Niche selective fragrances. Best Niche Perfume Brands - How to Choose a Scent

Historically, almost all niche perfumery is based in France and Italy. Italy in general is incredibly important for the global market, because there are only such a number of independent shops there. It is in Italy that two major international exhibitions are held - spring and autumn, in Milan and Florence. The first is "Esxence", where the producers themselves exhibit their products, and the second - "Pitti Fragranze" - distributors. The division into spring and autumn has nothing to do with seasonality. It's just that these are two competitors, and they should not coincide in time.

Demeter is based in America, there are private little-known perfumers, but there is no serious industry anywhere except in Europe.

Why jewelers and fashion houses create their own fragrances

Bestseller - Chanel No. 5 and the re-release of the historical fragrance of 1925 - Chanel Gardenia, which costs completely different money Every self-respecting major fashion or jewelry house that also produces perfume under its own name, with the spread of niche perfumery, has acquired its own selective lines. For example, Chanel No. 5 fragrance is included in the main perfume line and costs quite real money ($120 on the brand's website), while Gardenia from the Chanel Les Exclusifs selective line costs $3800 (price per 900 ml). Meanwhile, both an independent perfumer from a niche brand and an eminent commercial perfumer from big house the same materials and possibilities. Many independent masters have access to oils and essences that are purchased for the same Coco Mademoiselle by global manufacturers. Even the production of both of them in most cases is handled by one of the two best Swiss companies - Firmenich or Givaudan.

Sometimes the whole process rests on one person: he independently purchases the ingredients from several manufacturers, mixes and pours everything himself - of course, not on his knee, but very professionally. This is how the Frenchman Pierre Guillaume, creator of Parfumerie Generale, an exemplary French brand with tiny circulations, works. the simplest packaging and names of fragrances by numbers (25 perfumes in total, not counting intermediate ones like 6.1).

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Why there are no gender fragrances in niche perfumery

Selectives are not divided into male and female - this is the same trick of marketers as the concept of "unisex fragrance". Historically, perfume has been a gender-neutral product. For example, those very woody notes that are usually added to what any nose defines as men's fragrance, are more about elegance than masculinity.

Photo: Sasha Karelina

How much does selective perfume cost?

A long time ago one talented married couple under the name Bobo, she created the Pepsi Cola flavor, which won numerous packaging awards. The product was comparable in price to any fragrance from the mass market, and this despite the fact that several eminent perfumers worked on it. Known to all, Demeter also went down the path of humorous, even scandalous, and are also sold at very affordable prices. The aroma of beetroot, dust, cemetery, funeral home - yes, they simply scoff at the industry!

Demeter is perhaps one of the most famous brands in selective perfumery, but still did not cross the line of 250 points of sale. But the stereotype of “expensive selectives” did not come out of nowhere. Yes, small-circulation fragrances are more expensive to manufacture, they are made up of persistent natural oils, often hand-packed - that is, they simply cannot cost 1,500 rubles. If the composition contains diamond dust or oil of the only representative of a plant species on the continent, the price can reach fantastic proportions.

Is it possible to mix flavors

If for someone Lacoste copes with the role of the ideal smell, then this is absolutely normal, and one should only be glad that someone found their fragrance so easily. But it happens that a person listens to aromas for a long time, chooses, chooses, but even the most complex smells seem simple to him. In these cases, the consultant mixes different perfumes for him - some brands have schemes for the most successful combinations, others have to choose on a whim.

Why Perfumers Can't Be Trusted

There are people who prefer mono-aromas. More precisely, they think they prefer it, because a mono-perfume is the biggest deception in the world: it's all the same, whatever one may say, a composition. Each fragrance has one very bright ingredient, which is beautifully framed by a huge amount of other oils. A person simply may not know how the original source smells. So you come to the store, take the product, it says Fleur D'Orange. You listen and believe that this is how orange flowers smell, because how can a Russian person know how orange flowers smell? Or L’Artisan Parfumeur had Mimosa Pour Moi. But mimosa has no fragrance oil, and Mimosa Pour Moi is a composition various ingredients, which together resemble the smell of mimosa. Or, for example, the same with tuberose (a plant of the agave family. - Approx. ed.): we took Fracas by Robert Piguet as the unit of tuberose. And this is not tuberose, this is a classic trio of tuberose, jasmine and orange blossom.

