PARIS — “Haute perfumery.” The term is in vogue. And as soon as a fragrance crosses the €200 threshold, it lays claim to it. Yet if you think about it, the expression doesn’t mean much; unlike haute couture, it is neither legally protected nor subject to any specific standards. No matter: Brands use the label to evoke fine materials and expert craftsmanship, high concentrations and exquisite bottles. And also, of course, to justify ever-rising prices.
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“The post-COVID-19 economic crisis and the war in Ukraine have seriously impacted perfumes and their production costs — glass, metal, plastic, raw ingredients, everything has been affected,” says Oriol Segui, director of Fine Fragrances Europe at Givaudan. “So many brands chose to focus innovation on dosage and concentration to continue appealing to consumers, who rediscovered the importance of scent during the pandemic.”
This has sparked a surge of labeling: countless versions labeled “elixir,” “extract,” “concentrate,” “essence,” whether in mainstream perfumery — like Lancôme’s powerful Idôle Power, Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male Elixir, or Dior Homme Intense — or in niche fragrances, such as extracts from Byredo, Matière Première, Parfums D’Orsay and many more.
All of them boast rare and precious — and therefore expensive — ingredients, such as iris, called the “blue gold” of perfumery; oud resin, known as “liquid gold”; May rose; and jasmine from Grasse in southern France. These are all signals to the customer that they’re getting their money’s worth.
“By focusing so much on power and a few costly ingredients to justify prices, the olfactory narrative tends to get diluted. Perfumery has so much more to say,” explains Jeanne Doré, co-founder and editorial director of Nez magazine. “Even if you load a perfume with the most expensive raw materials, it won’t necessarily be interesting. People often think a perfume is just about how it smells. But you’re buying far more than just a drop to dab on your neck; there’s an entire production chain behind it, as invisible as the scent itself.”
“For example, for a bottle priced at €100, €20 euros go to value-added taxes (VAT). Of the remaining €80, half goes to retailers. Another €30 cover operating costs — including development, which can take years — as well as marketing and communications, often criticized, but essential for getting the product to market. The remaining €10 are for the bottle and packaging, and at the very end of the chain, the alcohol and raw materials that make up the fragrance concentrate. For independent brands working on a smaller scale, everything costs much more than it does for the large groups which can handle parts of the process in-house.”
“Premiumization”
Most pioneers of niche perfumery have now been acquired by cosmetics giants, and have lost their once-confidential aura. Consider Annick Goutal, renamed Maison Goutal by its buyer Interparfums; Frédéric Malle, now under Estée Lauder — which also owns Tom Ford —; Serge Lutens, now part of Shiseido; L’Artisan Parfumeur now at Puig; and so on.
To further blur the lines, premium collections from major fashion houses — like Chanel, Dior and Celine — now also appear under big beauty conglomerates: Coty with its Infiniment Coty line, L’Oréal applying the concept to Saint Laurent (Le Vestiaire des Parfums) and recently to Valentino (Anatomy of Dreams), and Puig with Rabanne’s exclusive collection.
Creativity takes precedence over consumer testing, and perfumers regain a certain freedom.
“This prestige perfumery is gradually adopting the codes of niche perfumery — which is typically more creative — and investing more in the bottle and the juice, strongly appealing to consumers, especially younger ones. It’s a positive shift,” Segui says. “Thanks to this ‘premiumization,’ creativity takes precedence over consumer testing, and perfumers regain a certain freedom. The gap between the two categories is narrowing, almost merging.” Both in terms of storytelling and pricing.
The rise of “dupes”
One downside of the often-exorbitant prices is the explosion of dupes, or copies widely relayed on social media. These often feature rushed formulas, developed in days, that barely resemble the originals but manage to mimic them, with simple packaging and online-only distribution to slash costs. This market spans all categories — from the widely popular La Vie est Belle by Lancôme to Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian, one of the most copied.
When you buy a €20 version of a fragrance that usually costs €250, it’s more of a parody than a copy.
“Francis Kurkdjian made his fragrance highly desirable. The same goes for Dominique Ropion’s Portrait of a Lady, created 15 years ago for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle,” Doré says. “The creation took time and used raw materials that are hard to replicate cheaply. So when you buy a €20 version of a fragrance that usually costs €250, it’s more of a parody than a copy.”
While copyright doesn’t exist for perfumes, some brands protect their creations by securing exclusive access to specific ingredients. For instance, the Mul family’s flower fields in Grasse have been reserved for Chanel perfumes since 1987, and Domaine de Manon’s harvests are likewise dedicated to Dior.
Prestigious and niche brands don’t have a monopoly on ‘beautiful’ perfumery. There are gems under €50 made by top perfumers.
Some perfume lovers feed their passion through secondhand finds. “I shop a lot on Vinted and eBay, but also in airport duty-free stores. There are often gems from the 1980s and 1990s — like CK One by Calvin Klein, Green Tea by Elizabeth Arden, Blue Jeans by Versace, or Noa by Cacharel — for €20. Real classics, totally undervalued!” says Chloé, in her 30s. “Over time, I’ve learned that perfume quality isn’t tied to price. Prestigious and niche brands don’t have a monopoly on ‘beautiful’ perfumery. There are gems under €50 made by top perfumers — like Fleur d’Oranger by Daniela Andrier for Fragonard, or Bois d’Orange at Roger & Gallet, created years ago by Dominique Ropion.”
One perfume, one emotion
Of course, the distribution channel (Fragonard’s own shops, pharmacies for Roger & Gallet) affects retail prices. Some brands opt for more accessible positioning by cutting back on packaging and bottles in a move that’s both eco-conscious and cost-effective. One such example is Essential Parfums, which strips away “the superfluous” — i.e., packaging and marketing — and prices all its fragrances the same (€88 for 100 ml), regardless of the material — like the recent Velvet Iris — or the star perfumer behind it, from Quentin Bisch to Anne Flipo.
What really makes it valuable is the emotion it evokes in the person who smells it.
“Ultimately, it’s very hard to define a ‘fair’ price for perfumes because there are just so many variables,” Doré concludes.
Especially because, despite what marketing may tell us, perfume isn’t just a luxury product. What really makes it valuable is the emotion it evokes in the person who smells it. An entirely subjective feeling — no matter the ingredients or formula — that is, by nature, almost impossible to quantify.
