Niche perfumes: what's behind these confidential juices?

Niche perfume, haute perfumery, confidential perfume or even perfume of the author: these are all terms used to describe the alternative to "mass perfumery". And when we talk about the niche, the clichés are numerous: extraordinary raw materials, original and sometimes importable juices, extravagant prices... But what is it really? Should you be interested in niche perfumery, or is it just another marketing concept? And if you are already convinced, how do you choose your niche perfume? (and to smell it well, go to this article which will explain everything to you!)

Bastille dots the i's and crosses the t's to help you see things more clearly!

What is niche perfume? You have three hours...

Let's go back to the basics: the term "niche" simply means a small market segment, which responds to a very specific demand.

Originally, niche perfumery responded to the demand of a small group of connoisseurs looking for differentiating, daring and rare fragrances. But beyond the desire to "smell like no one else", in order to understand niche perfumery, it is necessary to know the reasons that have favoured its incredible development.

The origins: the decline of mainstream perfumery

First, a little flashback: let's go back to the 1980s, when perfumery was going through a period of unprecedented uniformity.

In a now globalised market, the big perfume groups limit the risks and create relatively uniform juices, supposed to please in all latitudes. No crazy ideas and unbridled creativity: the focus is on meeting the market share objectives of the brands.

Once the perfume prototype has been created, it is time for large-scale market research and olfactory tests with XXL panels. The aim? To make sure that the next offspring of the range will go everywhere, and convince customers in Korea, Brazil, France as well as in Russia. Just imagine: it's as if everyone in the four corners of the world started cooking exactly the same flavours. The origin of these mass launches: the success of Lancôme's Trésor, the best-selling perfume in the world in 1992.

To see this uniformity, all you have to do is go to Sephora! Go and smell 3 perfumes in the women's department: we bet you 1 bitcoin that you will find the same sweet and greedy effect, sometimes even sickening. What do you expect, it's fashionable...

At the same time, marketing and advertising are pushing the olfactory aspect into the background in favour of the image. There is less talk about the juices but more - even too much - about storytelling. As Jean-Claude Ellena, a famous perfumer, sums it up:"Before there was a perfume, a bottle, a story. Now it's more like a story, a bottle, a fragrance."

If a perfume sells, it is less and less for what it contains and more and more for the scenario that is created around it. Astronomical sums are spent on advertising campaigns, which can reach millions: 30 million euros in 2004 for Chanel N°5 with Nicole Kidman, which is a record! To make it easier for customers to identify with the fragrances, they must now be associated with faces and symbols, ideally with world-famous film stars. Shall we do the test? If we tell you:

• Johnny Depp, you tell me... Sauvage de Dior. Too easy.
• Keira Knightley? Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel.
• Charliz Theron? (this one's a gift) I love it from Dior. Makes sense.
• Cate Blanchett? Sì by Giorgio Armani, of course.

This globalised marketing uses universal references and signs to make it easier for us to identify with their storytelling.

For example, mythology is omnipresent in perfume advertisements. Paco Rabanne's Olympéa and Invictus, Versace's Eros, Yves Saint Laurent's Kouros... are all perfumes built on mythological references that speak to everyone, but which end up smelling like a copy/paste.

The birth of niche perfumery

Except that, after a while - in the early 90s to be precise - some customers found the strings a bit thick, and looked for a more original alternative than the umpteenth variations of the same bestsellers offered in the same supermarkets.

This is why some independent brands and perfumers have decided to go back to basics: to put know-how, creativity and exceptional raw materials back at the heart of the process, without being hindered by the heavy profitability imperatives inherent to large groups. The objective? To offer unique fragrances that allow everyone to affirm their identity. Beyond simply wanting to smell good or resemble the muses we see in advertising campaigns, the aim of niche perfumes is quite simply not to smell like... the other.

What is a niche perfume?

