the fine fragrance market seems to be coming alive again with the spring. While not yet a full-bloom rush, fragrance sales are looking up.

“Luxury is back,” said Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation (FF). “It’s a positive sign in every way. The resurgence of luxury is good for prestige fragrance, which has suffered the most.

Bloom noted that recovery has been underway awhile. “2002 was the worst. Then ’03 came back to about the levels of ’01 and ’04 is growing from there,” Bloom said. “What will turn the ragrance market around is creativity and risk-taking to counter the sameness. Now, there are more truly unique, voluptuous fragrances that a consumer can be proud to own being launched. It may take another 18 to 24 months for the market to recover totally, but I am hopeful.”

There have been notable success stories even during the recent doldrums, according to Bloom. “New fragrances are being conceptually conceived, not just developed as ‘me too’s.’ There have also been some very nice celebrity launches. Some like Elizabeth Taylor’s fragrances have been survivors and there’s a new generation of entertainment brands such as Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez that have had great success. There are also fashion designer brands for which the designer has a very distinctive image and is very involved in the fragrance. And marketers such as Intimate Beauty and Avon are doing a wonderful job of attracting their consumers to their fragrances.”

Bloom added, “Another good sign is that prestige retailers are feeling good about fragrance again. The big question is that given the fact that women are now shopping all over—across channels—how does the prestige fragrance category assure that its products are in the right place for its consumers?”

The Scents to Come

According to the Spring/Summer 2004 Trends Report by The Fragrance Foundation, fragrance fashion will continue to follow scent styles already in vogue, enhanced with subtle changes to add newness. Among fragrance consumers, virtually all will be looking for more customizable scents, while young women in the 18 to 24 year-old range are the most open to trying new products.

Women’s Fragrance

Fragrances for daytime will “continue to be fresh, clean, sparkling florals, combined with fruits, green notes, fresh headspace notes of fresh cotton and linen,” according to The FF report, which also predicts that “the days of transparency and watery florals will be replaced by more complexity.”

The introduction of limited edition scents will continue and grow, offering consumers a new version of their favorite fragrance especially for summer.

For evening wear, the FF expects stronger florals and orientals to dominate. Marketers are expected to offer gift sets combining the lighter day fragrance accompanied by a heavier, more romantic night time scent.

Scents for Men

For daywear, men are expected to continue to prefer fresh, clean scents characterized by very wet notes. For evenings, most men, who are so loyal that they have been using their current scent for ten or more years, will simply segue their daytime fragrance into nighttime wear, according to The FF report.

Teens: Where the Action Is

Teens are the most willing among fragrance consumers to try new things. They are also the most attracted to the image of a particular brand rather than to the scent itself. Thus the success of celebrity fragrances such as Glow by JLO, Jennifer Lopez, or Vera Wang by the fashion designer, who is particularly known for her bridal gowns.

Young teens (13 to 16-year-olds) tend to wear their favorite scents for day and evening, according to The FF report, but older teens turn to more sensual fragrances and prefer straight oils such as musk for nighttime.

Roses are being rediscovered by this audience, as seen in the popularity of Garden Blu eau de parfum by Avon’s mark. The packaging is a crystal clear round bottle featuring a photo-realistic blue rose.

A Look at Launches for the Ladies

Seeking to capture that fine combination of fragrance, image and package that will resonate with consumers, marketers large and small have recently launched a variety of products.

Attraction by Lancôme

Lancôme has created Attraction to express the sensual side of a woman and the magnetism that exists be­tween a man and a woman.
The fragrance of Attraction, created by perfumer Daniela Andrier, is described as a contemporary woody/floral. “Attraction is an encounter between two very different elements, namely Patchouli and Iris, accompanied by a host of magnificent flowers such as tuberose, gardenia and jasmine,” stated Andrier.

Attraction is the first fragrance bottle design by Christian Biecher, an architect and winner of the “Maison & Objet 2002” Best Designer award. It is a sphere of engraved glass, glowing with goldencontents. Its roundness evokes the intimate, sensual and feminine character of the fragrance, according to Lancôme. The 100 ml bottle is supplied by Saint-Gobain Desjonqueres and the 50 ml bottle is from Pochet.

Attraction is available at Lancôme counters in department and specialty stores and www.lancôme.com this spring.

Celine Dion Parfum Notes by Coty

Coty Beauty and celebrity singer, Celine Dion, are hoping to repeat the success of last year’s signature fragrance with Celine Dion Parfum Notes, a line extension that launched on April 1.

“Parfum Notes is a romantic variation of Celine's first fragrance, Celine Dion Parfums, and the perfect complement to build on its success,” said Eric Thoreux, president, Coty Beauty, Americas.

The new fragrance is a deep, romantic floral fragrance. The top notes have a sensuous crispness, which highlight the floral heart of Amazon orchid, mimosa, heliotrope and peony. The bottom notes of rich white musk, natural vetiver, and sandalwood oil add warmth and sensuality.
Celine Dion Parfum Notes rolled out in department and speciality stores including J.C. Penney, Sears, Ulta and Kohl's in April.

