31/10/2014

Smells Like Youth Spirit


Since the launch of fragrances as a mass-market product, women were the first segment of consumers targeted by fragrance manufacturers. Indeed, women are more concerned about their personal appearance and perfumes play an important role in their beauty rituals. Nowadays, according to the Market Research News, the two-thirds of fragrance consumers are still women. 
Marylin Monroe putting some drops of Chanel n°5
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But, more and more men are attracted by the “power” of perfume and care about their look, spending more time on it and purchasing more personal care products including perfumes. If the male market came as a niche in the few past years, nowadays this segment keeps growing. Especially in the European countries. According to a report of GIA, the penetration of men’s fragrances and perfumes rank high with an estimated 75% of men utilising aftershave/male fragrance. In Italy for example, the percentage of men using fragrances outruns women. Who says men cannot be “coquettish”?
Acqua Di Gio - Giorgio Armani ad
http://www.fragrantica.com/news/Armani-Aqua-di-Gio-Essenza-3220.html

In addition, new consumers segments as young people and babies and the launch of niche products as fragrances made with natural and environmentally friendly ingredients have emerged in the growing perfume market. Let’s focus on teenagers and babies.

The new generation of teens and tweens are way more sophisticated and fashion-driven than before. So, teenagers become the most profitable demographic consumer segment. According to GCI magazine, a cosmetics industry trade publication, young people aged 13 to 19 years old represent a global segment of fragrance market that worth more than $250 billion. Manufacturers haven’t waited to run into this niche as Valentino’s “Rock and Rose Couture” or Burberry’s “The Beat”. From the name to the packaging, all was developed in order to appeal the young consumers.


Let’s see a precise example of the youth market in Middle East: according to a survey by the Chalhoub Group and UK-based market research agency Datamonitor, among people aged 15 to 29yo, in Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the majority often purchase around $400 in perfume and cosmetics, and buy especially – on average – one to two perfumes a month(!) from both international and Arabian brands.

Burberry's "The Beat" ad with young men
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Now, concerning the babies, the growth of this segment is widely sustained by the growing baby population in the developing countries where the income of parents have increased significantly at the same time. We can also see that people are older when they become parents for the first time and so they are considered to be financially more stable and then have more money to spend on baby care products. Concerned by the well-being of their child, manufacturers have to offer products less chemical and aggressive for the baby skin. For instance, parents are more likely to buy “eaux de senteur” that don’t contains alcohol rather than classic “eaux de toilette”.
Tartine & Chocolat perfume + soft toy box: the first perfume of many French babies
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Finally, as incredible as profitable, another consumer segment has emerged in the fragrances market: the pets segment. As we say in France, “a dog is the man’s best friend”. Even though, an occasional squirt of human perfume over the tail head is not dangerous for dogs, some designers offer the “Eau de Dog” for £6 or maybe you would rather prefer premiumness and purchase “Sexy Beast” around $65. This new range of fragances can be explain as the manifestation of a new trend of luxury for pets and especially dogs: hotels, spa, massages, clothes… Nothing is too good for our four-legged friends!
"Sexy Beast": a luxury perfume for your dog, male or female!
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References:


- Global Industry Analysts (GIA) in its report: Fragrances and Perfumes: A Global Strategic Business Report