Fragrance & Pets

To Julian - a beloved cat in need of help - Click here to help Julian

RALPH

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog

The history of pets and animal domestication goes all the way back to Ancient Egypt. It is also said that Romans kept dogs, cats, birds and horses, but animals were first considered as purely functional beings as dogs were used for hunting, cats were used to keep little animals out of the house and horses for transportation. Before the 1800s pets were items of luxury and status  symbols of wealth - first only for the royalty, later to the Bourgeoisie when little piglets were also considered pets. A pink piglet pet has saved Casanova played by Heat Ledger in the Casanova film - American version of 2005 -  in the funniest under the table fellatio scene, which I bring here only for a spicy touch to this article (after all life is shorts my friends, we need to have a little fun!).

As society developed pets were no longer available only to the upper classes and they became a middle class commodity. But let's jump some steps in History and get to what is the trend that has been catching a lot of attention in recent years: PET HUMANIZATION.

On the market today you will find birthday celebration parties for pets, pet's funerals, health insurance and dental plans for pets, pet's spas, gyms, hotels, daycares and all sort of center to help your pet feel more relaxed, healthy and happy. There are even Dog's Country Clubs!

Also available in the market there are many jewelry brands, fashion brands for pets and all kind of fancy accessories one can think of, not to mention all the organic foods, or gourmet treats for pets such as muffins, gourmet dinner served in restaurants, such as roasted turkey with butternut squash and russet potatoes and so on...

Today pet owners call themselves "parents'. There are even Court rulings determining pet's custody just as child custody and support. Which by the way I think it is fantastic!

Have you ever heard of a Bark Mitzva? As ridiculous as it may sound to you it exists! It is a Bar Mitzva ceremony for dogs owned by people who own dogs following the Jewish faith...

Parenting pets is called Humanization. We humans are treating our pets as if they were humans like us, and when it comes to grooming, the sky is the limit. 

Fact is that dogs smell. Some people love their pets just as they are - animals that smell like animals; some prefer to get rid of any smell or odor that remotely make them remind of the fact that their loved creatures are in fact animals. 

For perfume lovers, who not only enjoy wearing fragrances, but also think pets should share their passion there are many options in the market. From simple fragrances to upscale cosmetic lines, the range is really vast.

I am bringing here a few fragrances that I thought were interesting in terms of projects and proposals (that does not mean that I endorse the use of perfumes in animals):

MASCHIO is a luxury fragrance for dogs developed by a Manhattan based upscale company called Dog Fashion Spa. 

As the brand describes the fragrance "it is made for the “man of the house”, maschio is an exciting dog fragrance that captures the essence of quality life for dogs with its powerful mix of style, excitement, and male sensuality. inspired by the energy of new york city, maschio embodies the ultimate expression of masculinity in an aura of marine notes, woods, herbs, and fruits. our iconic dog fragrance for him creates a feeling of relaxed sophistication and understated luxury.impeccably attired in a bottle inspired by classic american glamour - an ultimate expression of personal luxury. style: masculine. confident. modern. notes: lemon, grapefruit, bergamot, lavender, marine accord, amber, musk.dog parents: spray on the withers, away from the dog’s face and he will smell fantastic for hours".

Did you notice that the brand calls the pet owners "parents"; Also notice that the fragrance is aiming confident modern dogs (what the hell is a modern dog????) and dogs were so humanized that they became "The man in the house" (???). oh Good Lord!

Photo credit: Dog Fashion Spa

And what about a fragrance for your dog bottled in a flacon design by Karim Rashid?! Sexy Beast motto is: if you love your pet, why not? 

The fragrance is described by the brand as an unisex blend of bergamot and vanilla-infused musk combined with natural patchouli, mandarin and nutmeg oils, and adds “this distinct and highly-addictive eau de parfum will keep your dog smelling fresh and clean long after the trip to the groomer”.