Far from long marketing briefs, the confidential perfumery was born not to please the greatest number of people, but to offer unique and emotionalfragrances. It quickly distinguished itself by :

• Ultra-selective distribution: Niche perfumes are not found in large retailers but rather in independent perfumeries and concept stores. Sephora? Very little for them, thank you. We prefer small independent perfumeries and internet distribution.

• A strong olfactory identity and total creative freedom: no more market research and precise marketing briefs. Niche perfumes rely on the creativity, originality and know-how of the perfumers who create them, and their briefs are generally much more evocative. For example: a simple word like "Dark", or an idea like "The cry of suffering nature" (true, this has resulted in a niche fragrance!). These briefs replace the long powerpoints traditionally used by large groups, where the focus is mainly on the marketing target you are trying to reach. 

  At Bastille, our briefs combine both raw materials and evocative concepts. For example, our next fragrance will convey the idea of nature in full bloom, in all its strength and sensuality. To inspire the perfumers, we've created this moodboard:

  

Each image evoked something different for each perfumer. A disco ball in the forest and one imagined a sparkling green note; an upright flower and the other perceived a very sensual ylang-ylang. One thing led to another and we talked about raw materials and sensations, and together we created this superb perfume.

• The rarity and quality of raw materials: in niche perfumery, perfumers give pride of place to exceptional ingredients. This choice has led to the creation of fragrances in which only the nobility of the raw material counts: for example, a beautiful vetiver, an original sandalwood, etc. What's more, some brands - Bastille is one of them - have chosen to give preference to raw materials grown in a sustainable way, with respect for small local producers.

• Prices sometimes much higher than in conventional perfumery: it is inevitable that the use of noble raw materials has a cost. These ingredients are often 2 to 3 times more expensive than the materials used in more conventional perfumes, which is reflected in the final price. While many brands remain reasonable, it is not uncommon to see the prices of some bottles soar... Should you succumb to these nectars that exceed 300€ per bottle? We have our own idea, we'll tell you more at the end of the article. 

• Marketing in the background: confidential brands generally do not rely on advertising, but on the fragrance and the emotions it evokes. The communication is more intimate, far from the big poster or television campaigns that we see for blockbusters. For niche brands, the main messages are those of the authenticity of the materials, and the communication is sometimes offbeat - as can be seen with brands such as État Libre d'Orange, which relies on cheeky perfume names and concepts (Putain des Palaces, I Am Trash or Sécrétions Magnifiques come to mind).

  
• Mixed fragrances: Perfumes "for men" or "for women" are a 20th century invention, which has become a marketing norm that niche perfumery is trying to break free of. A fragrance must first and foremost correspond to the personality of the person wearing it, and that has nothing to do with its gender! And to be honest, gendered fragrances are mostly about marketing.

Has niche perfumery become a big blur?

Since the rise of niche perfumery, many so-called confidential fragrances have been launched: over 1,000 a year, compared with less than 40 in the 1970s. Alongside traditional niche brands such as Serge Lutens, L'Artisan Parfumeur and Annick Goutal, new French brands are also attempting to renew the genre: By Kilian, Juliette Has a Gun, Memo, Sylvaine Delacourte... and of course Bastille.

However, the success of some of these brands is gradually erasing the notion of "confidentiality" on which niche perfumery was previously based. The niche is therefore beginning to be well filled... and its contours are becoming increasingly difficult to define, as new market dynamics and new players upset its fundamentals.

Indeed, some brands are surfing on the trend and developing niche concepts that are primarily marketing-oriented and sometimes disappointing in terms of scent. At the other end of the spectrum, there have been numerous takeovers of niche brands by large groups. Having reached a significant size, certain confidential brands such as Frédéric Malle, Atelier Cologne, Dyptique, Penhaligon's, Joe Malone... have been bought by large groups such as Estée Lauder or L'Oréal, and are now offered in distribution chains such as Sephora. These takeovers have eroded the clear separation between classic and niche perfumery. To the great regret of some independent perfumers like Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, who does not hesitate to affirm: "A so-called niche brand cannot be part of a group".