Well, about the classification: as in the mass market, all division depends on the proportion of alcohol, aromatic substances and water. The weakest concentration is Eau de Cologne, then Eau de Toilette, Eau de Parfum (or day perfume as we call it) and finally Parfum. But even in niche perfumery, there are cases when a perfumer allegedly works in the Eau de Parfum format, and his concentration of oils does not even reach the Eau de Toilette.

Is there a niche perfumery in Russia

There is also an exhibition in Moscow, Intercharm, but big perfumers almost never come there. In general, if we talk about the Russian trace, then recently we have the first niche perfume er, Maria Borisova. Fragrances of her brand Selection Excellence are made in Belgium, wooden caps for bottles are made by a Tver master, and the bottles themselves are made at a factory in Austria. And in the US, two girls with Russian roots started the pro-Russian brand Sulékó, for example, they have the woody-musky fragrance Baba Yaga in a stupa-shaped bottle. Another Russian trail is Fragrantica, an online perfume encyclopedia where you can read everything about absolutely every fragrance on the planet. The owner of the project, Elena Knezhevich, founded a house called The Vagabond Prince. Their bottles are painted Khokhloma, Russian-Pre-Russian, even unnecessarily.

In Russia, the consumer is very specific. For example, if the name of a fragrance contains the word "rose", no one will ever buy it. For some reason, people do not like to know that his perfume contains a Bulgarian or Turkish rose, but in fact, almost no fragrance can do without it.

10 fragrances with an unusual smell: the choice of the "City"

Figue Fruitee by Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger

Photo: Sasha Karelina

One of the best free interpretations of fruit fig, which is not an oil plant - that is, it does not give oil, and can only be synthesized in perfume. Eau de Parfum is produced in the collection "Fragrances of Provence", which is run by Au Pays de la Fleur d'Oranger - a company that, in addition to selling all sorts of souvenirs from Provence, supplies oils to perfume houses.

Laboratorio Olfattivo Alkemi

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Three independent perfumers have teamed up to create a line of nine fragrances called Laboratorio Olfattivo. This perfume - a viscous, heavy "Alchemy" - was invented by Marie Duchesne, who built it not on the traditional pyramid (although formally it is still present) of base, middle and top notes, but on a single smell of old oak barrels of whiskey, which kept in mind all this time.

Jade Olivier Durbano

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Olivier Durbano, whose name this perfume bears, is not actually a perfumer - he has worked all his life in a jewelry house named after himself and has a passion for semi-precious stones and minerals. A series of multi-colored fragrances created under his leadership by five guest perfumers - a declaration of love to jasper, crystal, moonstone and five more breeds. Inside the bottle with green Jade are three jade balls, which allegedly give the perfume its fragrance.

Parfumerie Generale Hyperessence Matale

Photo: Sasha Karelina

The note of green tea in perfumery is not uncommon, but other tea varieties were undeservedly forgotten before the advent of Hyperessence Matale No. 12. The great Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Generale dedicated a whole series of Hyperessence Matale to the drink. Aroma No. 6 turned out to be extremely successful with green tea, after which Guillaume decided to make the perfume stronger, so the base note was not classic green, but black tea. Since it is impossible to obtain oil from it, tea is subjected to photo-refining - ultraviolet irradiation, during which it emits a smell that can be fixed.

Leather by Franck Boclet

Photo: Sasha Karelina

A distinctly masculine perfume by French fashion designer Franck Boclet. In 2012 he opened perfume house and started the business with a series of mono fragrances built around his favorite scents in the world - leather, oud, patchouli and incense. Each bottle is packaged in an organza pouch, which Boclet himself likens to female leg in a stocking.

