Perfume Marketing Trends - Celebrity Perfumes Define the '00s

It's nearing the end of the '00s, and many magazines are coming up with lists of the top trends of the past decade. For fashion, this decade, like many preceding it, had many hit and miss moments. While trucker caps and low-rise jeans might make a comeback in the distant future, what were some of the top fragrance trends this decade? One trend included combining two types of fragrances, such as floral and dessert notes into one perfume, but the most prominent trend for perfumes over the past ten years has been celebrity fragrances. Essentially, anyone who was popular even for a brief period came out with a perfume or cologne, if not a full line.

This concept isn't new, however. Even through the 1990s, some actors and singers had scents attached to their names. Notable ones have included White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor, Samourai by Alain Delon, and Electric Youth perfume by pop star Debbie Gibson. Out of these three, both White Diamonds and Samourai are still in production, while Electric Youth stopped at some point in the 1990s. In the present, the same phenomenon can be seen, with A and B-list - even soon-to-be C-list - actors, actresses, singers, and celebutantes coming out with fragrances. Because this sudden explosion of celebrity name perfumes and colognes is somewhat recent, many are still in production, but will that be the case ten years from now?

Probably not. While White Diamonds and Samourai have become classic perfumes, most celebrity fragrances last as long as the actor or singer is in the public eye. Generally, those who purchase the fragrance are the fans and, when that pool dries up, the market for that particular perfume is gone. In fact, when a test was done earlier this year on celebrity fragrances, those who liked the perfume at first considered purchasing it - until they found out the name of the actress or singer attached to the perfume.

Celebrity fragrances, although extremely popular at the moment, are quick marketing and cash in on a singer's or actor's brand of the moment. In this case, a perfume displaying the celebrity's name is sold at the height of his or her popularity - often around when a new movie or album is released - and the fans grab it up. Larger fragrance companies like Coty and Elizabeth Arden have several celebrity perfumes and colognes in their product lines and, when one wanes in popularity, they simply release a new one for the latest A-list celebrity.