How Niche Are You?

How Niche Are You?
How Niche Are You?

Niche is a buzz word in the fragrance industry right now – remember when we bought fragrance because of the brand and not because of the smell? We’re not like that anymore. And, because we’re not like that anymore, because we want something more individual and more interesting, the niche fragrance market is flourishing.

If you think about wine, aficionados back in the day were few and far between – expensive wine was for ‘posh’ people and the rest of us picked up a bottle of Blue Nun because we knew no different. We knew it was wine, of course, but had no idea of the variations on that theme because it wasn’t available to us. Over the years, most of us can fairly safely order from a wine menu (when in doubt choose anything that says Sancerre) and express a preference for the type and colour of wine we prefer to drink. It’s a similar path for niche fragrance; a taste developed and improved over time.

The Estee Lauder Company has bought Frederic Malle, By Killian and Le Labo which is a strong indicator that artisanal perfume is a trend that isn’t dying any day soon. In fact, Frederic Malle is held responsible for this niche trend – he bucked the trend for fragrances that had never been near a flower, cheap, thin-smelling, watery concoctions full of ethyl maltol to sweeten them up and brought back real, and expensive, ingredients. You can be fairly sure with smaller, niche brands that you are paying more because the ingredients cost more unlike high street fragrances that contain around 20p worth of ‘juice’ and that’s being generous.

The niche market is fuelled by 30+ women who no longer see themselves as Keira Knightly skipping down a Parisian street but as individuals and not as prepared to buy into a brand as they are to buy into something that speaks to them on a more emotional level. We want fragrance that communicates something about ourselves and certainly don’t want to smell like everyone else (remember Dior Poison).

There are more female fragrances than ever before – in the past fragrance world was all about who you knew, not what you knew. And, it’s no longer the case that you need to be a second or third generation nose to be able to create fragrance. Someone with a concept and a vision can steer a brand even if they’re not actually in the lab with the molecules and raw ingredients themselves. Roads by Danielle Ryan is a good example of this, having been created ‘in collaboration with the finest master perfumers in the UK’. While it is a good example of a fragrance brand created by a non-nose, I think I want to know more about who these master perfumers are – the UK is not known exactly known for its master perfumers. Nonetheless, Danielle’s stamp is creative – names such as Neon, Cloud 9 and Bitter End can send the imagination soaring (although Neon didn’t live up to its promised olfactory colour burst).

Finding your fragrance confidence is about realising that all of the choice of how you smell is yours. Fragrance should uplift, it should make you feel something, it should leave an impression of you and not of a brand (although I cannot resist a spritz of Gucci Guilty or Chanel No.5). But, like the princess who had to kiss a lot of frogs to find her prince, you will need to be prepared to experiment, to be picky and to be patient. The ‘story’ which so many fragrances have relied on in the past is no longer as relevant. Who wants to smell like someone else’s Grandpa’s old coat (was that Lush?). Exactly nobody. You want to smell like you.

Fragrance is one of the beauty industry’s big joy givers. We’re accustomed to notes such as tuberose which thanks to Frederic Malle has been given the mother of all reinventions. That ingredient was last seen lounging with a swan’s down powderpuff on Barbara Cartland, but because Malle worked with the real flowers, rose and jasmine for example, and not molecular versions, they’ve all become key fragrance notes again. Things we can pick out that we were not able to before, just like wine. So, without even realising, you probably know far more about perfume and your preference than you ever thought you did.

Niche fragrance will always cost more than any high street perfume but because they’re more exciting, more experimental and more likely to touch some visceral nerve, they’re here to stay.

I’d love to know of your recent niche discoveries.


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15 responses to “How Niche Are You?”

  1. avra goldenblatt

    I am not sure it could be considered that niche any longer. But I love Byredo fragrances. Rose of No Mans Land is a favourite. Also love some of Serge Lutens perfumes. Hard to find in Canada. But Muscs Koublaï Khän is very different. It has the strangest top notes but dries down to a lovely scent.

