NICHE PERFUMERY LECTURE/ CURSO DE PERFUMARIA DE NICHO

The lounge minutes before starting

This blogger has a long term relationship with CDCP - A center for diffusion of perfume knowledge in São Paulo, Brazil. Through this partnership I have been invited to be one of the jurors of the perfume award Atualidade Cosmética and I have been making brainstorming sessions with fragrance houses and marketing strategy projects.

This year they invited me to give a lecture on Niche Perfumery as part of the studies of perfume in a year round course they offer to professionals of the industry of perfumery and cosmetics.

It was a 3 hours lecture where I told them the history of Niche Perfumery; the concept of niche; the classifications of niche brands an niche perfumery as it is today and its future. We explored many brands and many different concepts in a whiff & think session.

It was very interesting to share ideas with marketing managers and perfumers and how professionals of the cosmetic industry and packing developers could use some of the ideas of niche perfumery in their businesses.

The brands presented were:

Annick Goutal, Jo Malone, Antonio Alessandria, Heeley, Yosh, Mona di Orio, Keiko Mecheri, Olivier Durbano, Maison Kurkdjian, Jovoy Paris, Victoria Minya, Editions de Parfums Frederique Malle, État Libre d’Orange, CB I Hate Perfume, S-Perfume, Blood Concept, A Lab on Fire, Juliette Has a Gun, Nasomatto, Histoires de Parfum, biehl parfumkunstwerke, Fueguia 1833, Olfactive Studio, Clive Christian, Creed, Xerjoff, Puredistance, Ormonde Jayne, Rancé , Creed, Penhaligons’, Fragonard, Maitre Parfumeur e Gantier,  Lubin, Santa Maria Novella, Farmacia SS. Annunziata dal 156, Les Parfums de Rosine, Le Labo, Byredo, Ego Facto, Bond Nº9, Mandy Aftel, Rich Hippie, Pacifica, Tsi-La, Rebel Intuitive Perfumerie, Strange Invisible Perfumes, Honoré des Prés, Neela Vermiere Creation, Kerosene, The Vagabond Prince, Aus Liebe zum Duft, Aedes de Venustas, Min NY, Comme de Garçons, Aesop, Costes, Ladurée, Les exclusifs, Van Cleef & Arpels Colection Extraordinaire, Tom Ford Private Blend, Estée Lauder Private Collection, Cartier Lês Heures de Parfum, Dior La Collection Privée.

Shops mentioned: 

Aedes de Venustas, Min NY, Campomarzio 70, Nose, Crème de La Crème, Hip-Nose; and websites luckyscent and  Aus Liebe zum Duft.

THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF CHRISTOPHER BROSIUS - PART ONE

Photo Credit: + Q Perfume Blog

Christopher Brosius is one of these amazing artists that moves you in such a way that you don't know if you get inspired by him to explore the world of scents everywhere you go, or lock yourself in his studio and proclaim eternal faith to him and to him only.

His fragrances are not just perfumes you buy and wear. They are experiences. They are smellscapes contained in vials that he carefully designed for his clients. His clients. I have to say that his fragrances are not for everybody. A CB client needs to be as creative as he is, as curious as he is, smart as he is, and most of all needs to love Nature.

If you don't give a special importance to your dreams, your inspirations, your way of expressing emotions and how you relate to the world around you, CB is not for you.

Expect to cry, to smile, to wonder, to be happy or even angry when smelling his vials. 

I had a project to review his fragrances since I met Patrick at Elements in 2013. Patrick worked at CB I Hate Perfume in Williamsburg - Brooklyn and he was generous enough to provide me 38 samples of his collections. I haven't been in touch with him since so I don't know if he is still working for the brand. I hope he is!

Visiting the shop that year I purchased AT THE BEACH 1966 which I have already reviewed here.

I will start with the CB Reinvention Series which is a collection of seven fragrances, which I have all the samples.

 ABOUT CB REINVENTION SERIES
"The History of Perfume is old as Mankind itself. Over the millennia, the quest for perfume has expanded civilizations, changed cultures and brought the discovery of new worlds. But like the study of any History, exploring the history of perfume can only be done from our modern point of view. It must be reinvented in order to be understood. The world changes and we change along with it. We cannot truly comprehend how previous generations thought or felt let alone realize just how new and provocative certain perfumes must have been when first introduced to the world. They too must be reinvented in the light of today. All the perfumes in this collection explore some aspect of the History of Perfume. Some are recreated as closely as possible to what they may have been. Others are unique combinations of fragrance materials both traditional & modern – these bring “up to date” a classic concept of traditional perfumery". (extracted from CB I HATE PERFUME website)

In #201 CB93 Christopher Brosius wanted to reinvent the Eau de Cologne.