Monsieur by Huitieme Art Parfums

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Another work by Pierre Guillaume, already under a different name, in the Eighth Art series. From the very beginning, the bottles in this series were white and contained the aromas of various edible products. Monsieur is the first unambiguously masculine and therefore black. Here, again, there is no traditional pyramid, the smell rests on two pillars - smoke and incense.

Jasmin and Cigarette Etat Libre d'Orange

Photo: Sasha Karelina

The Etat Libre d'Orange project has dozens of fragrances with provocative names, but rather harmless sound. Among the most memorable is "Jasmine and Cigarettes" with orange, jasmine and tobacco. Say hello to Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich blowing smoke from a black and white screen into a dark cinema.

Korloff In White by Korloff Paris

Photo: Sasha Karelina

The Korloff jewelery house, symbolized by the 88-carat black diamond Korloff Noir, makes jewel-shaped caps for all its fragrances. One of the most non-trivial - 88 ml bottle frosted glass with the crisp, tangy freshness of snow inside.

liquid money

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Ex-Microsoft VP Patrick McCarthy once read on the Internet a study by Japanese scientists who found out that money smells - moreover, this smell motivates you to succeed. Without thinking twice, McCarthy found a perfumer and created two fragrances - male and female - with the smell of cotton and metal shavings, which together give the scent of a freshly printed banknote. Interestingly, the bottle is packaged in sliced ​​​​on long strips real 20 dollar bill.

Sucre d'Ebene Huitieme Art Parfums

Photo: Sasha Karelina

Reliable liquid brown sugar in a retrofuturistic bottle of the same Pierre Guillaume, who figured out how to pack smoke and incense in glass, the nose of a professional will immediately understand that the sugar is irradiated with ultraviolet light and infused with musk. The rest can be content with a clever imitation of the smell, from which the appetite instantly wakes up.

Dear readers, we apologize for the mistakes made in the material. We corrected: the names of the Italian perfume exhibitions "Esxence" and "Pitti Fragranze", clarified the volume of the Gardenia perfume bottle, added the missing letter in the name of Mimosa Pour Moi and removed the extra one in the name of Firmenich. If you notice any other inaccuracies, please feel free to report it.

Two corners on the 1st and 4th floors of the department store, the first is owned by Rive Gauche and sells at a discount on a gold card mainstream niche perfumes like Serge Lutens and Byredo; on the 4th, the fragrances are more expensive, largely due to the Tsvetnoy mark-up.

Member of the Bosco family with three cosmetics and perfume stores. Specifically, for a niche, it’s better to go to GUM, where there are Jo Malone, Diptyque, and selective lines of brands like Chanel and Guerlain

There has been a lot of talk about selective perfumery lately, but few people have a clear idea of ​​what it really is. Wonderzine tells how the popularity of the Dior fragrance has influenced the emergence of niche brands, why selective is better and what is happening with this industry now.

liza kologreeva

SELECTIVE Perfume is called if it is released in a limited edition and is sold in a small number of stores. Small means 400 or 500, and not 4000 or 5000, like Chanel and Dior (we are not talking about their exclusive lines now). Such fragrances have a much more complex structure than a mass perfume: the number of notes increases many times, and among them there are frozen wood or mushrooms with champagne. Selective is distinguished by high quality raw materials - special synthetic components are produced for it and selected natural products. For example, it is believed that it is better to go to the Maghreb countries for an orange tree. In 2005, L "Artisan did this: the brand bought most of the orange crop in Tunisia and released 3,000 bottles of Fleur d`Oranger.

BOOM The selective took place in the second half of the 20th century, 1985 is considered a turning point. Then the legendary Dior fragrance - Poison appeared in stores: its sales were so great that they provoked the appearance of even more fakes. Perfumers thought about developing niche fragrances - and selective brands appeared one after another. However, there are also stamps with a long history - Creed appeared in 1760, and Dorin was loved by the entire court of Marie Antoinette - which existed before the separation perfume market into segments.

