Fragrance Trends

The trend of developing a fragrance inspired by a film and/or book seems to be taking hold in the perfume industry. Just recently, Thierry Mugler released the Perfume Coffret (created by IFF perfumers) to coincide with the book/movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Now, Parfums Balmain has released a scent in homage to the French singer Edith Piaf just in time for the release of a film about her life. The scent and film both take the name La Mome, the singer's former stage name, which translates as "the kid." (In the United States, the movie is called La Vie en Rose, named after one of Piaf's best-known songs.) The fragrance was created by Givaudan perfumer Guillaume Flavigny and features the following notes: May rose, shinus molle tree, freesia, Damascus rose, violet, raspberry, myrrh, iris, musk and amber.

Another trend in fragrances right now is the launch of fragrance sets, or collections, which highlight consumer customization and interaction with scents. Thierry Mugler's Perfume Coffret and Tom Ford's Private Blend (a collection of 12 perfumes due out in April) are just two examples of this phenomenon. In March, Matthew Williamson will be on the bandwagon with the launch of The Collection. Each of the four fragrances contains notes that can be detected in Williamson's two-year-old debut scent and can be worn alone or layered. In addition, the fragrances are each linked to exotic locations, which served to inspire the designer's fashion line. The fragrances (Lotus, Warm Sand, Jasmine Sambac and Incense) were created by IFF perfumer Clement Gavarry. Lotus has notes of magnolia, cassis, bergamot and lotus flower accord, while Warm Sand features notes of ginger lily, musk and sandalwood. Ibiza-inspired Jasmine Sambac includes jasmine sambac notes, while Incense has frankincense, patchouli and labdanum notes.

Celebrity-inspired fragrances are not a new trend to hit the perfume industry, but are increasingly growing in popularity due to strong sales track records. This month, Coty will release David Beckham's men's fragrance, Instinct. The scent, which was launched in Europe in 2005, was formulated by IFF perfumer Beatrice Picquet. The scent features notes of Italian bergamot, grapefruit, star anise, cardamom, red pimento, Haiti vetiver, patchouli and white amber.

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