The bottles, designed by Kenneth Hirst, are manufactured by Bormioli Luigi and Pochet. The pump is from Emsar, while the cap and collar are by Eyelematic. The carton is supplied by Arkay.

Evening in Paris by Bourjois

After more than 30 years, Bourjois has brought back its Evening in Paris fragrance and reformulated the scent for today's modern woman.

Originally introduced in 1929 by Ernest Beaux, Evening in Paris was sold in dime stores in miniature bottles and in department stores in blue Baccarat crystal bottles. Today’s Evening in Paris, available at Sephora and Sephora.com and Shop-vermontcountrystore.com/products, has been reformulated in France to give the fragrance a more modern character while maintaining the essence of the original scent. The result is a flowery bouquet, with fruity and woody notes.

It has also been repackaged in an Art Deco half-moon-shaped bottle by Saint-Gobain Desjonqueres and topped with a silver cap by Rexam Reboul. Rexam Dispensing Systems supplies the spray dispenser. It is presented in a midnight blue carton by Vivier.

Shanghai by Horizon Beauty

Going for glamour after winning six FiFi awards for his fragrance bottle designs, New York-based Marc Rosen is trying his hand (and his nose) at creating a fragrance of his own. Called Shanghai with the tagline, “The perfume with a past, for the woman with a future,” the new fragrance has an Oriental look and is described as “spicy, exotic and sexy.” The scent is a complex arrangement of florals and fruits with notes of vanilla bourbon, balsam woods, patchouli and ambergris.

Both the Parfum and EDT bottles are created as glass spheres in which the red fragrance floats above a base of solid glass. The Parfum bottle is topped by a clear Lucite and golden Chinoiserie stopper. Suppliers include Brosse Glass, Matic Plast, Firmenich, Valois, Knoll and Arkay Packaging.

Eau de New York

Eau de New York joined the Bond No. 9 fragrance collection in May 2004. Said to capture the kinetic energy of the City, the blend of fruits, flowers and greens is invigorating. Eau de New York, like the other Bond No. 9 fragrances, is available in a 3.3 oz. slim superstar bottle and box presentationor a 2-ounce basic spray flacon with gilt honeycomb cap, in an array of fashion colored bottles or in the brand’s unique vintage or art bottles, available in a wide variety of designs.

All Bond fragrance bottles are made by Bormioli Luigi, which also supplies the caps. The pumps are made by Valois of America, while collars and actuators are by Matic Plast.

Decor of Eau de New York bottle is first sprayed with a white pearlized finish and then Decotech applies eachNYC logo separately as a decal.

Madness by Chopard

In keeping with repositioning theChopard brand, Lancaster hired French Designers QSLD New World to conceive a new women’s fragrance, Madness. The cube-shaped ruby red flacon designed by Denis Boudard, founder of QSLD, and Chopard president ,Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele, is criss-crossed with the same grid as the brand’s Ice Cube jewelry line.

Madness is rolling out to Europe, North America and duty free shops. The seven-product line includes an Extrait, three Edps, three derivatives and a new fragrance named Madness Black.

Scents For Men

When it comes to personal fragrances, men tend to stay with old favorites, making new launches a challenge. But, the following examples seem to have all the ingredients to be the next “classic.” Both are by celebrity designers, who have stamped the packaging with their signature looks.

Vera Wang for Men features simple, elegant lines in heavy-walled glass, accented by a brushed metal collar and faux wood cap.

John Varvatos combines glass, aluminum and leather for a tailored, yet luxurious look.

Vera Wang for Men

The Vera Wang for Men collection, which began launching in January exclusively at Saks, followed by specialty doors in February, and a full roll out in May, took a team of packaging suppliers to bring to market.

Vera Wang herself did all the package creative work. The bottle, designed to be a perfect partner to Vera Wang for Women, was manufactured by Heinz Glas. Zorbit created the cap for the bottle to look like dark wood. Valois supplied the spray dispenser and Qualipac made the collar.

Qualipac is also the manufacturer of the tottles for the after shave balm and hair and body wash, as well as the deo stick in the collection. The folding carton was made by Cadmus.

John Varvatos

Designer John Varvatos has teamed up with Zirh International to launch a line of fragrance and skin care products. The first items, an eau de toilette, a fragranced after shave, hair and body wash and deodorant, launched in specialty stores as well as in the designer’s own boutiques the spring.

The fragrance bottle, a unique combination of glass, leather and aluminum, was designed by New York city-based Doug Lloyd of Lloyd & Co, which also created the rest of the initial line. The fragrance bottles are supplied by Vitro Packaging. Inca Cosmetics Packaging manufactured the high gloss, metal caps and the spray dispensers were produced by Rexam Dispensing Systems.

The after shave package is a glass primary container with an aluminum cap, the hair and body wash bottle is an OPET plastic bottle, produced by VPI Incor­porated. The closure is a custom designed twist-open/close dispensing cap, also engineered and produced by Inca.