I'm very new to the world of "Niche" perfumes! I've bought a couple of bottles but I'm starting to realise that my expectations are very, very high when testing niche samples. Things like quality of ingredients, longevity, comparing how much I love the scent to the price & searching for something special in the scent that will make it stand out from rest. There are more, but this gives you the general idea.
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts/opinions on this topic, I'm a baby perfumista where niche is concerned, actually I'm probably only a toddler with mainstream fumes too!
Full Version: What's Your Personal Definition Of "niche"
I like stuff that's out of the ordinary, that doesn't smell like all the run of the mill stuff in the department stores.
For example, I'm wearing Profumum Victrix today. When I put it on, it smelled like leaves in a forest and fresh mint. After 9 hours, it has evolved into this very sexy indefinable scent. My boss said it was incredible, gave him the shivers just smelling it, and this was from 5 feet away - great sillage but not in an in-your-face way, more of a scented aura. Now THAT's worth $240. You're not gonna get that from Marc Jacobs or Britney Spears.
For example, I'm wearing Profumum Victrix today. When I put it on, it smelled like leaves in a forest and fresh mint. After 9 hours, it has evolved into this very sexy indefinable scent. My boss said it was incredible, gave him the shivers just smelling it, and this was from 5 feet away - great sillage but not in an in-your-face way, more of a scented aura. Now THAT's worth $240. You're not gonna get that from Marc Jacobs or Britney Spears.
Lavendar Blue, I am new to niche perfumes too. My definition of niche perfume is - a perfume that you don't smell on every Tom, Dick, and Harry's - sister, mother, or daugter.
Strictly and historically speaking, niche perfumes are distributed through different channels than mainstream ones: stand-alone shops, selected perfumeries, and since the advent of ecommerce, the internet (the older niche houses like Diptyque, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Annick Goutal and Serge Lutens pre-date the WWW).
I started turning to niche perfumery because I perceived it, not only to have more unusual fragrances -- though, pre-80s, all groundbreaking perfumes, from Chanel N°5 to Opium, were mainstream -- and to put its money into ingredients and compositions rather than advertising and packaging. All the bottles were the same and there were no ads.
Still now, I mostly buy and wear niche (along with vintage). In the best cases, these houses have a personal vision, often work with the same perfumer so there's consistency, or with several perfumers given artistic freedom, like Frédéric Malle.
But now that everyone and his brother are launching niche lines, there's bound to be a lot of derivative products. If I start a perfume house tomorrow, I'll have to go see a perfumer. He/She will sell me -- or maybe even give me, if we're really friends -- a formula, but it won't necessarily be something developed especially for me. It will most likely be something the perfumer's worked on when competing for a big commission from a major brand, and which has been rejected, possibly for not being mainstream enough. So I might end up with something good, even amazing, but it'll be hard to have a consistent vision.
It's hard to keep track of what's coming out these days. I would recommend sticking to the major niche players to start out with.
I started turning to niche perfumery because I perceived it, not only to have more unusual fragrances -- though, pre-80s, all groundbreaking perfumes, from Chanel N°5 to Opium, were mainstream -- and to put its money into ingredients and compositions rather than advertising and packaging. All the bottles were the same and there were no ads.
Still now, I mostly buy and wear niche (along with vintage). In the best cases, these houses have a personal vision, often work with the same perfumer so there's consistency, or with several perfumers given artistic freedom, like Frédéric Malle.
But now that everyone and his brother are launching niche lines, there's bound to be a lot of derivative products. If I start a perfume house tomorrow, I'll have to go see a perfumer. He/She will sell me -- or maybe even give me, if we're really friends -- a formula, but it won't necessarily be something developed especially for me. It will most likely be something the perfumer's worked on when competing for a big commission from a major brand, and which has been rejected, possibly for not being mainstream enough. So I might end up with something good, even amazing, but it'll be hard to have a consistent vision.
It's hard to keep track of what's coming out these days. I would recommend sticking to the major niche players to start out with.
This isn't a definition of niche, but it's how my feelings run about niche scents.
The majority of them which I have sniffed have been total let-downs after reading the overdone write-ups on the sites which hawk them...or the adoring ravings on blogs and message boards.
