A woman who doesn’t wear perfume has no future.” These were the words of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, the famous French fashion designer who introduced the iconic women’s perfume, Chanel No. 5 way back in 1921. Known as one of the most legendary fragrances, it became even more famous after American actress Marilyn Monroe mischievously said, “What do I wear in bed? Why Chanel No. 5 of course.”
With aromatic notes of grass jasmine, may rose, sandalwood and vanilla, the fragrance remains one of the bestselling perfumes of all times with claims of one bottle being sold every 55 seconds! Interestingly, top-of-the-line fragrances have always been an accessory of choice for most.
Perfumes as luxury accessory buys are one of the most popular must-have items on the aspirational buyers’ list as well. According to industry estimates, the size of the total domestic luxury perfume market is around Rs 600-700 crore and is growing at a rate of 20-25 % year-on-year.
Rohit Chadha, head of the consumer products vertical at Technopak Advisors, says that high-end perfumes are doing brisk business in India. “An outlet at a mall selling luxury fragrances can easily expect to do a sale of Rs 40,000-50,000 in a day! The market for such perfumes has a huge potential in India with a lot of players operating in multi-brand outlets as well, besides boutiques or standalone stores.”
The trend this season is a whiff of summer. Keeping the summer spirit in mind, luxury majors are counting on breezy, floral and fruity notes to entice customers. It’s more botanical, fruity and woody fragrances for men whereas fruity and floral notes for women, says Ramana Kasibhatla, sales and marketing manager at Burberry Perfumes India.
The bestselling buys of leading luxe brands say it all. Italian luxury brand Prada is seeing a growing affinity from male customers for its Prada Pour Homme which strikes a harmony between contrasting notes such as fresh and sensual as well as clean and leathery. Another perfume L’eau Ambrée, a new addition to the Prada Classic range, is also doing well as it combines a fresh approach to the balancing of notes such as citron , may rose and amber, according to Devasish Dutta , brand manager, Prada Perfumes India.
Julie DeClermont Tonnerre, marketing manager, luxury products division of L’Oreal India which markets brands such as Lancome, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Giorgio Armani Fragrances and Diesel Fragrances says that the trend in fragrances varies depending on which time of the day it is worn.
“During the day it is light aqueous or marine scents for men that are comfortable such as the Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani. For women, it is fruity and floral with a modern twist of gourmand sweetness, as in the case in Summer Romance by Ralph Lauren which has key notes of passion fruit, hibiscus and apricot musk. At night, it’s deeper sensual fragrances such as the Armani Code for men and women that are a favourite.”
With aromatic notes of grass jasmine, may rose, sandalwood and vanilla, the fragrance remains one of the bestselling perfumes of all times with claims of one bottle being sold every 55 seconds! Interestingly, top-of-the-line fragrances have always been an accessory of choice for most.
Perfumes as luxury accessory buys are one of the most popular must-have items on the aspirational buyers’ list as well. According to industry estimates, the size of the total domestic luxury perfume market is around Rs 600-700 crore and is growing at a rate of 20-25 % year-on-year.
Rohit Chadha, head of the consumer products vertical at Technopak Advisors, says that high-end perfumes are doing brisk business in India. “An outlet at a mall selling luxury fragrances can easily expect to do a sale of Rs 40,000-50,000 in a day! The market for such perfumes has a huge potential in India with a lot of players operating in multi-brand outlets as well, besides boutiques or standalone stores.”
The trend this season is a whiff of summer. Keeping the summer spirit in mind, luxury majors are counting on breezy, floral and fruity notes to entice customers. It’s more botanical, fruity and woody fragrances for men whereas fruity and floral notes for women, says Ramana Kasibhatla, sales and marketing manager at Burberry Perfumes India.
The bestselling buys of leading luxe brands say it all. Italian luxury brand Prada is seeing a growing affinity from male customers for its Prada Pour Homme which strikes a harmony between contrasting notes such as fresh and sensual as well as clean and leathery. Another perfume L’eau Ambrée, a new addition to the Prada Classic range, is also doing well as it combines a fresh approach to the balancing of notes such as citron , may rose and amber, according to Devasish Dutta , brand manager, Prada Perfumes India.
