In this post, let's talk about such a phenomenon as "niche perfumery". This concept is not very well known to the general public, and is not at all surprising if you do not know what it is. It's time to familiarize yourself with this term and find out how niche perfumery (selective) differs from luxury and conventional fragrances.
What does selective perfumery smell like
Do you love smells and have a few "delicious" bubbles on your home cosmetics shelf? What are these names?
If we looked into several apartments of an ordinary house in any city, then most likely we would meet those names that often appear on television or in glossy magazines. Dior, Dolce Gabanna, Versace… These names do not leave the pages of magazines, and even children who cannot read know these words. So, fashion brands that are so famous all over the world are not niche perfumes. It turns out that fragrances are classified into three groups, which differ inprice, fame and, of course, what they smell like.
Mass market, luxury and niche perfumes
It's true that the engine of commerce is advertising. It is the work of marketers that determines 90% of what will be fashionable in the new season and what you will buy yourself from clothes or cosmetics to feel confident. Advertising also promotes perfumes. You imperceptibly, under the influence of beautiful commercials and unusual pictures in the magazine, first of all go to certain brands in the store and choose something to your taste.
So, the first and most common group of fragrances - mass market, or consumer goods. Such perfumes are most often sold in hypermarkets, cosmetic stores, and due to the high demand, also in small cosmetic shops and transitions. It is not difficult to fake such perfumes, and fakes are sold with a bang, because these aromas are known to everyone - from young to old. The smells are not complex, pleasant and easily distinguishable. Curiously, back in the last century, fashion houses prepared fragrances for 2-3 years, and now they release them once a season. It is the mass market that is mainly purchased, it occupies about 75% of the market share.
Luxury perfumes cost more than mass-market perfumes, but are also widely advertised. As an example, we can cite the trademarks Chanel, Guerlain, and fragrances are produced most often by fashionable clothing houses. However, jewelry and perfume houses do not lag behind, and new fragrances are one hundred percent in line with fashion trends. Why is that? The fact is that perfumers,product developers conduct extensive audience research prior to release, identifying preferences and expectations. Who creates luxury perfumes? Most often, a whole army of creators stands behind a new work, who strictly follow the prescribed guidelines. Perfumers cannot create and surrender to the impulse of the soul, because they create a product that will be one hundred percent consistent with the desires of the client.
Selective - a fundamentally new concept of fragrances
Niche perfumery is the creation of individuals - perfumers who do not follow anyone's expectations. Perfumery is not excellent for its price (often niche perfumes can cost as much as luxury novelties), but for their “sound” and ingredients. For selective perfumery, only high-quality raw materials are used, which allow the smell to open up on the skin with unexpectedly bright fireworks - this is what determines the cost of the product. In addition, for some works, expensive elements are used in the design of the packaging, such as gold, special woods or precious stones. But unusual packaging is rather an exception. In the first place in the selective is fragrance - it is he who is the determining factor in niche perfumery. The most famous brands among the selective are Penhaligon’s, Jo Malone, Montale, Creed, Le Labo, M. Micallef, Amouage, Parfums de Rosine, Byredo, Fragonard, Frederic Malle, Kilian, Serge Lutens.
On the history of the development of perfumery in the twentieth century
What does “niche perfumery” mean, we have already figured it out, but why did thisan offshoot in the "flavor case"?
To do this, let's go back a little to the past. Just a hundred years ago, perfumery was the lot of the elite, or rather, powerful and we althy people. But with the development of industrial production, when goods became cheaper and more accessible, perfumes also became noticeably cheaper. In the 1950s and 1960s, it became available to almost everyone, and a little later, by the 1990s, manufacturers began to think about how to convince the buyer to buy their products. After all, supply far exceeded demand, and therefore perfumers began to work in the name of the consumer.
Now perfume houses stopped creating just something, but began to make a product that satisfies the wishes of people. Genuine creators who do not want to work within narrow limits have gone underground under the name of "selective perfumery".
What makes niche perfumery different
So, what are the features in such a field of fragrances as niche perfumery? Shops in Moscow are ready to offer you a selection that has the following characteristics: a special aroma, the best raw materials, the almost complete absence of advertising, unusual points of sale.
Fragrance is the first and most important difference in niche perfumery. If the goal of luxury perfumery and the mass market is to appease the consumer and create the most attractive "candy", then the creators of the selective do not even think about it. Niche perfumery can have a completely unimaginable "look", both attractive and repulsive. Imagine notes of moist tobaccorubber, honey molasses, oud or gayak tree, musk - these are all niche perfumes. Reviews on it are very different, because perfume can confuse, cause bewilderment, fall in love with yourself or repel, but what is absolutely certain - no one remains indifferent.