Photo credit: Sexybeast

Need to give a pooch a birthday gift or maybe a Valentine’s treat? Yeah baby, some people don’t just love their pets; they really looove their pets! Well, Les Poochs Fragrances according to the brand thinks pets need to receive perfume as gifts ”features eight exquisite scents which will leave your pooch smelling delightfully fresh for several days. These light elegant fragrances are packaged in beautiful crystal glass bottles and come in beautiful boxes making them wonderful gifts for the most pampered Pooch. From lively fresh notes for the male dog to lovely white florals for female dogs, Les Poochs has a scent for all breeds for all seasons. So good even "humans" can't resist wearing them!!!” 

photo credit: lapooch

John Harris from Nature Lab/Prestige Worldwide Pet company understood PET HUMANIZATION to its core when he launched his line of fragrances for dogs. I am bringing here the history of his products written by the brand (not because I am lazy to re-write it in my very own words, but because it is simply captures Harris sense of humor and it is hilarious as it is!) so here it goes:

photo credit: Nature Lab

"Strong enough for a man, but made for a Chihuahua...

The Beginning

Nature Labs entered the personal care products industry in the Fall of 1994.  Our first homerun was called “Cucumber Slices”; a human health and beauty aid consisting of cotton pads immersed in cucumber extract and other botanical ingredients. Stiff competition, copy-catting and limited sales eventually drove Nature Labs to the dogs.

The Pet  

Pet colognes have been popular for quite some time.  Let’s face it: a dog is a dog is a dog and dogs smell like dogs. So, Nature Labs created a parody line of pet colognes to help keep pet odors at bay.

The result: “colognes for pets” teeming with panache, flair and intrigue.  Top smellers include: cK-9, Timmy Holedigger, Miss Claybone, Bono Sports, Arfmani and Pucci".

Panache, flair and intrigue...well prestige fragrance/fashion brands were so intrigued that that Harris faced the Courts:

"News, Abuse and the Like

Since its launch in February 1997, Colognes for Pets has created some great buzz and has even aroused the likes of Tommy Hilfiger’s trademark attorneys; it was rough going for a while, having to deal with all of the legalities and shelling-out big bucks to defend our little Timmy Holedigger. In August 2002, the Federal Court of New York ruled in favor of Timmy Holedigger, ordering Mr. Hilfiger to “chill”."

I wonder if Marc Jacobs would also sue Harris if he made his dog version of DOT...it would be cool to see a Dalmatian advertising the doggy version DOT!

I have no idea how the smell-alike-fragrances of Mr. John Harris really smell, but one thing I know for sure: if Harris has a dog...he lives in a mansion! Imagine all the agreements signed outside the courts not to produce fragrances smelling like Dior, Chanel, Guerlain, etc? That my friends, is a formula he did not develop in the lab...NY Federal Court delivered to him.

But back to fragrances for dogs - this blogger does not spray perfume in her dog, but she also does not judge who does it. The key to make pets happy is to respect them as they are - ANIMALS. If you wish to use perfume on your pet understand its needs and biological physiology. Olfaction is the primary sense of dogs. While humans have 5 million olfactory receptors, dogs have 220 million. Knowing that you have already a tool to know that you can't spray perfume in a dog as you spray on yourself. Dogs are more sensitive to smell than we are. The safe use of fragrance for pets - whether it is safe or not, raises many controversies. The best advise I can give you is to ask your Vet! They are the expert when dealing with animal's health care.

The cute puppy is Ralph. I love him as a member of my family and I treat him with the respect he deserves. He is a puppy dog, not a human child. Ralph is now 9 moths old, happy and active.

VIOLETTE FUMÉE EDP by MONA di ORIO

Dedicated to Paola Marsi, because every time she smiles everything simply turns into more than this!

VIOLETTE FUMÉE EDP

House: Mona di Orio

Year: 2013

Gender: Unisex

Olfactive Notes: Mediterranean Lavender, Bergamot from Calabria, Oakmoss from the Balkans, Violet flowers and leafs from Egypt, Turkish Rose, Saffron, Bois de Guaiac, Vetiver Haiti, Clary sage, Opoponax and Myrrh from Somalia, Cashmeran, suede.

"The shy violet and iconic rose develop into a powdery and gourmand fume and then ramp up as spicy and savory notes of aphrodisiac saffron and smoky bois de gaiac communicate with the florals and begin to ignite..."