Aubepine-Acacia -
fragrance of the French brand Creed of 1965: it belongs to a series of perfumes designed specifically for celebrities

It is selective brands that arouse the interest of buyers to a greater extent, this also applies to perfumes - the fragrances of Amouage, Boadicea, Diptyque, Montale, Maison Francis Kurkdjian are becoming increasingly popular. All of them primarily pay attention to scientific developments, use natural and biologically active ingredients, minimize the use of parabens and other chemicals. There were also unpopular brands in our assortment. And in this case speech - about organic perfumery, for example Melvita. We are well aware that they are the future, but so far they do not arouse due interest and do not resonate in the soul of our buyer. Now you should not use the term "niche" - this is a bad form. Niche perfumes are made up of expensive ingredients and come out at a very low price. limited quantities. Selective does not mean expensive.

FOR SELECTIVE A brand is usually worth one perfumer. Francis Kurkdjian creates a signature brand Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and Pierre Montal created fragrances for oriental kings and queens, but returned to Paris and launched a brand of surprisingly persistent fragrances from natural ingredients Montale. Sometimes several perfumers work on brands - but they often have one creative director.

LIKE MOST PERFUME BRANDS, the selective keeps production in France. The reason is that it is more difficult to find ingredients in local markets - or to keep them in the right condition during transportation. A good half of oils for convenience is produced in the same France. In countries that do not specialize in the perfume industry, only small handmade brands are bottled. Those who want to build up a slightly more global pace again go to France - one of the most famous selective brands, Byredo, had a factory in Sweden, but it was also moved south.

Unisex fragrance Dries Van Noten - part of olfactive portraits by Frederic Malle. It came out in 2013

Niche fragrances are good already because you can use them in Everyday life but still stand out from the crowd. Choose this perfume if you want to smell elegant and simple, but at the same time very unusual. For example, do you like lilies of the valley, but the smell of air freshener on your skin does not suit you? Rescue niche perfumery. In the market, we are in between a mass market like Dior and collectible fragrances.

Our segment has difficulties. For example, the level of quality of oils and components, in principle, sometimes leaves much to be desired. We constantly need to follow the trends in packaging design and every time try to pleasantly surprise people, and do it unobtrusively. Byredo is your ideal companion if you love modern Art and pure flavors with a beautiful story.

Gypsy Water fragrance
smells of fresh soil, forest and fires -
as befits the name

Luxury perfume is in many ways similar to luxury jewelry. Its creation requires colossal work and a special rare talent, without which it is impossible to obtain a truly unique smell. Let's try to figure out the difference between exclusive perfumery and mass perfumery.

What does "niche perfumery" mean?

IN English language there are two separate terms: niche - perfumes with a natural composition and limited distribution, and selective - "expensive" editions of perfumes of well-known brands. Among Russian buyers, selective perfume and niche fragrances are synonymous, and the presence of two terms is explained by the “subtleties of translation”. In the general sense, selective fragrances are rare perfumes of the highest class, which are produced in small quantities and have a natural composition. Such production - one of the most expensive in the perfumery market.

Features of Selective Fragrances

Women's and men's selective perfumes are produced in small batches. You can buy it only in specialized shops of the elite class. Selective Eau de parfum or the spirits are different also the highest quality. Many well-known premium brands, creating exclusive perfume, oriented to the mass market, use synthetic components. They give nice smell, but in most cases, the buyer pays for the brand by buying such an expensive perfume.

Classics and novelties of niche perfumery are fundamentally different from popular mass products, primarily in terms of composition. In their formula - only natural ingredients, often rare, obtained in a certain year or hard to find - and therefore even more valuable. Thanks to them, fragrances are revealed in a special way on the skin, transforming and transforming over time. Moreover, the "sound" of the same spirits on different people can be strikingly different. Many components are mined and produced only in France, which is why the most famous luxury perfumery is produced in this country.

Working on the composition, the perfumers of the company, which creates fragrances of the highest class, literally create a work of art. They do not try to please the client and often experiment with notes, creating extravagant and intellectual compositions with a complex sound. That is why it is difficult for an inexperienced person to understand and appreciate even the best selective fragrances - as works of modern art.