Selective Ingredients
If the producers of "ordinary" perfumery are chasing the price of the product, choosing the cheapest synthetic components, the perfumers of niche products do not think about it at all. Did you know that, just like a good wine, each "ingredient" of a good perfume has its own characteristics, including the place and time of collection. So, for example, the most “correct” orange tree flowers are harvested in northern Africa or Morocco. If a perfumer needs a Gaiac tree concentrate, he will go to Indonesia for it. It is the raw materials that largely determine the price of the future perfume. Some types of selectives appear in a very limited amount due to the unavailability of one or another component.
A dress for a king, or about packing
Do you want rhinestones and glitter? Then especially for you - luxury perfumery and mass market. Especially for gullible buyers, special issues are made in magazines that tell how a bottle of perfume was created. Funny, isn't it? The bottle is on the shelf when you need the perfume!
As for the selective, perfumers work more on the content than on the appearance. Most often, the packaging of niche fragrances looks discreet and unremarkable, although there are someexceptions. An example is the Martina Micallef brand, whose bottles are hand painted and decorated with stones. Of course, none other than the buyer pays for the packaging.
Supply volumes
How many bubbles do you think are produced with a new fragrance like Nina Ricci's? Several tens of thousands, because the goods need to be delivered to all cosmetics stores and hypermarkets! As for the selective, the production of products is directly related to the number of components. If you need raw materials to create a fragrance, which can be obtained in a limited amount, then the manufacturer can release just a few bubbles. Therefore, for some types of perfume literally lined up.
Selling locations
If you are interested in selective, rush to a large hypermarket or a cosmetics store to buy a fragrance, then you will be disappointed. Niche perfumery is not sold in Rive Gauche, but you can find it in special selective boutiques. What are these points of sale?
At its core, boutiques with such fragrances are a kind of “caste” among cosmetics distribution outlets. There are not many people in them, and you certainly will not see queues. In addition, such shops do not indulge customers with promotions and sales. The maximum that a regular customer can count on is that he can receive something from the bath collection of the same brand as a gift for the chosen fragrance. As a rule, the owner of the boutique knows the regular customers personally and between them.trusting relationships are formed.
Don't be afraid to go to this store! If you want to touch the world of niche perfumery, then this is where you can get acquainted with fragrances. However, you should not pretend that you are a battered buyer, as the seller will immediately figure you out! Better admit that you only want to learn something about niche perfumery.
And what about the price, how much can selective perfumery cost in Moscow? The price for this type of fragrance can hardly be lower than 2000 rubles per 20 ml. But you must admit, this is not that much money - just for the same amount you can buy, for example, 100 ml of a popular and advertised perfume. What to choose is up to you.
Another fundamental difference
Niche and selective perfumery differs from luxury and mass fragrances also in that it is practically not advertised. This is how it goes. When purchasing a new or popular fragrance that does not leave the glossy pages, you pay for this: approximately 60% for advertising (participation of models and movie stars, PR company, samples in magazines and stores), 30% for packaging and payment for work creators of smell and only 10% are raw materials.
The situation with niche fragrances is completely different, one might say, diametrically opposite. The selective is practically not advertised, because it is not designed for the mass consumer, and you pay not for advertising or for a box, but for a truly unique composition.
How to choose a niche perfume for yourself
Niche perfumes in RiveGosh is not for sale, and in small boutiques with selective samplers for all types of perfumes will not be available. But since such perfumery is completely unusual and it is impossible to buy for yourself without trying it first, then what to do? Especially for this there are castings. Selective perfumery, due to its high cost, is not available to everyone, and if you have the opportunity to purchase the coveted bottle, then you need to know what you are buying, right?
In online stores and in small boutiques you can buy castings. Selective perfumery is simply poured into special small containers (atomizers), with a volume of 2-5 ml. With this amount of precious liquid, you can "protest" the fragrance and determine whether you like the perfume or not.
Is it worth spending money on selective
As we have already found out, niche perfumery is not a cheap pleasure. A perfectly reasonable question arises as to whether it is worth spending money on such an exquisite thing as a selective. In addition, the smells are very peculiar, and not everyone will like niche perfumes. On the other hand, simpler brands, such as mass-market or more expensive luxury, are well recognizable and absolutely everyone likes it.
Well, there is no definite answer to this question. Addiction to this or that smell speaks about the taste of a person and his culture. It's not even about money here, since niche perfumes will not cost much more than luxury ones. However, some people at a certain point in their lives just start to turn back on popular smells, and they want something more individual.
Reviews aboutselective
Where can I find reviews of a vintage or rare edition of a book? It is clear that connoisseurs of such things do not communicate on the forum and do not leave comments in chats. Niche perfumery is something that stands above popularity and public opinion. Of course, you can find reviews like “yes, this smell is divine”, but what does this tell you?
Remember that selective scents are so unique and individual that you can't trust someone else's opinion. You must choose a perfume for yourself, following only your own taste and desire, and not someone else's advice. Therefore, I would like to warn you against studying someone else's opinion, follow only your own instinct and perception. However, be aware that among the variety of selective fragrances, you are sure to find something to your liking.