Big brands sniff out the trend

This confusion is reinforced by the launch of "private collections" and other "exclusive perfumes" by the major brands, to combat this new competition. Guerlain started it all in 2005 with the launch of its L'art et la Matière line. Other major brands have followed suit: Dior's Privée collection, Hermès' Hermessence or Prada's Olfactories, all of which are supposed to be more qualitative (and more expensive...) than the rest of the range.

These exclusive or private fragrances are ultimately the result of a clever mix of classic and niche perfumery characteristics. They are launched on the same codes as those of alternative perfumery: emphasis on raw materials and olfactory experience, more refined fragrance names and more targeted communication. Olfactively, there is a debate: according to the experts, there are both original juices and sometimes disappointing variations of block-busters. 

Names under debate

Finally, to complete the confusion, some brands refuse the term "niche " and assert themselves more as "experimental" brands, playing with unexpected concepts and materials. One example is Comme des Garçons and their Rouge fragrance, whose star is... beetroot. Here is what their artistic director says about it:

"What we do is different. Many people think that we do niche perfumery, a word that I now find overused. I would say that we do experimental perfumery (...)" - Christian Astuguevieille

Which leads some to wonder: is niche perfume just a snob thing after all? We tell you about it here.

Finally, some brands play very well on the 2 tables of the niche and the mass market. Tom Ford, for example, perfectly bridges these two worlds with qualitative juices sold in selective distribution, and a successful private collection (Private Blend).

To sum up: this evolution of niche perfumery is not necessarily negative. Certainly, its definition has been overturned by new dynamics. Anne Bouvelle, a perfumery expert evaluator for over twenty years and Creative Director at Bastille, sees in this transformation of the niche"an opportunity for the next brands to do better and evolve towards more original scents". It's an invitation to broaden the field of possibilities, which is exactly what we're exploring at Bastille.

How to choose a niche perfume?

As you can see, the very idea of niche perfumery is too vague to be precisely defined. The market has undergone so many changes that it is difficult to say with any certainty whether a particular brand is a niche brand. So, if you are in a panic to choose your next fragrance, ask yourself this simple question: what do youreally want from a niche fragrance?

• If you're looking to stand out from the crowd with an original fragrance, consider experimental brands such as État libre d'Orange, or subtly original houses like Bastille.
• If the nobility of the materials is more important to you, choose brands that work exclusively with quality ingredients. In general, you'll find all the information you need on the product sheets of the fragrances you're interested in. For example, at Bastille we use 95% natural ingredients and invest 3 to 4 times more than the average in the price of our raw materials: enough to offer you an incredible Indian tuberose, a dazzling Sicilian mandarin, and so on.
• If you like brands with a more ethical approach , choose those with a commitment to the environment: Henry Rose or Bastille for their total transparency on ingredients, Olfactive Studio for its contribution to environmental restoration in Brazil, Atelier Materi for its promotion of French craftsmanship...
• If you've had enough of gendered marketing, you'll usually find something to suit you in niche perfumeries everywhere, at Bastille and elsewhere!

However, beware of the price, as not everything can be justified. There is no immutable rule, but from 250 or 300€, you risk paying more for the bottle than the juice... Just because a perfume is expensive doesn't mean it only contains beautiful raw materials. It can also be a strategic choice to position yourself "very high end" with a 400€ perfume, when the ingredients cost, in all, only 5€. 

You've become pros at niche perfumery! You now have all the tools you need to think outside the box and find an original fragrance that will set you apart from the rest. If you're ready to take the plunge, you're in for some compliments, flattering questions ("What are you wearing? I love it!") and great discoveries.

And if you don't know where to start, we've got just the thing for you:

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Photos: unknown, Jules Theret, unknown, Nicolas Mingalon
Sources: L'Oréal, Flairflair