JEROEN OUDE SOGTOEN

photocredit: Mona di Orio Parfums

Following the collection Les Nombres d'Or, Mona di Orio launched the collection Les Nombres d'Or Exclusive, featuring high-priced raw materials such as resins like oudh or very sophisticated notes like violets from Egypt. 

Violette Fumée EDP is the second fragrance - an oriental balsamic floral that originally was custom made for Jeroen and inspired by his childhood memories, his taste for fashion, arts and music and composed with olfactive notes that he loves. The entire process took two years to be completed and the result was a fragrance so special that Jeroen decided to share with the public after Mona passed away. Their affinity, their connection, their perceptions are forever in his heart, but he misses her everyday, and IMO sharing the ONLY fragrance that she made especially for him and that till this day he was wearing only in special occasions is his way of coping with this great personal loss. Sharing HIS personal fragrance means that he want all of us to have a bit of their friendship; he wants to form a different, but somehow a bond with all of us.

Once you heard the song you are half way to understand the fragrance.

Brian Ferry is an impeccable vocal genius whose ability to mix different styles such as French Chanson, classic crooner and hard edge rock made him a legend. Always dressed in well cut suits or even tuxedos, that man involved us with his voice, his charms and most of all, with his tendency for romantic melodramas. Till today he presents himself as an urban romantic sophisticated, but rather mysterious man. Over the years his work always described love, loneliness, luxury and isolation. Perfectly defined in his own website "he is the great anatomist of glamour - always modern and instantly classic".

All that said about Brian Ferry, you are now able to capture the vibe of this signature perfume because Jeroen wanted him in his perfume. He wanted to capture a bit of his persona. He also wanted a bit of Catherine Deneuve character in Indochine...maybe this is the female - male references he has...who knows? IMO it is his notion of being chic as a woman and being chic as a man...(I have to ask him again...he told me something about them but right now it became kinda foggy to me...).

"fallen leaves in the night, who can say where they are blowing...like a dream in the night, who can say where we are going..."

Mona and Jeroen brought to life a fragrance with classic notion of textures, proportions and blends but with with a touch of romanticism  - So how can classic and romantic coexist if Romanticism was fighting classic notions? That is easy to explain. Les Nombres d'Or followed a classic way of composing fragrances. Mona was seeking the perfect proportion of raw materials, but not in emotions. This perfume has a game of light and shadow, passion and sparkling creativity, but it also contains a large dose of sensitiveness, intimacy and most of all, a touch of melancholy... a touch of Brian Ferry gloominess perhaps... It does have a notion of being in a dream...walking during the night through a haze of powdery luxury...

If you like NIRMAL by Laborattorio Olfativo, comforting fragrances, or furry, cozy leathery perfumes you will love VIOLETTE FUMÉE EDP...when powdery is sophisticated by violets, coziness is brought by a touch of suede and Cashmeran (the introspective almost lonely side of Jeroen); and a revealing side -  his sexiness, his wittiness - brought by a combination of saffron, vetiver and opoponax and myrrh. 

VIolette Fumée EDP is not only a fragrance. It is a way of getting to know Jeroen O. Sogtoen. And I promise you, it is an endless JOY!

Photo credit: Mona di Orio Parfums

You will find VIOLETTE FUMÉE EDP in the online shop of the brand.

One little secret I shared with Jeroen in our long chat about this fragrance: Although I love "More Than This", the song that I love the most to hear is BF's version of "JEALOUS GUY" by John Lennon. I also loove "More Than This" sang by Bill Murray in Lost in Translation. It is iconic!

By the way, this post is dedicated to my friend Paola because I remembered one day sitting in Marietta's TV room with Paola, Marietta and Manuela listening to Roxy Music, Human league, Bowie...we were 16-17 yrs old...and Paola is to me like Mona is to Jeroen!

Perfume Sampling - Part II

The great financial recession of 2009 brought some impact on beauty consumers so travel size* and samples allowed brand owners to give an opportunity for the consumers to try their fragrances before an initial investment, and also to continue to keep them loyal.

