With an average of 33 million bottles sold per year: it’s quite obvious that perfume represents a colossal business. But what does one really pay when buying a perfume by a leading brand?
“Parfums: les secrets du made In France”, the latest documentary by France 5, signed Maud Richard decrypts the mysterious market of fragrances…
THE PRICE OF MADE IN FRANCE PERFUME
The price of a bottle is foremost the indispensable made in France know-how! Starting with the use of Jasmine from Grasse, also called “white nugget”, a French treasure at the price of 100,000 euros per kilo! Without forgetting handmade details, that can take up to one hour per bottle, and 6 months of training for the gesture. But in fact, most of the pricing is spent in … advertising! With an average of 100 euros for a bottle, 30 euros are entirely dedicated to image… quite normal since this is what sells, says Yohan Cervi, copywriter for Nez :“Having a muse is run-of-the-mill but obligatory,” because “the more the muse is famous, the higher the potential number of buyers becomes”. An important choice for brands always on the lookout for a wider target. By buying a bottle of perfume, it’s the number of Charlize Theron or Emily Ratajkowski fans that we are paying for!
The standardisation of a product
Playing the “sensuality” card for women, the sporty one for men … We’ve heard it all before! In keeping with standardisation, brands seem to all look alike. “Juices” are more and more run-of-the-mill and easy to copy! A windfall for the counterfeiting world, that is jeopardizing luxury and know-how with dubious components... Perfume is the goose with the golden eggs of declining luxury with the weariness of 2 million clients lost in 5 years!
Perfume, a tender poison?
This decline is sustained by another phenomenon—health. With the arrival of “Which cosmetic”, the transparent app creating havoc by revealing the components of a perfume, it’s hard to advocate the benefits of a vaporisation! Not recommended for babies, pregnant women, or even adolescents, with about 172 allergenic molecules, seemingly perfume is not a fountains of youth! Endocrinal or even respiratory problems, certain persons find themselves to be more and more sensitive and boycott perfumes that are overly chemical.
Back to craftsmanship
Faced with a disappointed audience, going back to the original sources seems inevitable! Such is the case of niche perfumers who find themselves at the antipodes of department store perfumes with their natural and unique juices. Non-chemical perfumes? This is what is confirmed by Marc-Antoine Corticchiato,an independent perfumer, who only uses natural raw materials! No, no muses, and no artifices!
Result: a focus on the quintessence of perfumes seems the mantra to follow
PARFUMS, LES SECRETS DU MADE IN FRANCE