Packaging for perfumes that are classified as selective plays a small role. Often, bottles containing luxurious rare fragrances have simple form and a single label with brief information. The essence of such products is the enjoyment of the composition, not the shell.

It is noteworthy that cult fragrances and novelties of selective perfumery are extremely rarely faked: the prices for authentic components are too high, and it is almost impossible to recreate an exact copy of the fragrance.

The best selective fragrances Lancome

In the Lancôme collection, niche fragrances are represented in the Maison Lancôme Grands Crus line. It includes 8 exclusive vintage tracks:

1. Rôses Berberanza is an eau de parfum by Julien Raskinet, whose bouquet combines damask rose, ripe mandarin and juicy raspberries, balanced by spicy pistachio and herbal accords;
2. Parfait de Rôses - in a multifaceted fragrance from Natalie Lorson, sweet as the famous French dessert, tea rose and pepper are combined, wrapped in a powdery trail;
3. Oud Ambroisie - nectar with precious oud, the woody aroma of which is revealed along with honey damask rose and cedar with subtle leathery notes;
4. Jasmins Marzipane - a feminine bouquet performed by Dominique Ropion is composed of notes of jasmine, woody accords and vanilla aroma;
5. Tubereuses Castane - an elegant composition by Shimala Maysondew with two tuberose extracts, the flowers are picked at different times of the day for a sophisticated and subtle fragrance;
6. Lavandes Trianon, a gourmet fragrance by Shimala Maysondew and Oliver Gilltin, reminiscent of summer in Provence, blending vanilla and mountain lavender;
7. L'Autre Ôud, an intelligent unisex fragrance by Christophe Reynaud, redefines the luxurious smell of expensive agarwood;
8. Oud Bouquet is a heady and seductive perfume, in whose composition Fabrice Pellegrin included the scent of 20-year-old oud, copaha and guaiac wood.

Exclusive flavors are to be enjoyed - like a rare delicacy. Many of them are difficult to understand the first time, but a person who has discovered a niche perfume for himself will no longer be able to refuse it.

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Niche perfumery... You must have heard about it dozens of times, and you have tried all these strange aromas in the corners with notes of Havana tobacco, Amazonian trees, shrubs from the Sahara desert, alligator skin, white cedar, red wine from berries harvested in the successful 1956 ... Eccentric, unusual, fresh or not so fresh - but do you need such a perfume? No wonder you still can't answer this question. Well, let's figure it out together, and let's start with what we remember once and for all: complex perfume compositions should be chosen not because it is fashionable, but because you really want and will wear them.

By the way, fashion, or (to put it more correctly) obsession with niche fragrances, has emerged relatively recently in our country. Why? Firstly, the intimacy of perfume lines of selectives initially assumed the absence of mass character. Secondly, niche fragrances do not need advertising - they are stories that are passed from mouth to mouth. Thirdly, the culture of aromas itself appeared in our country just a couple of years ago, and selective perfumery is not just artificially synthesized floral or citrus notes and marketing tricks of promotion, therefore it requires a more sophisticated nose.

The birth of niche fragrances has its own history (of course, we cannot promise you 100% authenticity, but it is considered to be the starting point): Mûre et Musc perfume of 1978, created by perfumer Jean Laporte from french house L'Artisan Parfumeur. According to legend, he “crossed” blackberries heated by the sun with nutmeg and got a flavor that is amazing and unlike any previously created.

How do you know if you have a niche fragrance in your hands?

Look around: you are not in an ordinary chain perfume store, but in a small corner or in a small shop with a mysterious fairy-tale interior.
Look for special packaging, starting with the bottle (most often they have the same design) ending with the nuances enclosed in the box - a dried leaf of a tree, playing card, a mineral of unusual shape.
Pay attention to unusual details. Niche fragrances are famous for their amazing stories. If you hear about the childhood of a perfumer who grew up on the streets of a small town, lived in oak barrel and he created his first fragrance, remembering that very oak, or even worse, finding this barrel 40 years later, which means that this is a “selective” before you.
Try the scent. The contents of the bottle should seem very strange, you will be haunted by the feeling that the perfumer mixed up the heavy base and playful top notes, completely forgetting about the latter. And remember, it is difficult to define a “gender” for a selective fragrance – there is no division into male and female in this niche.
Focus on price. Chanel fragrances, such as Bois Des Iles, Gardénia and 31 Rue Cambon, will differ markedly in value from your favorite Coco Mademoiselle.
And take a closer look at the name of the perfumer. Only sensitive super-professionals and the most refined "noses" work with "selective" (here you have to "google" to read about the creator). By the way, do not neglect the search “by photo”, we don’t know how it happened - but all the creators of rare perfumes are handsome, which ones to look for?