*Travel size perfumes became a must since 9/11 due to travel restrictions and the fact that today we are wireless, always on-the-go, practically modern nomads, created the need for smaller versions of everything, and small vials of perfumes became a must. Many consumers began to purchase full size bottles and sample vials of the same perfumes to wear outside their homes.  Many websites selling perfumes online began to offer samples for a smaller price. Luckyscent, one of these websites, usually charges USD4 per sample.
Brands saw this mobility and this need for smaller sized perfumes as an opportunity to market samples as products in their own lines.

ORMONDE JAYNE DISCOVERY SET

With the rise of niche perfumery, also niche brands began to sell sample vials of their fragrances which allowed the consumers to get to know their fragrances before making a larger investment. The reason niche brands succeeded in selling samples and turning them into a product was the fact that their fragrances were (and still are) more expensive than prestige fragrances. After purchasing a sample niche perfume consumers impressed by the fragrance sampled would not hesitate to pass the credit card for a greater amount.  Many bought (and still buy) only the samples because they could not/can't really afford a full bottle, but still want to have the pleasure of wear them.

Sample selling developed to discovery sets and niche brands invested in beautiful and luxurious packing so these sets could not only be purchased to be given as gifts, but also to become fancy collectibles products. 

Ormonde Jayne, a British brand so reviewed and commented here in my blog, developed a beautiful discovery set with a very luxurious design, including a velvety inner housing and a booklet with explanations of each of the fragrances offered. All housed in a beautiful black and gold box. I have it and I am amazed each time I open it!

Another brand who invested into a very creative, detailed and hip design for discovery sets is American niche brand INEKE from San Francisco. Her Deluxe Sample Collection Volume 5. includes eight samples of fragrances, each wrapped in a fine paper, packed in a small box and all eight housed in a beautiful package that comes with a brochure describing each of the fragrances.

Sample vial package by INEKE (2013)

Deluxe Sample Collection 

Sent by INEKE to + Q Perfume Blog (2009)

Deluxe Sample Collection brochure and samples

Sent by INEKE to + Q Perfume Blog (2009)

Ineke brand also offers a clever approach of low risk sampling of the fragrances where the initial USD25 spent on a sample vial of 1.5ml is totally redeemable when the final purchase of a new 75ml perfume is completed by the client through website.

LES EXCLUSIFS BY CHANEL

Luxury brands such as Chanel uses a similar approach of niche perfumery sampling in their exclusive lines,with one small different - they are free of charge. By purchasing one of the 14 fragrances of the Les Exclusifs collection the client receives samples of ALL the other fragrances. Chanel believes that once a client already bought one of the exclusive fragrances offered, he/she will be teased with the samples, he/she is more likely to come for more. 

By the way, many department stores are shifting their approach when it comes to samples using them as an opportunity to better educate the consumer and enhance interaction between consultants and customers: 

“In-store consultants are guiding consumers in trying new products. Consumers will leave the store with samples, providing them with more time to make the final decision,” says Sylvie Darensbourg, regional market development manager for Aptar Gift + Promotion in an article published by beauty Packing Magazine - Sept. issue,2012.

Fragrance Foundation voting/sampling consumer's choice nominees 

This year the voting for the Fragrance Foundation Consumer's Choice Award came with a surprise - voting consumers could enter to the Foundation's website and request samples of all the nominees fragrances before casting their votes. The idea of a more interactive voting process came from the sampling strategies used online by brands in social medias such as twitter and facebook.

Fact is that this high demand for samples sized fragrances or travel sized vials is also demanding innovative packaging, and in the competition some companies are coming out with rather curious solutions! One of them is the scented perfume packages allowing consumers to smell the fragrance without even having to take them out of the box. Although this technology is smart enough not to interfere in the graphics of the package, can you imagine if all brands decide to apply it? Or if one brand decides to apply it in all the perfumes of its collection? It will be practically impossible to enter to a perfume shop or even try one fragrance inside these shops.

Stay tuned for more!

Perfume Sampling - PART I

Perfume sampling goes way back in time when a company named California Perfume Company (today called AVON) in 1880's used samples to demonstrate its products (perfumes, toilette waters, powders, soups and food preparations) to their clients.

