Swarovski perfumes are refillable So is there a better alternative to refill packaging?Unfortunately refill packaging also requires additional packaging – new bottles, boxes and closures. So the most environmentally friendly option is the fragrance refill bar. Kilian perfumes offer refill opportunities for its perfumesEden Perfumes in the UK offer a refill option where you post the empty bottle back to their factory to be refilled and then sent back out to you. Other big brands have limited refill stations in select outlets and cities, largely in Europe. Such as Guerlain in their flagship store in Paris, Roja Dove offers a refill option in Harrods using Daum crystal dispensers. Le Labo offers refilling in France primarily and selected European outlets. Caron offers a refill station at Fortnum and Mason in London.In the past only bottles with removable screw pumps could be refilled. But now technology from French company Techniplast allows even bottles where you cannot remove the pump to be refilled. Thierry Mugler refill bars for perfumes available in selected storesThierry Mugler has dispensers in store where consumers can refill their perfume bottles at a lower cost.Chic Shaik in the Middle East has had perfumery refill bars in its larger distribution outlets since their launch and offer a lifetime refill service for their bottles. They also will do refurbishment of their beautiful bottles (at a cost) to ensure that they last a lifetime. Hopefully this is the way forward and more companies will start to buy into this new technology to allow more recycling of bottles in the future. However, this requires not only investment from brand owners, but also cooperation from retail outlets. Until there is more pressure from consumers or penalties imposed by governments to encourage more recycling, this approach is unlikely to become available in your local perfume retail outlet.Probably pressure from younger consumers will have an effect on brands as time goes on so that more perfume brands are environmentally friendly. Let us hope for the sake of the planet that this time comes sooner rather than later. Atelier cologne offers refill options for its bottlesThe threat of global warming has meant that many of us are rethinking the way we shop and what we buy. However, for cosmetics and perfumery brands how feasible is it to recycle perfume packaging? Which perfume brands are environmentally friendly?Most perfume sets are a combination of materials : glass, plastic, aluminum, zinc alloy or wood which makes it difficult to recycle packaging. Nearly all perfume bottles sold have crimp pumps on them which has made it impossible in the past to refill them.So which companies currently offer refill at home options for bottles […]
Tag: niche perfumery
The Niche Bandwagon
What is a niche perfume? What is a niche perfume? Basically it is any perfume which is sold in limited distribution, in certain selected outlets only. We refer to the niche bandwagon as a phenomenon where everyone wants to jump on board this sector and gain sales from it. Niche perfume packaging design is evolving to adapt to the more crowded sales arena. 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 perfumery has traditionally been the most creative sector of perfumery. Small companies create new trends and experiment in limited quantities. Niche perfumery aimed to push the boundaries of perfumery. It tested out new ideas for the fearless few 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. However, limited distribution is not always a guarantee of better perfume. Nowadays niche perfumery is a high growth sector, this growth is fuelled by many ‘me too’ brands. Such brands don’t always have the same drive to create and be different.. Traditional packaging approaches Traditionally niche perfumes 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. It was all about the quality of the perfume essence. The perfumer had freedom to express his originality and creativity. Because there used to be so few niche brands, this approach was highly effective. Added value to niche perfume packaging design However nowadays the market is different. We have seen many new entrants into niche perfumery in recent years, attracted by the growth in this sector. Nowadays it’s difficult to get a place for your brand in selective perfumery outlets just because it smells great. You must display added value in terms of packaging to attract clients. Not always an easy thing to achieve when you are a fledgling company and have limited funds to invest. A new cap or some other packaging design feature might give you a point of difference to will make it easier to sell to new clients. 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. Combining standard perfume bottles with custom made caps Nasengold, Perris and Escentric Molecules have all used standard bottles in an interesting way. 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 can be seen positively, as a creative force. Heavy investment in new moulds 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. Niche perfumery popularity 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. We are very interested in the growth of niche perfumery, if you would like to know more about the niche bandwagon, why not ready our other article about the growth of niche perfumery. Its growing popularity might threaten its very existence. […]