NPD Analyst: Fall Is About ‘New’ When It Comes to Scent

This year, there are many new women’s fragrance launches to test, wrote Brenna Phelan, manager and fragrance industry analyst at NPD in a recent blog post.

In the first week of September, new fragrances (those launched in 2013) accounted for 15% of women’s prestige sales, according to NPD. Phelan notes this is up from 8% of sales in the first week of August.

"Fall really is about ‘new’ when it comes to scent. The need for something new might be because there are women out there, like me, who want to welcome the change of season with a new pair of boots, or a cozy cardigan, or a warmer toned fragrance. Or, maybe the interest is generated in the new brands themselves," Phelan wrote. 

She also noted that in the first week of September, three buzz-generating brands (One Direction’s Our Moment, Estee Lauder’s Modern Muse, and Calvin Klein’s Downtown) entered into the top 20 ranking (NPD's ranking based on dollar sales ranking for women’s fragrances in prestige), which she said illustrates the passion women have for what’s new and what’s hot.

"Whatever the reason, newness is an important part of the fall season, bringing with it a momentum that will hopefully impact the entire market and continue as we move into holiday," she added.

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