Each year we see new trends in top notes, base notes and packaging peeking through when it comes to the fragrance sector. While these changes may not be as dramatic as what occurs in fashion, every season new influences make their way onto a fragrance counter near you. bd spoke to some of the Australian fragrance industry’s heavyweights about what’s been big in the local market this year and buying patterns in the industry.
There are three main influences when it comes to fragrance trends, according to David Jones beauty general manager merchandise Stephen McDonald. For niche brands - it is all about what is happening with the growers in France, if it’s a celebrity fragrance– the celebrity themself influences the scent, and if it’s a designer brand – the ethos behind the brand is the main driver behind the fragrance notes. Coty Australia regional manager south Mary Hayward adds: Designer fragrances closely reflect fashion, and offer an extension of fashion trends, for example Chloé reflects the muted neutral tones that have dominated recent seasons.”
Top Notes
Soft, strong and sparkling (more intense than a soft) florals are three of the biggest trends in top notes for fragrances in 2011. What we’ve seen for this year is a really strong emphasis on floral, not so much the orientals as we have in previous years. There’s very strong florals coming through such as Daisy Oh So Fresh, Issey Miyake Florale, Gucci Guilty,” says Myer fragrance buyer Marissa Galatis. She also revealed that there’s a lot of rose being used in fragrances this season. McDonald adds, as far as top notes go, soft florals still continue to be very important, but the soft floral has evolved to have a sparkling element.”
Base Notes
For McDonald, this season’s base note is all about musk. We haven’t really seen musk in the profile of a fragrance until now. The first person to do it was probably Tom Ford with the White Collection, which he did last year, and then we’re seeing it with Bottega Veneta. It’s coming through all the programs in the base notes.” He also points to green note fragrances as a new upcoming trend – with green fragrances Poudre No. 19 by Chanel and Maison Martin Margiela both launching on to the market. Cosmax marketing manager Pam Wilson pointed to wood-based fragrances as also making a comeback this season.
Packaging trends
Most brands have played it on the safe side in terms of packaging in 2011. A lot of the female fragrances have really been variations of existing fragrances,” says Galatis. McDonald added that while the bottles are staying the same at the luxury end, there is more colour coming through and the packaging tends to reflect the brand’s ethos.
But while the luxury brands are keeping it safe, celebrities are having a bit of fun. Celebrity fragrances have been very creative in their packaging this year,” says Galatis. For example, when Rihanna launched her fragrance it was quite a peculiar shaped bottle with fake leather wrapped around it. Katy Perry launched her Purr fragrance and it was shaped like a cat. Really cute and creative and very reflective of their personalities.”
Buying patterns
Emerging fragrance trends have shifted away from the popular gold trend found in 2010, according to Wilson. Last year it seemed that ‘gold’ was the trend in terms of bottle and packaging. Launches such as Gucci Guilty, followed by Fan de Fendi as well as Lady Million all followed this trend and were key launches within the market last year.”
Another shift in the sector has seen people experimenting more with their scent. Fragrances have been very safe in the past two or three years and that’s what people have been craving – safety. Now we’re seeing a really big shift. People are trying more new things, so there’s a lot more fragrance launches,” says McDonald who also revealed customers are becoming more sophisticated in their matrix.
Galatis agrees with McDonald, saying people are taking more risks when it comes to finding a fragrance. We’ve really noticed a trend of people migrating to niche and boutique fragrances,” she says. Wanting to get away from the big mass brands to discover a fragrance for themselves.” However, niche fragrances need to have a story behind the brand to be successful. Wilson adds that while the scent itself is obviously vital when it comes to the success of a brand, there also has to be a commercial edge to the product. We need to ensure that our market will understand the brand’s DNA enough to invest into the product.”
Young versus old
Age demographics play a part in buying patterns. Galatis reveals that fruity florals do well with the younger age groups while the over 60 category tend to go more for classic florals. Hayward says that celebrity and entertainment brands continue to be popular with young consumers, while designer fragrances are sought after by a broad demographic.
Another noticeable difference between demographics is experimentation. Younger consumers use lots of different perfumes and probably don’t have a signature scent the way that an older consumer would,” explains McDonald. If you look at a customer who is plus 60, they may have one or two fragrances they use. If you have a customer who is 20-50, they’ll be using a variety of different fragrances and they’ll trial the new stuff.” He says that this has also led to customers shifting to smaller sizes in packaging. They’re buying smaller sizes to try it out and if they like it, coming back to buy a bigger one.”
Classics versus the new
While customers are experimenting more with their scent, the classics continue to do well. In our yearly top 10 for women, there will always be six staples and then there will be another four spots that rotate based on newness,” reveals Galatis. The success of classics has seen brands such as Elizabeth Arden investing in relaunching their staple product, Red Door, rather than the development of a new fragrance. However, Hayward believes there will always be a place for both the classics and the newbies on the shelf. A personal signature fragrance will always be a staple in consumers fragrance wardrobes, but new seasonal highlights are essential. As with fashion, the evolution and attraction to new pieces each season has been embraced in the fragrance world.”