How are selective fragrances created?

The birth of a fragrance is a process that captivates no less than a good series. First, the perfumer comes up with a legend, within which it is clearly defined who the fragrance will be addressed to, or rather, who it is. main character. It could be an artist living on one of the Parisian rooftops, or maybe a lover who turned into a constellation to light up the sky for his beloved every day, or even a virgin who forgot about everything in a dance on a heather field at night when the moon passes from constellation Virgo in Libra. It is not always easy to understand the aroma and recognize the idea, but if the aroma is “the same”, one hundred percent hit of the perfume in your cosmetic bag for ten years is guaranteed!

However, the legend is not everything. The perfumer has to travel the whole world, looking for the very orange blossom that will reveal his idea to the maximum. For example, he can visit the Maghreb countries - and in the north of Africa, and in Tunisia, and in Morocco, and in Algeria, until he finds what he needs. The process of creating a fragrance is akin to winemaking - the place where the component of the future perfume grew is no less important than the season. Moreover, the difficulties do not end there, the perfumer is waiting for a difficult process of finding the right combinations, for now - voila! - the fragrance will not be ready.

If you decide to experiment with complex fragrances, pay attention to our selection, but do not forget: all the perfumes presented, with rare exceptions, are an order of magnitude higher than what you might be used to. There are almost never discounts, special offers and sales for these compositions. The maximum that awaits you is a compliment from the owner of a perfume boutique (for example, an element from the bath collection), as well as an exciting story behind the perfume you have chosen.

In the material :

The art of being original: what is a niche perfume?

The concept of niche perfumery comes from the French "La niche" - in the literal sense of a niche, a cell; figuratively - a certain segment that is exclusively occupied by someone or something. In the Russian language (as far as I understand) this concept (in its figurative representation) entered a long time ago and firmly. “He found his niche in art”, “the product has taken its niche in the market”, etc. - it's all just about our topic.

Niche perfumes are compositions created according to the exclusive formulas of the authors. This is a complete author's creativity, not limited by the scope of the customer, prevailing trends, ingredients used, price limits, etc.

Is the niche exclusive? Undoubtedly! Will you be original in it? Undoubtedly! Is it worth spending a lot of money on such fragrances? Why not, if you have the means and desire? Are you guaranteed to love a niche fragrance? No, no, and another hundred thousand times no! Belonging to a group does not mean unambiguous sympathy. Everything as always - try it! But we will talk about this a little lower.

Niche fragrances - this is the freedom of creativity! This is one of the highest manifestations of perfumery art. This is “this is how I see it” in its olfactory performance. But do you like all the pictures of the world? Isn't there a difference between classical music and the underground? Are ballet and actionist manifestations of modernity the same thing? It's the same with niche perfumes.

Exclusive mono fragrances, for example, dedicated exclusively to rose or peony, or another component - this can be a niche. But “black caviar burned in the wheel of a new car against the background of rotten algae” can also refer to this group.

What is niche?

Classifying niche fragrances is a thankless task, because of their versatility. But still, they highlight the main characteristics that distinguish this group from others. Let's look at them and see if everything here is true:

• Officially, there are no mass advertising campaigns. It is believed that brands spend money on quality ingredients, not on advertising. All this is not entirely true. Indeed, pop stars advertising these fragrances, as a rule, you will not see. However, magazine articles, interviews with perfumers, and similar materials often appear alongside new releases. Is this not an advertisement?
• Such brands have a full-time perfumer. Yes, in most cases it is. Moreover, perfumers are often the founders of niche brands. Nothing prevents a master from working for many years on mass compositions, and then (sometimes in parallel) opening his own niche line. A striking example is from Jacques Cavallier.

