About ten years ago, the fine fragrance market in Japan seemed to have a most promising future. Although this market was very small scale compared with the development of other markets like skin care, makeup, and hair care, when considering the rapid changes in fashion or lifestyle, it really was a most promising area.
However, when market changes since then are examined, it has not developed as expected. As Figure 1 shows, dispatches of fragrances in Japan in 1987 amounted to ¥ 21,062 million, which was only 1.8 percent of the entire cosmetics market.
In this paper, I will explore the reasons that have prevented the Japanese fine fragrance market from expanding. Also, I will consider the relationship between consumer lifestyle and fragrance as well as the Japanese preference of fragrance.