Julie DeClermont Tonnerre, marketing manager, luxury products division of L’Oreal India which markets brands such as Lancome, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Giorgio Armani Fragrances and Diesel Fragrances says that the trend in fragrances varies depending on which time of the day it is worn.
“During the day it is light aqueous or marine scents for men that are comfortable such as the Acqua Di Gio by Giorgio Armani. For women, it is fruity and floral with a modern twist of gourmand sweetness, as in the case in Summer Romance by Ralph Lauren which has key notes of passion fruit, hibiscus and apricot musk. At night, it’s deeper sensual fragrances such as the Armani Code for men and women that are a favourite.”
The diverse selection available in perfumes today makes them a highly sought after buy. Moreover, those who want to associate with a leading luxury brand also prefer buying fragrances first. So in that sense, this category sees a lot of aspirational buyers.
Benny Ramchandani, head, marketing and sales of MKP Distributors, which distributes 43 fragrance brands in India, including Hugo Boss and Dunhill says that fragrances are becoming quite popular in India as splurging items.
“A closer look and we can easily agree that wardrobes are changing and so are shopping habits with hygiene and grooming being on top of the spenders’ list. And it’s not just the woman who used to be demanding a decade ago. The men’s category today has shown a huge upward graph and their demand for fragrances is on an upsurge.”
Interestingly, Mr Kasibhatla of Burberry Perfumes India, says that 55% of their sales is from their male customers. “India has traditionally been a strong men’s market as far as perfumes is concerned. In other parts of the world this percentage would probably be 70:30 in favour of women. But in India, it is different. Eau de Toilette which is less concentrated and has lesser price points sells far more than Eau de Parfum here,” she says.
Celebrities have their own favourites. And while some are loyal to a particular brand, others confess to trying out different scents every time. Fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, daughter of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, admits to being addicted to her Judith Leiber perfume. “It’s very light and fresh and I prefer using that kind of a fragrance. While in college, I used to wear Dolce and Gabbana’s ‘By’, but then eventually graduated to Judith Leiber. A perfume is an integral part of my accessory wardrobe. I carry small testers in my bag and even use it before I sleep, as I always want to feel good,” she says.
However, socialite Shivani Wazir isn’t that committed to a single brand. “I am not completely loyal. But I do like Beautiful by Estee Lauder. So whenever it’s a matter of going back to what I like, I tend to go back to this one. Otherwise, I like trying a more varied range.”
Sprinkle on a little. Your aura will be alluring. Now isn’t that an aromatic thought?
Benny Ramchandani, head, marketing and sales of MKP Distributors, which distributes 43 fragrance brands in India, including Hugo Boss and Dunhill says that fragrances are becoming quite popular in India as splurging items.
“A closer look and we can easily agree that wardrobes are changing and so are shopping habits with hygiene and grooming being on top of the spenders’ list. And it’s not just the woman who used to be demanding a decade ago. The men’s category today has shown a huge upward graph and their demand for fragrances is on an upsurge.”
Interestingly, Mr Kasibhatla of Burberry Perfumes India, says that 55% of their sales is from their male customers. “India has traditionally been a strong men’s market as far as perfumes is concerned. In other parts of the world this percentage would probably be 70:30 in favour of women. But in India, it is different. Eau de Toilette which is less concentrated and has lesser price points sells far more than Eau de Parfum here,” she says.
Celebrities have their own favourites. And while some are loyal to a particular brand, others confess to trying out different scents every time. Fashion designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, daughter of Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, admits to being addicted to her Judith Leiber perfume. “It’s very light and fresh and I prefer using that kind of a fragrance. While in college, I used to wear Dolce and Gabbana’s ‘By’, but then eventually graduated to Judith Leiber. A perfume is an integral part of my accessory wardrobe. I carry small testers in my bag and even use it before I sleep, as I always want to feel good,” she says.
However, socialite Shivani Wazir isn’t that committed to a single brand. “I am not completely loyal. But I do like Beautiful by Estee Lauder. So whenever it’s a matter of going back to what I like, I tend to go back to this one. Otherwise, I like trying a more varied range.”
Sprinkle on a little. Your aura will be alluring. Now isn’t that an aromatic thought?