It is a bit controversial if David H. McConnell, founder of the company, did or did not intend originally to create a beauty company. According to Avon's website McConnell was a book salesman and during his travels he realized that women were more interested in the free perfume samples he offered with his books than the books he was selling (a strategy he had to pitch his sales). According to the website since the beginning he noticed 2 important things:

1. women were isolated in their homes while their husbands were off to work; 2. women at that time were confine to jobs in agriculture and manufacture or domestic services.

I researched more and the truth is told in the founder's biographical book:  He was giving these fragrances away to learn about this market and to test products that he was interested in selling in the near future.

THE LITTLE DOT BOX BY AVON

"In 1887, on my return from Chicago, I purchased the entire business from my employer and managed it myself for some time. During this time the one thing I learned successfully was how to sell goods to the consumer.

My ambition was to manufacture a line of goods that would be consumed, used up, and to sell it through canvassing agents, direct from the factory to the consumer.

The starting of the perfume business was the result of most careful and thorough investigation, guided by the experience of several years' successful operation in the book business; that is, in selling goods direct to the consumer or purchaser. I learned during this time that the proper and most advantageous way of selling goods was to be able to submit the goods themselves to the people. In investigating this matter nearly every line of business was gone over, and it seemed to me, then, as it has since been proven, that the perfume business in its different branches afforded the very best possible opportunity to build up a permanent and well-established trade. Having once decided that the perfume business was the business, the question naturally presented itself, "By what name are these perfumes to be known; by what name is this company to be called?" The gentleman who took me from the farm as a boy, became in the past years not only my employer, but my personal friend and, after buying him out, he moved to California, and while there wrote me glowing accounts of the country, and to him belongs the idea of the name California, as associated with this business.

It was in 1888 that I started the perfume business in a space scarcely larger than an ordinary kitchen pantry.

At first I manufactured but five odors: Violet, White Rose, Heliotrope, Lily-of-the-Valley and Hyacinth. I did much experimental work in making these odors, and the selling price of the first batch of perfumes I made did not cover one-half the actual cost of the goods, but experience is a great teacher, and I applied myself to the task of making perfumes with the same vim and energy that I had in selling books and, after a short time, I fancied that I could produce as fine an odor as some of the old and tried perfumers; at least, my perfumes pleased my customers; they were the natural perfumes of the flower, made in the most natural way and by the same process employed by the large French perfumers.

I soon found it necessary to increase the odors and to add to the line other articles for the toilet, among those first put out were: Shampoo Cream, Witch Hazel Cream, Almond Cream Balm, Tooth Paste, which afterwards was made in the Tooth Tablet, Toilet Waters, etc." (Excerpt extracted from A brief history of the california Perfume Company by David h. McConnell  in 1903).

Mostly, what the company understood in terms of marketing strategy was that placing the actual products into the hands of consumers within their own homes was immediately apparent so customers could see and examine the actual goods offered for purchase in a familiar inviting environment, and that customers could more easily appreciate the quality, the simplicity and the beauty of the containers, labels and packing elements that helped to secure increased sales.

Also a visionary, François Coty in 1910 introduced the marketing strategy called affordable luxury - At that time he made available smaller bottles of identical perfume products at lower prices in order to make his brand affordable to a broader range of women,  a strategy soon to be adopted by his competitor Gabrielle Chanel who in 1932 launched her handbag flacons - small pocket-size bottles of her entire collection as a solution to continue to sell her luxury products during the economic collapse of the Great Depression.

ESTÉE LAUDER  at the counter of her brand

We can't study the history of fragrance sampling without bringing the most innovative of all entrepreneurs and marketing strategists in the cosmetic & fragrance business - Estée Lauder. Born Josephine Esther Mentzer, the daughter  of Hungarian Jewish immigrants from Queens began to sell cosmetics in the late 20's and created the GIVE AWAY marketing strategy for her products. She believed that giving away free samples of her products was the most honest way to do business and in the early 30's she was giving a dollop sample of her cream in waxpaper. She believed that customers receiving these samples were not only encouraged to buy her products, but also to tell others about the brand (she called it Tell a Woman strategy). This concept of marking developed later to the gift-with-purchase strategy (GWP), also her idea. In the early 50's women who came to Estée Lauder counters would receive a free gift, learn more about the products and purchase what they needed. In fact this strategist invested all her money in samples to be mailed directly to customers with their monthly bills, to be given together with other items purchased at her counters, or simply by giving them away in charity events.