  2. donna

    Oh Niche baby LOL Always been a fan of Serge Lutens, just got my first Bell Jar De Proundis the other week. Etat Libre D’Orange well burginsofyork had a sale half price so 10 bottles over two month period. Nasomatto Silver Musk and China White again 40 – 50% off. TKMaxx have had L’Artisan Parfumeur since well before Christmas up to 70%, yes I have been binge buying. Parfumerie Genergal another wonderful brand, Juliette Has A Gun. There is a wonderful artisan perfumer called Dawn Spencer Hurwitz but she is US only so you have to buy from the site. I used to buy when the dollar was better.

  3. I love Juliet Has a Gun. I had that a few years ago. Must restock! And I also you Etat Libre great perfumes. Distillery General Eau De Parfum in Sea Salt is fantastic….from Anthropologie. Great for summer. I also love perfumes by Royal Apothic.

  4. lady lloyd

    Etat Libre D’Orange for me, though it is gaining in popularity. I like Putin de Palaces when I’m in drag…and Fat Electrician a vetiver for boy mode.

  5. Jane

    Anyone tried Andy Tauer? I introduced a friend to that range a few years ago – I can’t associate her with anything other than Orange Star now and it suits her so well.

  6. I got given a huge pile of samples recently (House of Fraser tills crashed, I got pressies!) and am using one a day to try and get out of a Jo Malone scent rut. The thing is the all smell the same, the packaging is all pink/grey/rose gold and the floral is overwhelming. There is no complexity at all. I smell boring, bland and like someone has gone bonkers with neroli/orange blossom. Jo Malone, even when it is just one note (lemon linen spray eg) is much more pleasing. And the wood sage and sea salt is delicious.

    Not sure how niche it is but Escentric Molecules E03 was in the Liberty advent calendar and was THE BEST thing in it. I love it, it is unisex and complicated and exciting. And actually, not horribly expensive (as many of the ones I got as samples are).

    http://www.gildedmagpie.com xx

    1. Jane

      I think you would like Jo Loves – simple fragrances but powerful.

  7. Sophie

    My favourite perfume is Tokyo Milk’s Gin and Rosewater….it’s hard to come by here so I get my friend to bring it over when she’s in the US. Beautifully fresh and rosey without being too floral – I lean towards more green fragrances.

    1. Jane

      I wish we could more easily get Tokyo Milk here – it just doesn’t seem to flourish in the UK market for somre reason.

  8. Chelle

    I love niche perfumes!!! I really like perfumes by Ormonde Jayne. I bought quite a few of their samples and I pretty much love them all. I saved up to buy a bottle of Ormonde Woman last year, it’s probably one of my happiest purchase ever. It’s deep and woody, yet calming and comforting. It had become my scent of security.

    I have also had a lot of fun at Blooms Perfumery (online or in store). I found Tardes D600 which I really like, again another countryside woody scent.

    Don’t know if you’d count Shay and Blue as niche but I adore the almond and cucumber one.

    I have to say I haven’t tried a lot of mainstream perfumes so sometimes I do wonder if niche perfumes are genuinely better quality than the more mainstream ones. I’m guessing there’ll still be expensive/niche but poor perfumes out there. I always seem to gravitate towards niche brands probably because they seem to provide a bit more info on the composition rather than the ad campaign (but then again it could just be me being snobbish about it ;)).

    1. Jane

      I love Shay & Blue!

  9. Maureen

    Love Jo Loves! I have White Rose and Lemon, and the Sweet Pea fragrance. The latter so reminds me of my mom’s garden.

  10. Jaq

    TK Maxx has turned out to be a treasure trove for niche perfume – I’ve picked up various Serge Lutens there, Royal Apothic, L’Artisan, Bond No 9 and E Coudray, among others, for a fraction of the original price. Also a fan of Tokyo Milk and Etat Libre, especially Archives 69. Frederic Malle’s Carnal Flower is one of the most beautiful florals I’ve ever come across.

  11. Sobes

    Fredric Malle Portrait of a Lady, Roja Doce Vetiver and Amouage Epic Woman are my current favourites.

  12. Zarkoperfume Pink Mólecule

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