I own a few niche scents which I love -- the ones which 'delivered' for me, anyway. I also own some I could have kicked myself for buying after only sampling briefly or not at all.
But, take this post with a grain of salt...because I'm not worried about owning something not many people wear (exclusivity means nil to me)...or looking for anything so different it can assault my senses or the senses of those around me.
The majority of them which I have sniffed have been total let-downs after reading the overdone write-ups on the sites which hawk them...or the adoring ravings on blogs and message boards.
I own a few niche scents which I love -- the ones which 'delivered' for me, anyway. I also own some I could have kicked myself for buying after only sampling briefly or not at all.
But, take this post with a grain of salt...because I'm not worried about owning something not many people wear (exclusivity means nil to me)...or looking for anything so different it can assault my senses or the senses of those around me.
I would also add that a niche fragrance has a persona or style that you will either love or not love.
My definition of niche is a perfume created by someone other than the big perfume houses like Guerlain, Estee Lauder, Dior, YSL, etc. An independant perfumer of sorts.
I buy a lot of niche perfumes, not because I care whether I smell like everyone else, but because niche fragrances are typically more adventurous (ex, L'Artisan Dzongkha, Dzing, Serge Lutens MKK, these are all truly odd). I don't want to smell like pencil shavings, hot tar or crotch but I like some of the more unusual niche offerings.
As far as my expectations - YES! - I absolutely DO hold niche perfumers to a tougher standard. Since they are oftentimes much more expensive$$ and flaunt their "higher quality ingredients" (which I rather doubt) - I definitely am picky with them. For instance, I'm annoyed by Juliette Has A Gun because the first two frags are nice but "meh." I think most of the money was spent on marketing. If Estee Lauder made a frag that smelled like Lady Vengeance for $50 I'd probably be jumping out of my chair to get it.
Are you feelin' me?! :-D
I buy a lot of niche perfumes, not because I care whether I smell like everyone else, but because niche fragrances are typically more adventurous (ex, L'Artisan Dzongkha, Dzing, Serge Lutens MKK, these are all truly odd). I don't want to smell like pencil shavings, hot tar or crotch but I like some of the more unusual niche offerings.
As far as my expectations - YES! - I absolutely DO hold niche perfumers to a tougher standard. Since they are oftentimes much more expensive$$ and flaunt their "higher quality ingredients" (which I rather doubt) - I definitely am picky with them. For instance, I'm annoyed by Juliette Has A Gun because the first two frags are nice but "meh." I think most of the money was spent on marketing. If Estee Lauder made a frag that smelled like Lady Vengeance for $50 I'd probably be jumping out of my chair to get it.
Are you feelin' me?! :-D
I'll admit that like Catie, I've been rather disappointed with niche, but that's just a matter of taste.
I personally associate niche with a sort of artistic, if not necessarily commercial, independence. It is more an attitude than anything else (because after all Serge Lutens is funded by Shiseido, and he's the big one), this idea that the houses should decide for themselves what's good, rather than market-research everything to death. So far as I can tell, most so-called "commercial" offerings try to appeal to as many people as possible, whereas most so-called "niche" perfumes try not to appeal to mob mentality. It is up to you, of course, to decide who makes better perfumes. I would submit that niche has two main compositional strategies, as laid down by L'Artisan: an emphasis on exoticism (oud, fig, whatever) and unexpected pairings (the mentholated top of Tubereuse Criminelle, rose + patchouli in Voleur de Roses). It's challenging to the nose, insofar that you may have to contend with something you'd not normally consider to be "perfume", but it's my opinion that these are deliberate strategies. When one looks at classical compositions, they're so complex and well-blended it's reaaaaally hard to pick out individual notes, whereas niche has a sort of clarity, you can perceive the mechanics behind the perfume, and they tend not to be the kind of perfumes that wear you (though of course this is not always the case).
It's hard to say, however. It's a new genre, and whatever its faults and all the band-waggoners, it is nice how we have so many options now beyond the tawdry juices at Sephora.