For this designed fragrance he used a combination of natural essential oils of Galbanum, Bourbon Geranium, Holy Basil, Siberian Fir, Scotch Pine, Moroccan Cedar, Candlewood, Sandalwood and Frankincense.   

Yes, it does smell natural, so if you are not into Natural Perfumery this fragrance is not for you. Slightly green, slightly flowery and slightly woody... it is a delicate smell. 

#202 PATCHOULI EMPIRE 
Also a natural perfume, CB's patchouli fragrance is a blend of 5 different patchouli sources and black pepper, with a woody base. Said to be warm, subtle and ever changing...Let's just say that it is not the best patchouli perfume among many others in the market which I have reviewed here in 2011, in an article called Patchouli Fragrances.

Tom Ford launched in 2014 his Patchouli Absolu fragrance as an ode to the iconic raw material, reinventing it and giving it a vanguardist approach. Sounds nice, but CB has done that already in 2005. I think that for those who study perfumery it will be interesting to compare the differences of perceptions of what means a contemporary patchouli almost 10 years later. 

#203 VIOLET EMPIRE
I listed this fragrance back in 2012 in an article about Violets Fragrances and it is one of the most amazing violet perfumes I have ever encountered.Designed with notes of Elemi, Violet leafs absolute, Rosewood, Mahogany and Russian leather. Since Violet Absolute is no longer available for its extremely expensive price, CB had to recreate it. It is probably the smell of Heaven, when you are involved in a cloud of love and kindness. It is the smell of a bunch of little children with sparkling eyes surrounding a huge birthday cake. It is the smell of NOTHING MATTERS BUT MY VERY OWN HAPPINESS! 

How to start describing this precious elixir? 

It is one of the gentlest perfumes I have ever tried. It contains such a positive aura that you feel like taking a bath of it EVERY morning before starting the day. It is perfectly crafted and I would be this man's slave if he promised me a constant supply of this perfume. Yes, that is what is wicket about his perfume. Once you wear the smell of heaven, kindness, love and sparkling children's eyes you get to be so irresistible that lack sex would never be an issue anymore. Any person with a nose will want to smell your skin for hours, so careful with the seductive power of this perfume.

Once the kindness fades away you will be involved in a very sensual leather note that urges you to kiss and be touched.

If I was to describe this fragrance in a short way I would say it is a Victoria Secret's Angel Top Model. heavenly and sexy as hell!

Victoria Secret's Wing Model Candice Swanepoel

#204 TEA ROSE 

Simple and extremely beautiful, this fragrance combines real Moroccan Rose Absolute with Indian black tea.

The result is I was never a rose perfume fan but I must admit that there are 2 fragrances that I call redemption: CB I HATE PERFUME ROSE TEA and The Different Company ROSE POIVREÉ. I love both for the same reason: they are real roses. While in TDC rose comes with pink peppercorns and coriander, here you will find the perfect blend of black tea and rose. It is feminine, classy, extremely gentle and REAL. I loved this fragrance so much and I identified with CB in terms of loving or not loving rose perfumes. I know exactly what he meant.

To be continued... 

The Fragrances: 

#201/CB93/FALL 2005

#202/PATCHOULI EMPIRE/FALL 2005

#203/VIOLET EMPIRE/SPRING 2006

#204/TEA/ROSE/WINTER 2005

#205/7 BILLION HEARTS/SPRING 2012

#212/AMBROSIUS/FALL 2009

#215/CBMUSK/SUMMER 2004 

You can order this collection in his website by clicking HERE

Niche ENNICHED?

Photo credit: Wedding Inspiration website

In my last article about niche perfumery I discussed what NICHE meant. It was back in 2012 when a lot of bloggers, perfumers and perfume magazines were discussing the future of niche perfumery, its meaning and some of them were even discussing that at some point niche as it was presented could not be considered niche perfumery anymore.