Back in 1940 a research chemist for the NCR Corporation in the process of trying to solve a problem with the stains that remained after changing the company's cash register tapes, produced tiny capsules of ink that were safely sealed in chemical bubbles, that later was incremented by 3m and NCR resulting in a new micro-encapsulation process that inspired the scratch-n-sniff strips. It is also known that ORLANDI, a company in the printing business since 1915 was already developing a custom made chemically pure paper for fragrance testing. Later in 1950 the company developed a blotter scenting process that allowed the application of fragrance in printing paper and that was a turning point to fragrance marketing. Direct mail and in-store sampling became tools to increase sales and millions of blotter cards were shipped daily to department store clients. 

In the early 80's a fashion store called Giorgio from Beverly Hills saw its potential by inserting scented strips with the fragrance they were about to launch in several magazines and attached to envelopes sent to clients. The strips were responsible for the success of sales that reached $2.5 million in the first year - a number that reached more than $100 million.

According to the NYT in an article of 1988, at that decade perfumes were sold mainly at department stores and the fragrance counters were always placed on the first floor for maximum exposure. A sales person was always standing behind the corner luring customers to come closer where she or he would be persuaded to try a fragrance. At that time some brands offered trial vials but it was highly expensive. Soon they discovered the power of scented adds as a cheaper and broader way to sample perfumes. In 1985 Calvin Klein launched a controversial advertising campaign for the iconic fragrance Obsession with printed adds which were mailed to millions of homes through scent strips in magazines, showing a muted picture of three nude men hovering around a nude woman.

THE SUPER MODELS

The decade of the 90's were a turning point to scented ads when model agencies and fashion magazines created and promoted the so-called Super Models.  Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer became as famous and glamorous as movie stars. They were in the spotlight of gossips, trendy night clubs,  and covers of fashion magazines worldwide. Everyone wanted to see these glamourous women and magazine sales skyrocket. During this period fragrance adverting in magazines was never so intense and so explored. In an analysis of the New York Times in 1992 we get the numbers: "Fragrance strips, sometimes known as scent strips, are just a decade old, but they have already created a $40 million a year business and breathed new life into the $4 billion a year American fragrance industry". The newspaper explained the success of this sampling strategy: "Two senses are touched by fragrance strips - sight and smell. A reader turning a page can see a gorgeous woman dreaming of who knows what delicious things and, by simply lifting a flap of paper, can sample the fresh scent of spring flowers or something musky, exotic, maybe a little sexy. This might just prompt many women - and some harried men too busy for shopping - to fill out the scented envelope attached to the page and order up a bottle or two or three with their credit cards.The potential is enormous in a nation that is both the world's largest fragrance market and the world's largest direct-mail market. The fragrance strips play on two thoroughly modern, very American traits: the desire to smell good and the compulsion to save time".

ORLANDI for Lancôme Trésor

In the turn of the millennium innovative sampling strategies emerged. Brands looked for more targeted campaigns, getting consumer's attention through unusual and creative distribution channels such as beauty salons, night clubs, concerts, spas, hotels, etc... The cross marketing strategy was introduced by grouping samples with different retails sized products. Internet became also a distribution channel for sampling programs. Many brands began to offer free samples in exchange of personal information and opinion about the fragrances. Many brands began to offer free samples of fragrances as a pre-launch event and websites for each and every perfume launch began to pop up.

New sampling packing solutions were developed and launched in the marketing. Delivery by insertion of samples in magazines and newspapers still had to be flexible and flat, but it became more creative and more technological. Front foils shaped and printed containing perfumed gels, perfumed tissues and pads to be discovered and sampled as they were peeled became available. Unique cuts were developed and more complex designs were available. Sampling systems mimicking the shape and the graphics of the retail-sized perfumes became also a hit and a way to maintain brand identity.

In terms of vials, mini sprays substituted the traditional force-fit plug and dabbing with the fingers. Rexam developed mini sprayers and dispensing systems enabling customer to have a very similar experience they had with full sized bottles.

TO BE CONTINUED...