I personally associate niche with a sort of artistic, if not necessarily commercial, independence. It is more an attitude than anything else (because after all Serge Lutens is funded by Shiseido, and he's the big one), this idea that the houses should decide for themselves what's good, rather than market-research everything to death. So far as I can tell, most so-called "commercial" offerings try to appeal to as many people as possible, whereas most so-called "niche" perfumes try not to appeal to mob mentality. It is up to you, of course, to decide who makes better perfumes. I would submit that niche has two main compositional strategies, as laid down by L'Artisan: an emphasis on exoticism (oud, fig, whatever) and unexpected pairings (the mentholated top of Tubereuse Criminelle, rose + patchouli in Voleur de Roses). It's challenging to the nose, insofar that you may have to contend with something you'd not normally consider to be "perfume", but it's my opinion that these are deliberate strategies. When one looks at classical compositions, they're so complex and well-blended it's reaaaaally hard to pick out individual notes, whereas niche has a sort of clarity, you can perceive the mechanics behind the perfume, and they tend not to be the kind of perfumes that wear you (though of course this is not always the case).
It's hard to say, however. It's a new genre, and whatever its faults and all the band-waggoners, it is nice how we have so many options now beyond the tawdry juices at Sephora.
"It's hard to say, however. It's a new genre, and whatever its faults and all the band-waggoners, it is nice how we have so many options now beyond the tawdry juices at Sephora. "
I agree. Niche scents run the gamut, just like dept store and drugstore stuff. Some of it is amazing, alot of it is adequate and then there are definitely a fair share of situations where the emperor has no clothes. But even so, I pop into Sephora and Nordies from time to time and it does occur to me that the selection is largely pretty blah. Sure, there are great things to be found there, but soooo much filler and fodder.
I agree. Niche scents run the gamut, just like dept store and drugstore stuff. Some of it is amazing, alot of it is adequate and then there are definitely a fair share of situations where the emperor has no clothes. But even so, I pop into Sephora and Nordies from time to time and it does occur to me that the selection is largely pretty blah. Sure, there are great things to be found there, but soooo much filler and fodder.
QUOTE (Catie Ribbons @ Aug 14 2008, 11:57 AM) 
This isn't a definition of niche, but it's how my feelings run about niche scents.
The majority of them which I have sniffed have been total let-downs after reading the overdone write-ups on the sites which hawk them...or the adoring ravings on blogs and message boards.
I own a few niche scents which I love -- the ones which 'delivered' for me, anyway. I also own some I could have kicked myself for buying after only sampling briefly or not at all.
But, take this post with a grain of salt...because I'm not worried about owning something not many people wear (exclusivity means nil to me)...or looking for anything so different it can assault my senses or the senses of those around me.
The majority of them which I have sniffed have been total let-downs after reading the overdone write-ups on the sites which hawk them...or the adoring ravings on blogs and message boards.
I own a few niche scents which I love -- the ones which 'delivered' for me, anyway. I also own some I could have kicked myself for buying after only sampling briefly or not at all.
But, take this post with a grain of salt...because I'm not worried about owning something not many people wear (exclusivity means nil to me)...or looking for anything so different it can assault my senses or the senses of those around me.
I didn't even think about the exclusivity of niche perfumes when I started exploring them, I'm just trying to fill the huge void in my collection due to discontinued scents & all the poor reformulations of my old favourites.
QUOTE (Persephone @ Aug 14 2008, 01:33 PM)
My definition of niche is a perfume created by someone other than the big perfume houses like Guerlain, Estee Lauder, Dior, YSL, etc. An independant perfumer of sorts.
I buy a lot of niche perfumes, not because I care whether I smell like everyone else, but because niche fragrances are typically more adventurous (ex, L'Artisan Dzongkha, Dzing, Serge Lutens MKK, these are all truly odd). I don't want to smell like pencil shavings, hot tar or crotch but I like some of the more unusual niche offerings.
As far as my expectations - YES! - I absolutely DO hold niche perfumers to a tougher standard. Since they are oftentimes much more expensive$$ and flaunt their "higher quality ingredients" (which I rather doubt) - I definitely am picky with them. For instance, I'm annoyed by Juliette Has A Gun because the first two frags are nice but "meh." I think most of the money was spent on marketing. If Estee Lauder made a frag that smelled like Lady Vengeance for $50 I'd probably be jumping out of my chair to get it.
