Confidential (or Niche) Perfumery: The Complete Guide

A Booming Market

It is a market that is also beginning to be saturated. Out of 1330 launches, there were 331 perfumes in the confidential category, meaning one in four perfumes. At the last Exsense exhibition in Milan, I saw 216 brands. The Jovoy perfumery in Paris, for example, offers a choice of 400 references launched by 70 brands. You will easily understand why I cannot speak about all of them.

What is a Confidential Brand?

People sometimes turn away from traditional brands in favor of confidential brands; they are looking above all for a perfume with an assertive signature, quality, creativity, and one that is rarely worn. This perfumery is distinguished mainly by:

• Ultra-selective distribution: In own-brand boutiques, department stores like Le Bon Marché, or very selective boutiques in Paris (Jovoy, Nose, Liquides, Marie-Antoinette, Sens Unique) and also in major provincial cities.
• Identity and Creativity: One looks for an olfactory identity, great creativity, but alas, this is not always the case. Quality ingredients, but here again, this is not always the case. For me, what is paramount above all is the talent of the perfumer associated with a very creative idea.
• The Price: Here again, just because the product is expensive or very expensive does not mean it is remarkable.
• The Gender: Perfumes are mostly presented as unisex.
• The Experience: As for example Ex Nihilo where it is possible from 9 bases to add ingredients in order to create a personalized perfume, to be differentiated from a true bespoke perfume. Other examples of experiences to taste perfume differently: at Iunx, or in the olfaction cabins at Frédéric Malle.

Who Creates the Perfumes? The Different Organizations

I can observe several types of organization within the houses regarding the creation of perfumes:

• Perfumer Creators: Perfumers who have created their own eponymous brand: this is the case for example with Patricia De Nicolai, Maison Francis Kurkdjian which was acquired by the LVMH group, Jean-Michel Duriez.
• Exclusive Perfumer: Some confidential brands have sometimes hired an exclusive in-house perfumer, like at Patou with Thomas Fontaine.
• Creation Societies: Like many other brands in the selective circuit, some brands call upon large, medium, or small creation companies like Firmenich, Givaudan, IFF, Drom, Takasago, or Robertet. This is the case for brands like Roja, Evody, Jardins d’Ecrivains, Atelier Cologne, Byredo, Liquides Imaginaires etc. This does not prevent some from being led by true creative directors with real legitimacy in olfaction and creation; they are then in close collaboration with the perfumer, one can say that they co-create the perfume together.
• Faithful Collaboration: Other brands sometimes choose to work with a single perfumer to bring an olfactory signature to their brand: Memo perfumes with Aliénor Massenet, Terry de Gunzburg perfumes with Michel Almairac (who famously created his brand Parle moi de parfum with his son), Parfums de Rosine with François Robert, Kilian where almost all perfumes were created by Calice Becker.

It should be noted that there are more and more independent perfumers whose compositions are developed and manufactured by Art et Parfum, a company located in Cabris, in the domain created by Edmond Roudnitska and his wife. A company imagined and directed for ten years by Olivier Maure who invented a new model in the industry.

Let us cite among these perfumers: Mélanie Leroux, Bertrand Duchaufour, Randa Hammami, Karine Chevalier, Thomas Fontaine, Michel Roudnitska, Sylvie Jourdet, Giorgia Navarra, Laurence Fanuel, Marie Duchene, Daniel Boubat, Jean-Denis Saisse.

History and Pioneers of Niche

The pioneer house of confidential perfumery is Santa Maria Novella; I do not see anything older. It is undoubtedly here that we must see the inspiration of Diptyque for its first eau de toilette, the water inspired by potpourri. Santa Maria Novella has been famous for centuries for its Pot Pourri eau de toilette, or for Catherine de Medici’s cologne.

Penhaligon’s, born at the end of the 19th century, also influenced the great movement of niche perfumery. Among the initiators, let us cite the house Diptyque whose ultra-confidential perfumes arrived in 1968 (created by Fabrice Pellegrin, Olivia Giacobetti, Marie Salamagne, Olivier Pescheux…).

L’Artisan Parfumeur was created by Jean-François Laporte in 1976, who left the house and created Maître Gantier Parfumeur in the mid-1980s. Now L’Artisan Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s are within the fold of the large Spanish group Puig. Pamela Roberts was the creative director for a long time, collaborating with Anne Flipo, Olivia Giacobetti (pioneer, creator for Honoré des Prés, Lubin…) or Bertrand Duchaufour.

Annick Goutal (created in 1981) belongs to the Korean group Amore Pacific. Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen are at the helm. Patricia de Nicolai launched her brand in 1989 (niece of Jean-Paul Guerlain).

Serge Lutens works in close collaboration with his favorite perfumer Chris Scheldrake (also in charge at Chanel). Frédéric Malle created Editions de Parfums in 2000, highlighting perfumers (Olivia Giacobetti, Maurice Roucel, Jean Claude Ellena, Dominique Ropion…). Acquired by Estée Lauder, just like Tom Ford and Jo Malone.

The Other Major Players in Niche Perfumery

• Le Labo: Acquired by Estée Lauder.
• Byredo: Created by Ben Gorham, financed by Manzanita Capital (investor of Diptyque). Perfumes created by Jerome Epinette and Olivia Giacobetti.
• Comme des Garçons: Puig Group.
• The Different Company: Created by Jean-Claude Ellena and Thierry de Baschmakoff. Perfumes by Celine Ellena, Bertrand Duchaufour, Emilie Copperman…
• Pierre Guillaume: Parfumerie Générale, Phaedon and 8eme art.
• Maison Francis Kurkdjian: Acquired by LVMH.
• Atelier Cologne: Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel, acquired by L’Oréal.
• Profumum Roma: The Durante family.
• Roos & Roos: Chantal Roos and her daughter.
• Nose: Boutique and concept created by Nicolas Cloutier, Mark Buxton, Romano Ricci and other partners.
• Liquides Imaginaires: David Frossard (also creator of the perfume bar Liquides) and Philippe Di Meo.
• Juliette Has a Gun: Romano Ricci (first perfumes by Francis Kurkdjian).
• Iunx: Olivia Giacobetti’s brand.
• Olfactive Studio: Céline Verleure (photo inspiration).
• Ego Facto: Pierre Aulas.
• Jardins d’Ecrivains: Literature/perfume correspondence.
• Memo: Clara and John Molloy with Aliénor Massenet.
• Parfums d’Empire: Marc-Antoine Corticchiato (Corsican inspiration).
• Oriental Brands: Montale, Micallef, Amouage, Clive Christian.
• Etat Libre d’Orange: Sulfurous and impertinent brand.
• Escentric Molecules: Geza Schon stages synthesis.

The Response from Major Brands

Selective brands have also responded to this confidential perfumery by launching, alongside their classic line, a premium line distributed in a more selective circuit: Chanel (Les Exclusifs), Guerlain (L’Art et la Matière), Hermès (Hermessences), Dior (La Collection Privée), Cartier, Armani (Privé), etc.

What is the Future of All These Niche Brands?

Beyond the wave surrounding niche which responds to a real demand for differentiation from the clientele, certain brands will continue to grow thanks to the support of the groups behind them or investors who will be able to give them the means for their ambitions.

Others will disappear, either because they lack interest (creation, history, quality), because they will not find sufficient distribution relays, or because they will not have found the necessary funding in a very competitive market where the means of large players are incomparable to the small brands launching themselves.