Just the presence of a full-time perfumer cannot be an indicator of a niche - a large number of luxury brands also have full-time perfumers. For example, François Demachy y or Thierry Wasser y .

• Niche fragrances are not sold in major department stores, but only in exclusive boutiques.. The same is not clear. Such brands have their own (often mono-brand) stores (by the way, they are very interesting - consultants there are usually very adequate and know their products inside and out!), but what do you want to do with brands that produce luxury, but present and separate niche collections? Do you think they will open separate stores for such lines? Hardly!

It turns out that all three indicators are quite relative. Like everything in this world. To confuse you even more, I will tell you that some brands manage to find their niche inside another niche :-)

Niche and selective: synonyms or separate groups?

You probably noticed that I have never used the term "selective" or "selective perfumery" until now, and many people call the niche that way. I am correcting myself. Selective and niche perfumery are synonymous! But, as elsewhere, there are individual "wise men" who are ready to make money on terms and confuse us with you.

The essence of the problem is that manufacturers of mass fragrances (the same term, but more on that another time) often use the word “Selective” for marketing purposes (in the sense of: exquisite, selective, original). So they wanted to name their work like that, and nothing is able to stop them.

In order not to get confused, you need to understand: when the phrase “ selective perfumery", In most cases we are talking about niche fragrances. However, the word "Selective" on a product's packaging may mean absolutely nothing.

Let's remember the main segments of perfumery (in this context):

Please note that I am basically not talking about the quality of goods in these segments. Do not swear right away, but in my opinion, although this is important, it is secondary. Primary - your perceptions and those of your loved ones.

In one of the materials, we have already discussed with you the so-called. " " when the fragrance should:

1. Like you.
2. Do not annoy loved ones.
3. Do not harm colleagues.

Problems begin when this "self-proclaimed elite" begins to see the "gray mass" around, squeezing itself out of the category " ordinary people". The next step, as a rule, is a dismissive attitude towards others. And if their work turns out to be useless to anyone, then the time of “unrecognized geniuses” and “cattle” comes at all.

All these are quite philosophical things, and do not directly relate to niche perfumery (or rather, they are far from being only related to it). But we need to pay attention to this for several reasons:

• If such an "elite" finally turned on his own genius, then his creations should be treated with a certain skepticism. This does not mean that they are bad - on the contrary, masterpieces of art are often created by frank psychos - this means that you need to be more careful and conduct the test more carefully.
• Whatever the thirst for creativity, whatever spiritual impulses guide the creators, they also want to eat, sorry for the banality. So the commercial component must be present. That is why their stories about (I exaggerate) “universes created in your imagination by the fragrance I created yesterday, under the moonlight and to the sound of the violin, with which the composition is thoroughly saturated” should not always be believed. Let them smell the "smell of moonlight and violin music" themselves, and you have your own nose - it will tell you everything about the aroma.
• Quite often, niche fragrances are dedicated to a certain area: a resort, a city, a district. This is the author's vision. It is quite normal to want to reproduce the smells associated with a favorite place. Another thing is that your and the author's olfactory opinion on the same geographical object may differ. For example, “the aroma with the smells of New York” (for some reason, this is the city that people like to “smell” the most) can cause the expectation of the smells of Soho, but it will turn out to be Harlem.

Now the main thing is that these "elites" continue to consider themselves as such, if it flatters their pride. Be it a brilliant perfumer, a talented designer or an ordinary consultant - let them be "bohemian"!

But everything they do, create, sell - for you! Without you they are nothing. You are the main link in this chain. Your likes and dislikes should determine what you will smell of today, and not the opinions and talents of the "elite". The main thing is you, and the entire elite is needed only to serve your interests. They are your personal perfumers, your servants, if you will. Know this, but never tell "bohemian" ;-)