Besides makeup and fashion pieces, perfumes are also an essential part of a beauty regimen. Your perfume is not just something you use to smell good, but rather a reflection of your personality. And today, there are a wide variety of scents you can use to match your specific lifestyle and different moods.
It’s always great to have a chance to pick your signature scent. This way, whenever your family and friends catch a whiff of a particular fragrance, they’ll immediately think of you.
This is where niche perfumes come into play. These perfumes have a special kind of scent that is hard to find. In the past couple of years, makers have become bolder in attempting to fuse a wide range of fragrances, getting inspirations from experiences and events to motivate others.
Read further to learn more about niche perfumes.
Niche Perfumes Vs. Designer Perfumes
Niche perfumes are produced in limited quantities. This offers the guarantee that if you wear them, you’ll have an exclusive scent. This is indeed their selling point, rather than attention-grabbing ads and packaging. Manufacturers of this kind of fragrances are strict in utilizing high concentrations of perfume extracts and natural ingredients to develop unique sensations and experiences every time you open the perfume bottle.
On the other hand, designer perfumes are produced in massive amounts to make these available in plenty of retail stores worldwide. They are often launched by fashion houses and labeled as typical scents. These fragrances appeal to many because they are cheaper than niche perfumes and are endorsed by celebrities.
Both perfume options have strong selling points, but if you want something unique, niche perfumes are the best choice. With the increasing number of boutiques and online stores offering such, getting a bottle of your preferred niche scent has become easier. And though it is pricier, rest assured that you’ll get a high-quality, long-lasting scent.
Interesting Facts About Niche Perfumes
Here are other compelling reasons to choose niche scents today.
- Niche houses follow basic principles to preserve their image and create scents that mass perfumery can’t match. These principles are:
- Having a qualified perfumer in charge of the house
- Implementing a selective approach to product distribution
- Not recognizing advertising, aside from interviews in prominent media and magazine articles
- A fragrance is categorized as a niche based on three factors – non-ubiquity, scarcity, and specialization.
- The history of niche perfumes dates back before designer fragrances became popular. They were used by noble people and royal families like Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth I.
- Elizabeth I used to saturate herself in various fragrances to mask the smell of sweat whenever she suffers from chronic panic attacks. This led to the release of a delicate scent in 2009, which comes in a bottle with the Queen’s signature.
- Recently, niche perfumes were produced for royalties again. For example, a niche fragrance consisting of a regal bouquet of rose, sweet violet, and jasmine was developed to honor Queen Elizabeth II’s jubilee.
- Niche perfumes were also created for the weddings of Princess Diana and Duchess Catherine. A floral combination of jasmine, rose, and tuberose was used for Princess Diana, whereas a floral bouquet of jasmine, lily, and gardenia was chosen for Duchess Catherine.
9 Brands to Choose From
Here are some of the best niche perfume brands you must know. If you are still using a typical scent, now is the best time to upgrade to one of these.
1. Bvlgari
Bvlgari is an Italian fragrance brand founded in 1884 by Sotirios Voulgaris. Bvlgari fragrances are jewels because they are made from precious materials. They also convey a unique play of lights and reflections. One of the most sought-after among its niche perfumes is the Bvlgari Petits Et Mamans Set Eau De Toilette, made for sensitive skin and offers a light fun, floral scent, making it a favorite among mothers and babies. Meanwhile, the Le Gemme Gyan Eau De Parfum is a perfect gift for the gentleman in your life, with each bottle signed by no less than the master perfumer Jacques Cavallier.
2. BYREDO
BYREDO is a fragrance house in Sweden that combines unique cultural references from across South Asia. It is founded by Ben Gorham, who employs his mom’s Indian roots in creating distinct fragrances that fuse the East and West. Though the brand sources their materials from different parts of the world, all their products are carefully produced by hand in Sweden.
3. Creed
Founded in the 1700s by James Creed in Britain, Creed has become one of the perfume suppliers of the royal families. Even after several generations, the brand still caters to the royalties, in the hands of Oliver Creed. Moreover, the company reiterates that all components of their products are weighed, mixed, and filtered in exactly the same way they were centuries ago.
4. Diptyque
Diptyque was founded in 1961 in France by three artists but was later acquired by Manzanita Capital in 2005. The brand's first scent was released in 1968, which is based on old English recipes. After that, most of their products were inspired by the artists’ travel experiences.
5. The Different Company
Founded by Jean-Claude Ellena in 2000, The Different Company has become one of today’s most successful niche perfume companies. The brand is also responsible for producing scents for brands like Bulgari, Hermes, and Cartier.
6. Tom Ford
Tom Ford fragrances were launched in 2014 when its founder, Tom Ford, left Gucci. The brand offers scents made from some of the world’s most precious ingredients. Oudh, for instance, was employed in some of their products, along with other ingredients from the rich culture and traditions of the Middle East. And mirroring fashion, Tom has created a collection of fragrances inspired by specific themes loved by both women and men.
7. Nicolai
Nicolai is a highly praised niche fragrance brand today with over 60 perfume creations. The brand was founded in 1989 by Patricia de Nicolai, who is a descendant of the Guerlain family. Instead of joining her family’s business, she launched her own fragrance brand with her husband. Her first creation, a white floral perfume, made her the first female perfumer to receive the International Prize for Young Perfumers.
8. Philly & Phill
Founded in 2009, Philly & Phill is a German niche fragrance brand offering irresistible scents. The brand is known for creating perfumes that are based on passionate, unique, and emotionally charged moments.
9. WIDIAN
WIDIAN was founded in Abu Dhabi by Ali Aljaberi. The brand offers fragrances of Arabia blended with fruity and flowery aromas from around the world. Their gold collection contains more Amber- and Oud-based scents than their black collection. Unlike other fragrance brands, WIDIAN’s products are labeled by numbers instead of names.
Scent has become an integral part of one’s identity. It communicates more than your demeanor or clothes do because other people can catch your scent without having to talk or look at you. So if you are shopping for cosmetics online and looking for an exclusive scent that suits your personality, choose niche fragrances. Check out niche perfume shops online to find fragrances that are created for a privileged few.
AUTHOR BIO
Maya Saab is the Marketing Manager at BEAUTI, the leading beauty retailer in Saudi Arabia that offers carefully selected collections of luxury brands around the world of cosmetics, skincare products, perfumes and health foods. BEAUTI believes in empowering modern Saudi women and giving them everything they are looking for.
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