Do you know what a niche perfume is?

There is no industry in which the adjective “niche” is used as often as perfume. But what do you think of as niche perfumes? Are they better and more expensive? Are they worth buying?

We do not translate the adjective niche into Czech in any way, we use it in its original wording. It refers to products or services that appeal to a small, specialized part of the population. So it is something extra for the chosen ones.

What exactly is perfumery about?

Niche perfumes they have been in fashion for a few years now. No other industry has embraced the concept so much. Have you ever heard of a niche restaurant, hair salon or shoe store? Probably not.

There is no official definition of a niche perfume, but in the world of perfumery a distinction is commonly made between designer, niche, indie and celebrity perfumes.

Designer perfumes

Perfumes from larger luxury companies, especially fashion houses, which you can buy in any perfumery, at the airport or in a shopping center. These brands actually list perfumes as a by-product. They spend huge amounts of money on developing secret formulas, and even more on marketing campaigns. If the perfume takes off, its endless variations will begin to be produced (e.g. the popular women’s perfume La vie est belle exists, among others, in versions Éclat, Florale, Intense and others), as well as body lotions, shower gels, etc. All this for higher incomes. You as a customer pay mainly for the packaging, marketing and development of the fragrance, the perfume itself represents only a few percent of the price.

However, this is not to say that these perfumes are bad. After all, most iconic fragrances fall into this category. Think of Chanel n°5, Poison by Dior or Terre d’Hermes.

Celebrity perfumes

Perfumes bearing the names of celebrities such as Beyoncé, David Beckham or Ariana Grande. It’s a kind of luxury merch. They will probably find their way more to the fans of these celebrities, they mainly have a commercial purpose.

Niche perfumes

These perfumes typically come from smaller companies that only make perfumes (and sometimes other scented products like candles). They usually hire external perfumeries to create their perfumes.

India perfumes

Perfumes from very small brands, often owned directly by a perfumer. India means independent, i.e. independent. The creators of these perfumes are not so dependent on your noses, they do not spend large amounts of money on marketing.

So are niche perfumes better?

Based on the above definitions, you can probably imagine that clearly distinguishing perfumes into these categories is often not so easy. It is equally ambiguous whether niche perfumes are always better and worth buying. True niche perfumes are more original and contain more expensive ingredients, so you get better value for your money and above all you buy a personal and unique product made with love. But of course, as in any lucrative industry, even among niche perfumeries there are less honest brands.