Import / Niche / Indie (Independent) Fragrances

Though there is nothing wrong in choosing mass-market designer perfumes, it is very uplifting to have a unique and luxurious scent that matches your personality in your fragrance collection.

Introduce yourself to niche fragrance oil to find exclusive fragrances that are made for the privileged few!

Since the market is flooded with a large number of options, it has become difficult to choose the right fragrance for the right occasion. TheFragranceBarNoir.com is your ideal store and online fragrance oil boutique to explore and indulge yourself. Browse our unique fragrance collections and purchase import / niche / indie (independent) fragrance oils online / in store. Niche, indie and imported fragrance oils are exceptional. The high quality of ingredients, the smell that is far away from mainstream perfumes and limited availability make them unique and personal. This grouping of fragrances includes some of the world's most popular and enduring aromas. Fragrances in many instances are imported from perfumers in the Far East, Middle East and Europe. Gender becomes lost as you experience the majestic aroma of these imported fragrances. In fragrance, indie perfume is a smaller, niche brand not housed within a large beauty company or designer house, but privately owned.

The emergence of niche perfume brands

The phrase "niche perfumery" comes from the French term "la niche." Another unofficial word for this product is "selective perfume," derived from the term "selective," which implies handpicked. The creator of this idea was the famous perfume maker Serge

Lutens, who made a revolutionary ladies' perfume in the late 19th century.

According to the principles of that time, such fragrances could only be worn by gentlemen. Thus, by his action, Lutens showcased a complete denial to obey the rule of separating scents according to gender. It took niche perfumery in a completely different direction.

The sensation of this craft itself emerged in the 1970s under the first niche brand Penhaligon's. However, making unique fragrances back then, their creators did not yet recognize that they had birthed the art of niche perfumes.

Market Segmentation of fragrances

Now that you know about the emergence of niche perfume brands, let us understand the market segmentation of fragrances.

1. Mass marketed perfume brands: These fragrances can be located in any shop (not necessarily beauty stores). Usually, their fragrances are easily sensed; they look and feel quite familiar and are distinguished by reasonable prices emanating from the use of low-budget raw materials in their manufacturing. Such fragrances are made with a conveyor process, and given the low cost, their demand always remains high.

2. Luxury fragrance brands: They are the by-products of global fashion houses and extensive perfumery businesses. These scents are more costly than mass-marketed perfumes because a small bottle is consistently worth different price factors: wide-ranging promotion campaigns with global media dispositions, high-quality items, a series of trial phases, and discount offers.

3. Niche fragrances: Yields of perfumery that are challenging to discover on the shelves of traditional shops or in catalogs of well-known brands are niche fragrances. They are often tailor-made fragrances handcrafted by sole crafters or the best experts of perfume houses. During their invention, the goal is not to fulfill the requirements of the mass market and consumer masses. Instead, they are created to open new horizons in the perfume world.

How niche is a niche perfume?

Based on the above descriptions, is it straightforward to decide whether a fragrance is a niche or not? The characterizations specifically express something about the kind of business that sells the perfume, but they speak little about the real difference between these scents. Moreover, myriad exceptions and additional classes are joining every day.

What about fragrance brands like Acqua di Parma, Chanel, Guerlain, or Tom Ford? They are accountable for favorably thriving iconic perfumes like Samsara, Shalimar, Black Orchid, and Acqua di Parma Colonia. For these leading labels, the fragrance is not just a profitable by-product but their primary source of revenue.

In addition, the advancement and success of niche fragrances have not gone unrecognized by leading global brands. They have responded by launching more exclusive niche perfume ranges, such as the Dior Collection Privée and Armani Privé, to seize the territory of the expanding niche market. These brands are more expensive and cannot be found in every famous store, sometimes even exclusively in the brand's own stores. Can they be called 'niche'?

It becomes even more challenging with avant-garde labels like Maison Martin Margiëla or Comme des Garçons. Their fragrances undoubtedly appeal to a more limited crowd, but both also belong to global groups. Hence we can say that by far the leading 'niche' perfume brands are elegant and premier brands such as Frederic Malle, Creed, Serge Lutens, Le Labo, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, By Kilian, and Byredo.

Even when we term them 'niche', each brand now owns over 40 different perfumes and is part of a global group. They have given us hyped fragrances, such as Portrait of a Lady, Aventus, or Santal 33, but if 'niche' implies that they are only for a limited audience, these fragrances are probably long beyond that status.

NICHE PERFUMES: AN OVERVIEW

Niche’ is the term coined to describe rare types of perfumes. Niche perfumes exude an interesting and special kind of scent that is difficult to find. Yes, they usually come with a high price but nevertheless, perfume aficionados found great value in every drop.

In the past years, there has been a tremendous increase in ‘niche’ perfumery making way for exciting new names in the ‘elite’ fragrance market. Niche perfumers have gotten bolder and daring in trying fresh fusions of fragrances, taking inspirations from events and experiences to inspire others.

Today’s concoction of the purest scents in niche perfumes tell a story and evoke memories through your senses.

HOW IS NICHE PERFUME DIFFERENT FROM DESIGNER PERFUME?

A LOOK ON NICHE PERFUMES

Niche perfumes are available in limited quantity while designer perfumes are mass produced. This means that people who choose niche perfumes are entitled to wear exclusive and original scents that is totally unique from what ‘common’ people usually wear.

