So for the perfume project we had a trip to London, the ol' great capital, to gather as much research as possible on the current climate of scent trends and the market. We scoured as many shops as possible. The main two that I got the most relevant information from was House of Fraser and Liberty London.
House of Fraser- Atelier Cologne
I talked to their lovely consignment leader in the store, a man who was clearly passionate about the brand as he was so knowledgable, and knew exactly every answer to every question I had. It's either that or he really wanted me to buy something...sorry my lovely my student budget said no. The following paragraph is based on answers he gave according to the questions I asked.
The brands first scent was a citrus fragrance, as a unisex brand it is quite easy to sell a citrus fragrance as they are easily suited to each gender. Every scent is based on a Au De Cologne, their target consumer wants the quality that commercial scent s can't provide apposed to Atelier that makes their products as natural as possible. The employee described it this way "they want the scents to smell, for example, if you want an orange the cologne will smell as if you just broke one open" As if the actual fruit is there in your hands. This is what brings in the consumer. The powerful and realistic smells that last for a long amount of time. Despite citrus being their first and an old popular choice, scents like OUD have become a major player in their 'perfume wardrobe' (a cute concept I will explain further on) OUD is a masculine scent, it's hard and tough, like a MUSK that is also masculine however a MUSK can be found in scents that both gender buy often. Atelier's Chic Absolu collection is one of their newer additions. It's fresh and clean, using essential oils as their base, again enhancing the idea around natural scents. Their 'Perfume Wardrobe' is a part of their brand story. Each perfume has a story behind it's creation, the idea around the wardrobe is that you put it on as if it's another piece of clothing; you are now living the story, or even making your own. Taking you to another place during your day. Another scent they sell is the Rose Anonyme, a mix of rose, OUD and clementine, despite the name it is a largely popular one amongst men as it is not a traditional rosy smell. The most peculiar scent was their Silver Iris, this develops on the skin and smells differently depending on the person and how their skin reacts to it. Every scent is handmade in France, and is natural which goes with the vegan culture as there is no animal testing. This product is not sold in China for this very reason.
Liberty London- Le Labo
Le Labo is another unisex brand that I managed to unkowingly stumble upon back in 2012 when I stayed at the Savoy. The hotel provided their products as toiletries, that I have many of still. Rose 31 being my favourite. Stumbling upon it again in Liberty I managed to ask one of their lab workers about their brand and some questions about their products in terms of the market.
The brand sells their scents in candles, body lotions, body oils, perfumes and sprays. A wider collection than most perfume brands. They are made fresh in store, which was visible through the most aesthetic laboratory I saw in front of me. Le Labos' best seller is Santal 33, this is seen as within the last year or so both sexes have gone for earthy scents which that particular scent has. Women are seen to go for more darker tones now. Musks, ambers and woods are popular. The brand is innovative as it puts twists on regular scents you would find. My favourite Rose 31 for example is the most popular amongst men as is has the sweet of the Rose but is followed by hints of darker musky tones, kind of like a rose on fire that's just been put out. There is something sexy about it. This links to the answer to the question I asked: what is the key to making a unisex perfume?
The answer: musk scents. Mix these with heavily sensual scents like leather and it will be appealing to both genders. As well as this the packaging and naming of the scents is key. Men, more than women, are more hesitant to buy a product with a heavily feminine name. This is also why minimalistic packaging is popular as it does not state a gender.
Some more images from the trip that I used as research for the project, both fragrance and random inspiration.
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