Perfume

Ever wonder the history behind your favorite perfume? Most modern brands, however, appeared sometime between the 1960s and the ‘80s, as the amount of designer perfumes increased with the amount of designer clothing labels appearing. Nevertheless, some now-classic perfumes appeared before this and remain popular today across all age groups. But trends change, and one of the top marketing strategies in the present has been celebrity perfumes. Whether it’s a line of Paris Hilton or Mariah Carey perfume or a single scent from an A-list actress, attaching the name or a singer, actor, or athlete to a scent appears to sell well, albeit for a short period of time.

The first appearance of perfume seems to be in the late 19th century in Grasse, Provence in France. The scents, at the time, were used to cover up the pervasive smell of tanned leather all over the area. As far as perfume brands are concerned, some of the classics, such as Chloe, Chanel No. 5, Shalimar by Guerlain, and Tabu by Dana, appeared sometime within the period of 1920 to 1940. However, up until the 1960s, perfume was seen as a luxury item and, only when designers started incorporating scents into their lines in the 1960s, did it become more available to the middle class.

The trend of perfumes by designers spiked in the 1980s. Although Chanel perfume was widely used at the time, other brands, including more established ones and up-and-comers, brought out their own fragrances. Whether Gucci or Givenchy perfume for men and women, most high-end designers had one or more fragrances associated with them. Typifying the time period, Giorgio Beverly Hills seemed to be the peak of the designer perfume craze in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

Although many designers still have a line of fragrances in addition to clothing, the latest trend in perfume promotion is celebrities – not endorsements but celebrity-brand fragrances. The brands, actually, are part of larger companies, such as Coty or Elizabeth Arden, but are advertised simply by the celebrity’s name. Britney Spears perfume, for example, is one line offered by Elizabeth Arden, while Coty has several others. Although starting with White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor in the early ‘90s, the trend increased this decade, with various singers, rappers, actors, and athletes adopting a perfume or cologne as part of their brand. From socialites like Paris Hilton to athletes like David Beckham, so many celebrities now have a fragrance. In fact, throw a stone in any direction at an awards show, and someone has a perfume or cologne line. Although the sales results behind celebrity-brand fragrances can be up or down, the trend doesn’t appear to be dying any time soon.