Niche perfumes are also more focused on preserving the original scent and do not use packaging and advertisements as their selling points. Niche perfumers are very strict in using higher concentrations of perfume extracts and more natural ingredients to create an awesome sensation and one of a kind experience each time the fragrance bottle is opened.

A LOOK ON DESIGNER PERFUMES

Designer perfumes, on the other hand, are the majority of scents that are available in large retail and department stores. These fragrances are labelled as mainstream scents and are commonly launched by fashion houses.

Although designer perfume brands lack exclusivity, one of their main selling points is affordability. It is undeniable that niche perfumes are priced way higher than designer perfumes. For a person who simply wants to smell great, there is a wide selection of designer perfumes in the market that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Designer perfume brands appeal to masses not only because of their price but also because of the extensive promotion they get. Advertisements for designer perfumes are funded and celebrities are used as endorsers to make a mainstream perfume brand truly remarkable.

SHOULD YOU TAKE THE SWITCH FROM DESIGNER TO NICHE PERFUMES? WHAT TO CONSIDER.

In the battle between designer and niche perfumes, both options come with strong selling points making each one a worthy option. But still, the question remains. Should you take the switch from designer to niche perfumes?

The answer actually depends on your personal preference and standard. It’s a clash between common and unusual. A choice between ordinary and special. As choosing your scent can tell your story, you are in the best position to know what suits you best.

Still undecided if you should you take the switch from designer to niche perfumes? Here are some points that you should consider.

ACCESSIBILITY

A simple trip to the mall will treat you to a wide selection of designer scents. Niche fragrances, on the other hand, have now become more accessible with more boutique perfume houses and niche perfume stores online.

COST

Designer perfumes may appear as the runaway winner when it comes to cost because of their comparably lower price than niche perfume brands. But assessing further, niche perfumes may not be too pricey especially if you will look into quality and lasting scent that it offers.

SCENT

Your choice of scent is crucial in choosing between niche perfume and designer perfume. Your preference usually depends on how you want to use your fragrance. Do you want to simply smell great? Or do you want to smell great and be remembered because of your unique scent? There is a wide selection of designer perfumes that come in a range of scents, the problem is a lot of people are already wearing them. If you want something unique and more personal, you’ll find niche perfumes a worthy choice.

Things You Might Not Know About Niche Perfumes:

1. Niche perfumes were already available even before designer fragrances became popular.

2. Niche houses are very diverse that categorizing them or defining their olfactive groups are usually very difficult.

3. Niche houses adhere to several basic principles in order to preserve its image that is very much different from mass perfumery.

4. The 1st principle of Niche houses is to have their own perfumer in charge of the fragrances of the house, just like it was in former days.

5. The 2nd principle of niche houses is to have a selective approach to the distribution of their products.

6. The 3rd and last principle of niche houses is to not recognize advertising, apart from, perhaps, magazine articles and interviews in prominent media. For them, a good reputation is the best way to promote their perfumes.

7. Among the most popular niche perfume scents are those that focus on a single note, particularly those with Rose scents and Vanilla scents.

8. The fragrances of niche houses can almost never be seen in shops that sell mass fragrance production products, or in big department store chains. Niche perfume brands are given greater shelf space at upmarket department stores including Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Printemps in Paris and Harrods in London.

9. Niche perfumery base their principles on the original definition of the word “niche” which means limited distribution.

10. There are factors that make fragrances qualify as niche perfumes, these are scarcity, non-ubiquity and specialization.

11. In order to become a qualified perfumer, training is made easier with training courses, companies and UK universities including Cotsworld Perfumery and Plush Folly.

12. Shiseido maverick art director, photographer and former Dior makeup director Serge Lutens were instrumental in launching niche perfumes when he inaugurated his personal fragrance line in the early 1990s at Le Palais Royal in Paris.

13. The year 2000 is another defining moment for niche perfumes when Frederic Malle, a Frenchman and the grandson of Dior perfumes founder by recognizing the efforts of those who work behind the limelight of niche perfume houses.

14. The evolution of the Internet and the opening of specialized boutiques on non-French and non-Italian places allowed a dedicated audience to be acknowledged by experts who could guide them according to their taste unlike the assistance of salespeople from marketing or promotion department stores.

15. Today, the selection of niche perfumes is greater than ever covering every genre from all naturals lines, cult projects, luxurious offerings and avant-garde brand.

16. Boutique artisanal perfume studios whose production is on a much smaller scale, and whose presence in mainstream retail stores is minimal or non-existent, are thus referred to as niche. These are the scents you might likely find at a perfume specialist or high-end fragrance boutique.

17. Trends in the niche perfume market show growth of 60% since 2005 while sales of high-end perfumes showed a decline.

18. Have you heard of Secretion Magnifiques? A niche fragrance launched in 2006 smells like blood, sweat, sperm and saliva to promote sensual pleasure.

19. Another interesting niche perfume is Paper Passion, a typical choice for bookworms with its scent that will remind you of paper, books, and even library!

20. Agarwood is one of the oldest and most expensive ingredients in the world used in making niche perfumes. Using a distillation process, it is mainly responsible for a truly different, modern fragrance.

21. Amouage, an ultra-exclusive niche perfume house founded by the Sultan of Oman is the most expensive fragrance line in the world.

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