The Niche Bandwagon

Floraiku Perfume

What is a niche perfume? Basically it is any perfume which is sold in limited distribution, in certain selected outlets only.

Recently Niche perfumes have been growing their market share worldwide. This is largely because of the increased desire for individuality, a need for higher quality, bespoke products.
Niche has traditionally been the most creative part of perfumery, creating new trends instead of following them. Trying to push the boundaries of perfumery, testing new ideas for those who are not afraid to experiment and who don’t want to smell like everyone else. Niche perfumery has also attracted a certain amount of snobbery and many feel that the perfumes are always superior to the high street brands, but this is often not the case. There are so many new entrants nowadays trying to enter into niche perfumery, attracted by the sector growth that some ‘me too’ brands have popped up which don’t always have a deep understanding of ingredients and the same striving for quality.

Traditionally niche perfumes have had ultra simple packaging, often a paper label on a standard bottle, in order to communicate that the focus is on the fragrance, not on packaging gimmicks. The quality of the perfume, the originality and creativity of the fragrance was what mattered. And there used to be so few niche brands that this approach could work.

standard perfume bottles ready moulds used with paper labels for niche perfumes

However nowadays the market is different. We have seen many new entrants into niche perfumery in recent years attracted by the growth that this sector has shown. So now it’s no longer possible to guarantee your brand will be placed into selective perfumery outlets just because it smells great. A greater stand out value in terms of packaging is required to attract clients. Not always an easy thing to achieve when you are a fledgling company and have limited funds to invest. However, a failure to at least invest in a new cap or some other packaging feature to give you a point of difference means that potential clients will be less likely to trial your brand if it does get retail listings.

Brands such as Stephanie Humbert et Lucas, AK France, Kemi, Naso di Raza, Simimi and Tola are good examples of products with standard bottles and custom made caps to give brand differentiation.

standard bottles used with creative new caps

Standard bottles have also been used to great effect by decorating the bottle in a unique way by Nasengold, Perris and Escentric Molecules. Some of the bottles don’t bother to put a cache pump or supply a cap, having a strictly modern and ‘less is more’ approach. In mass market perfumery, it would be seen as a way of cutting costs and thus ‘cheapening’ the brand. But in niche perfumery it is seen positively, as a way of breaking out of the expected way of doing things.

creative bottle decoration allows niche perfume to be created using standard bottles and still look different to competitors

Other brands such as House of Sillage, House of Oud, Moresque, and Menditorossa have invested heavily in creative new packaging and are reaping the rewards by having a brand which has a unique personality and attraction.

creative packaging options for niche perfume packaging

Niche perfumery will continue to grow for some time until it reaches a saturation point and some of the brands who do not have a strong personality or reputation for outstanding, creative fragrances will inevitably fail. In the meantime, brands who do not consider creative packaging a worthwhile investment will find that it is more difficult to gain entry to the traditional niche perfumery retail points.

Добавить комментарий