Two years ago I said that opinions about the subject could be divided in 2 groups: the extremists or purists who think that niche means ONLY exclusive small perfume brands offering unique fragrances; and the generalists that find that everything you can offer to a certain niche can be nominated niche (I am in this group).

At that time I also explored the crucial elements that defined niche and from them I extracted meaning of niche perfumery:

-   Small

-       Specialized

-       Market segment

-       Specific

-       Marketing strategy

All lead to the common meanings that niche perfumery was 1) A specialized market segment in perfumery, or 2) A marketing strategy created to sell perfume (according to the needs, interests and wants of a group of people).

Three years later I feel that it is time that we talk about niche perfumery again and reevaluate it as it is today. The reason to do so is the fact that niche is no longer behaving at it was before. 

Once niche perfumery was ENNICHED by the market some brands started to behave like  mass production companies. 

From starters a question just popped out of my mind: Maybe we need to change permanently the name of this category of perfumery from NICHE to INDIE? 

Let's find out!

According to the Fragrance Foundation - the organization giving the FIFI AWARDS - the INDIE perfume award category (USA) is given to a fragrance launched by a brand not distributed or owned by a large company and sold in under 50 stores in the USA.

In this case we can exclude all the brands that were sold to equity groups or larger companies. But does that mean the ones not following in this category are still behaving like a niche brand?

The French perfume brand Annick Goutal was one of the first independent niche brands to be acquired by a group. Being previously owned by the investment group Starwood Capital was bought by giant Korean Cosmetic brand Amore Pacific in 2011. I remember the criticism years ago and the long discussions about quality of the raw materials and how AG lovers felt somehow betrayed by the brand. That was just the beginning...

Recently many other niche brands owners followed the path of Camille Goutal (the daughter of the founder of AG brand). UK private Equity Company Manzanita bought Diptyque and Byredo; Le Labo was bought by Estée Lauder Group who already owned Jo Malone, Frederic Malle and Tom Ford Beauty...etc etc...

Is there a back fire of these operations?

According to specialists in branding if the original niche brand does not retain its identity, its niche market is ruined or it is no longer enniched. If the parent brand gives credibility to the brand acquired  - great! If not, it is doomed to failure. In fact, it is the personality of the Indie and the power of the parent brand that will show a rebrand, an integration, an extension etc... A brand should encompass its niche market both functional and emotionally, and if still does after being bought, values will be maintained or even improved.

You see, brand values offer a promise. It is a set of attributes that its consumers experience by using their products. A deviation of this "promise" will eventually harm this loyalty.

But what is happening to the brands who did not have the fortune to be bought by bigger groups? Are they still behaving as they promised? Are they still using the same marketing strategies as in the beginning?

For many years niche perfumery sold the idea that it does not follow trends. Fact is that this promise is no longer there. As an example let's examine some facts of the market:

How many niche brands ran to launch its very own OUD fragrance because it was a fever - A RAW MATERIAL TREND no so long ago predicted by companies such as Seven or Mintel? A trend that is coming back by the way for my misfortune.

How many brands launched a perfume around a rose, leather or patchouli note this winter because it was predicted to be the next good selling product for 2015/2016 autumn and winter seasons? Check P&F article here.

Check the latest new launches for this winter and you will see that niche perfumery perfumer and brand owners are starting to follow trends like any other brand:

The Different Company - Kashan Rose EDP (Rose)

Parfums de Nicolai - Cuir Cuba Intense EDP (Leather)

Tauer Parfums - Un Rose de Kandahar (Rose)

Maison FK - Masculin Pluriel (Leather)

Tom Ford - Patchouli Absolu (Patchouli)

To make the story short: Luckyscent is displaying nothing more than 16 new leather niche fragrances and 17 new rose fragrances.

About packing design trends. Niche brands are beginning to follow trends of massive production. How many niche brand went back to their designers and ordered revamped fragrance bottles because it was a trend in the mass production market? Also a trend pointed out not so long ago in the media - for those how follow the market you know what I am talking about!! Remember the trend of heavy luxurious flacons? Many ran to make their very own and the ones who did not have it till then, ran to remodel their design.

The celebrities - this is the most sensitive element to point out. French niche perfumery brand Etat Libre D'Orange invited Tilda Swinton to "collaborate" with the creation of this fragrance. Boom! It got an FiFi Award in France. The brand had used the face of Rossy de Palma before. The marketing strategy is to call the celebrity a "muse". Another tactic - announce out loud "this or that celebrity wears my brand" - strategy used by French niche brand Honoré de Prés using Jessica Alba to sell Vamp a NY fragrance.