Are you feelin' me?! :-D
I buy a lot of niche perfumes, not because I care whether I smell like everyone else, but because niche fragrances are typically more adventurous (ex, L'Artisan Dzongkha, Dzing, Serge Lutens MKK, these are all truly odd). I don't want to smell like pencil shavings, hot tar or crotch but I like some of the more unusual niche offerings.
As far as my expectations - YES! - I absolutely DO hold niche perfumers to a tougher standard. Since they are oftentimes much more expensive$$ and flaunt their "higher quality ingredients" (which I rather doubt) - I definitely am picky with them. For instance, I'm annoyed by Juliette Has A Gun because the first two frags are nice but "meh." I think most of the money was spent on marketing. If Estee Lauder made a frag that smelled like Lady Vengeance for $50 I'd probably be jumping out of my chair to get it.
Are you feelin' me?! :-D
I'm glad that I'm not alone in the higher expectations department, I have also passed on one or two perfumes because I couldn't find justification for their high price tag!
QUOTE (Dain @ Aug 14 2008, 08:38 PM)
I'll admit that like Catie, I've been rather disappointed with niche, but that's just a matter of taste.
I personally associate niche with a sort of artistic, if not necessarily commercial, independence. It is more an attitude than anything else (because after all Serge Lutens is funded by Shiseido, and he's the big one), this idea that the houses should decide for themselves what's good, rather than market-research everything to death. So far as I can tell, most so-called "commercial" offerings try to appeal to as many people as possible, whereas most so-called "niche" perfumes try not to appeal to mob mentality. It is up to you, of course, to decide who makes better perfumes. I would submit that niche has two main compositional strategies, as laid down by L'Artisan: an emphasis on exoticism (oud, fig, whatever) and unexpected pairings (the mentholated top of Tubereuse Criminelle, rose + patchouli in Voleur de Roses). It's challenging to the nose, insofar that you may have to contend with something you'd not normally consider to be "perfume", but it's my opinion that these are deliberate strategies. When one looks at classical compositions, they're so complex and well-blended it's reaaaaally hard to pick out individual notes, whereas niche has a sort of clarity, you can perceive the mechanics behind the perfume, and they tend not to be the kind of perfumes that wear you (though of course this is not always the case).
It's hard to say, however. It's a new genre, and whatever its faults and all the band-waggoners, it is nice how we have so many options now beyond the tawdry juices at Sephora.
I personally associate niche with a sort of artistic, if not necessarily commercial, independence. It is more an attitude than anything else (because after all Serge Lutens is funded by Shiseido, and he's the big one), this idea that the houses should decide for themselves what's good, rather than market-research everything to death. So far as I can tell, most so-called "commercial" offerings try to appeal to as many people as possible, whereas most so-called "niche" perfumes try not to appeal to mob mentality. It is up to you, of course, to decide who makes better perfumes. I would submit that niche has two main compositional strategies, as laid down by L'Artisan: an emphasis on exoticism (oud, fig, whatever) and unexpected pairings (the mentholated top of Tubereuse Criminelle, rose + patchouli in Voleur de Roses). It's challenging to the nose, insofar that you may have to contend with something you'd not normally consider to be "perfume", but it's my opinion that these are deliberate strategies. When one looks at classical compositions, they're so complex and well-blended it's reaaaaally hard to pick out individual notes, whereas niche has a sort of clarity, you can perceive the mechanics behind the perfume, and they tend not to be the kind of perfumes that wear you (though of course this is not always the case).
It's hard to say, however. It's a new genre, and whatever its faults and all the band-waggoners, it is nice how we have so many options now beyond the tawdry juices at Sephora.
This is where I'm struggling, commercial & main stream perfumes never used to try to appeal to as many people as possible, there use to be such a wide range of perfumes available which catered to all the differing needs of the perfume buying public. The new regulations is some what to blame but a lot of companies took advantage of these changes to cut costs & make some extra money & the new modernized classics aren't anywhere near as complex as the vintage stuff. We can't turn back time, hence I'm looking to the niche market to try & fill the big gapping hole left in the main stream perfume industry.
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