So, are niche brands really telling stories as they say they do? Are niche brands reflecting the personality of the owner as they once said they do? A reflexion to be made by all of us consumers.

Does that mean that niche fragrances once ENNICHED are no longer loyal to their consumers? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it is the other way around.

How many brands were launched from 2005 to 2015? Ten years ago you had a small number of perfumers launching their brands and selling exclusive lines. But what happens when the market offers 10 to 20 new different niche brands in a year and regular customers begin to have the urge to try the new brands? Are they still loyal to the houses that once inspired them?

Today niche perfumery takes 10% of high end perfume sales globally. The market changed. 

Cosmetic Business Magazine pointed out on today's issue that Euromonitor is predicting 3 trends for the fragrance market  "Three trends are expected to take off within the fragrance market this year: the rising popularity of niche fragrances, fragrance personalisation and novel retail experiences."

The article also brings insights of niche brand Micallef on the subject that are interesting:
“Consumers will continue to look for an effective identity and ability to relate emotionally and personally to a fragrance. In line with this, industry players are formulating fragrances with alternative ingredients to meet such demands. We have seen fragrances formulated with sea salt and saffron, for example, which are still alternative ingredients. Naturally, big players are trying to tap into this lucrative part of the business as evidenced by Estée Lauder's recent acquisition of Le Labo and Frédéric Malle.”

Regarding the fact that competition in this segment is on the rise:
“In order to meet such a challenge, fragrance players need to sustain their niche intent and avoid commoditising the scent.”

Micallef talks about formulation of the fragrance with alternative ingredients. that was one of the elements of the marketing strategy used exclusively by niche brands in the past. Niche brands always highlight the fact that they use expensive or unique raw materials in their composition. True sometimes. But is today a practice that is exclusive of niche brands? what about the exclusive collections of Dior or Chanel? Mass production companies changed to fit the market. exclusivity of raw materials are now part of their marketing strategy to sell fragrances for a more exclusive public.

I bring my favorite perfumer Jean Claude Ellena to the picture. The man was one of the first perfumers to explain the background of fragrance production. In his book Le Parfum (French edition of 2007) where he defines niche in chapter VII – Le Marketing (in English - The Marketing), sections I – Le marketing de la demande (in English – The marketing of the demand) and II – Le marketing de niche (in English - The niche marketing) to check what this master perfumer has said in the past about this subject:

He mentioned that brands like Annick Goutal, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Comme de Garçons, Diptyque, Frédérick Malle, The Different Company were the precursors of the awareness of the immediacy, the “déjà vus” or stereotypes of mainstream perfumery and its lack of surprises. According to him, these niche perfumers (he gave us this name in the book) could be only discriminated by the system of distribution they have adopted, which was mostly, to sell their fragrances in their own boutiques, with a set of criteiras set by them to understand their commercial approach. In section II he defines niche as a marketing strategy: a non-use of advertising support; the perfumers are placed in front of the perfumes (meaning you know who they are), and most of all: the perfume must speak for itself; it has to have a very strong identification, more olfactive. A great deal of attention is given to the name of the brand. In his opinion, a niche perfume is not only a way of distributing and selling perfume; it is also the way the brand shows its difference. He also mentions the service given to its clientele: the places where these perfumes are found are relatively closed places, where clients receive personal attention. Their satisfaction is crucial. The complicity is crucial - the mouth to mouth is the best advertising of these products. As per the creation itself, perfumers are free to create with an olfactive independence.

So what about English niche brand Creed and its advertising campaign for this last Christmas?

"Fragrance house Creed has announced plans to run its first print media advertising campaign to support its men’s scent Aventus.

The campaign is set to appear in a number of consumer publications including GQ, Esquire, Men’s Health, Big Black Book, Style (Sunday Times), Telegraph Luxury, Vanity Fair and FT: How to Spend It. Advertising will also be supported by ongoing PR to further drive sales in the run up to Christmas.

Chris Hawksley, Managing Director of The Orange Square Company and UK distributor for Creed, said: “We are seeing consumers return to quality brands they trust and we are seeking to capitalise on this throughout the Christmas retail period to create maximum awareness of both the Creed brand and this much- loved classic, while supporting the brand’s continued success.” Aventus launched in 2010 to support Creed’s 250th anniversary. The scent contains top notes of apple, blackcurrant, pineapple and bergamot; heart notes of juniper berries, birch, patchouli and jasmine; and base notes of vanilla, musk, oakmoss and ambergris." (extracted by Cosmetic Business website - article posted in 5 Nov 2014).

A niche brand according to Ellena does not advertise in magazines such as GQ. Well, it seems that things have changed in this segment. And what about the large number of online sellers of niche brands? What is the difference between sites selling niche brands on line and O Boticário lanching its Eudora website?

The final question that I raise for reflexion - as per marketing strategy called "mouth to mouth" does that include paying people to go on line in facebook, blogs, twitter and others to endorse brands being PAID to do so? I don't need to name the faces here, you all know who they are by now. Blogging was once a hobby, a passion...today it is leverage in one's bank account. The bloggers are not the issue here. I don't want to raise this discussion today in this article, but I do want to raise the question about the ethics niche brands have or have not when it starts to "support" the mouth to mouth opinion about how wonderful their perfumes are. Paying certain celeb-wanna-bes of facebook to promote this or that brand is a marketing strategy called ADVERTISING.

When money comes to the scene and profits are increasing brands, bloggers, consumers all change their behavior. Everyone wants a piece of this luxurious niche cake.

My very own MASCULINE BLEND by Ane Walsh

OFIR BY ANE WALSH

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Ane Walsh

I love the idea of a couple sharing perfumes. I also love pairing fragrances. For example, when I wear Narciso Rodriguez for Her I want my husband to wear Encre Noir by Lalique - read the article when Mr. Noir meets Lady Rodriguez (obs: it has sexual content); when I wear Un Jour D'Hermés I want him to wear Terre D'Hermés...

So the idea of presenting him with an Iris themed fragrance was also a dream come true for me. The starting point of this fragrance was to develop a masculine version of my LA SIGNORA but with a masculine side. A bad boy in leather jacket.  I told Ane walsh I wanted a leathery side of my fragrance - she offered suede and I loved the idea of a soft leathery note. I also told her that I love pink pepper notes and that in fact I am in a phase that I want to smell pink pepper all the time. 

Fading Gigolo

Photo credit: NYT

PERFUME REVIEW

Name: OFIR

Launch Year: 2014

Customized Edition

Perfumer: Ane Walsh

Gender: Masculine

Family: Floral - Leathery

Rating: ♡♡♡♡♡

The olfactive notes are most of the olfactives notes of LA SIGNORA:

Bee wax absolute, peach leafs, rosewood, cognac, Iris Fiorentine absolute, orris tincture, iris mimosa absolut, violet, polen, calamus, zdravetz(*), Marrocan Rose, ambrette, white musk, tolu balm, benjoim, cacao, bitter almonds, ambergris tincture, earth blend adding hindu Musk, styrax, linden blossom and of course pink pepper.

IMPORTANT: I forgot to add an important detail in my last article about La Signora perfume review: TIME. Time is crucial for a fragrance to mature and since these both blends are "babies" at this point, I will have to come back later to update on my description of both fragrances. 

So, for now this is what I have about OFIR:

The opening is Boozy - dark with notes of cognac and honey, just like mine, although much less honeyed than La Signora, it contains an almost hidden rubbery touch to it that makes the entire difference to the overall concept. It reminds me of Oud perfumes but Ane swears she haven't added Oud notes. It does have that smoky musky resinous smell of Oud anyways...She says it is Hina from India - that mix of oils including valerian, henna(Gulhinna), turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, jasmine, rose, oakmoss and many other notes (yes, Hina is quite complex to make!)

It is not a boyish perfume. You have to be a man with a huge M factor to wear it (or wish to have the M factor).
If you watched Fading Gigolo you will understand that one does not need to be good looking to have women on their feet. One needs to be a MAN with a the M factor. So in a nutshell OFIR is Fioravante (played by John Turturro) - a man who knows his way with the ladies.
The iris notes were tuned down, but still having a presence that makes me feel in heaven. It is smoking good and once the resinous accent fades away the leather comes forward and the fragrance becomes more sensual.

Fact is that this perfume is really more suitable for colder days for its depth and smokiness, which is giving me the urge to make a flanker already since we are heading to summer... I will still need a lot irises and pink peppers!

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.