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Interesting NYT article on unisex scent

post #1 of 16
3/23/06 at 12:01pm
Thread Starter 
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/23/fa...SEX.html?8hpib

"Scent of a Person"

Enjoy!
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post #2 of 16
3/23/06 at 1:27pm
Interesting article. I wonder what might happen if department stores did not separate their fragrances by gender ... there would be no mens & womens counter, and they kept it in a separate area from the cosmetics (I think guys would traditionally avoid that area).

Jumble it up a bit, eh?
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post #3 of 16
3/23/06 at 1:44pm
"The younger generation uses fragrance in a different way," said Jenny B. Fine, the editor of the trade publication Beauty Biz. "They like scents that aren't obtrusive, that give off an aura more than an odor."


I thought everyone uses fragrances this way. Maybe I'm just from a younger generation, but I thought this was the general consensus. :-?
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post #4 of 16
3/23/06 at 3:45pm
GREAT article i think . .. but am i the only one who really REALLY doesn't want to see the names of these fragrance houses strewn about through the NY Times??

i feel like i've just discovered my own little secret world here. . .and it feels like the first time i listened to Sigur Ros. Suddenly, 3 years later, everyone and their dog was listening to it, and it just ruined it a bit for me. part of the appeal of the frags that are toted on this site is that they are virtually unknown by the mass public. i don't want NY Times to be changing that.

people are always looking to be "in on something" that others aren't. so if they read an article about some underground perfums and colognes, they'll be running out to buy them ASAP.
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post #5 of 16
3/23/06 at 4:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by expecto_patronum

GREAT article i think . .. but am i the only one who really REALLY doesn't want to see the names of these fragrance houses strewn about through the NY Times??

i feel like i've just discovered my own little secret world here. . .and it feels like the first time i listened to Sigur Ros. Suddenly, 3 years later, everyone and their dog was listening to it, and it just ruined it a bit for me. part of the appeal of the frags that are toted on this site is that they are virtually unknown by the mass public. i don't want NY Times to be changing that. Â*

people are always looking to be "in on something" that others aren't. so if they read an article about some underground perfums and colognes, they'll be running out to buy them ASAP.


On the other hand, niche fragrance houses in general know who their real market is: collectors/connesiuers/basenoters. If everyone bought L'Artisan scents, then another house would reach even farther for something even more obscure and unique in order to keep that niche audience. The 'bar', so to speak, is raised as the masses discover the long tail of the market.
It's not like we will run out of new scents.
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post #6 of 16
3/23/06 at 5:29pm
I did enjoy. Thank you, Scentsei
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post #7 of 16
3/23/06 at 7:11pm
Loved the article...especially liked the fact that Gaultier2 is coming our way this spring to your local Sephora or Bloomie's!

I guess the wait is almost over! WOO TO THE HOO! 8-)
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post #8 of 16
3/23/06 at 8:49pm
Who wants to bet that at least one Basenoter was mentioned in that article....

EDIT: Anyone who caught the Colbert Report on Comedy Central tonight was treated to some hilarious further analysis of the article. Colbert's thoughts: "I believe a man should smell like an old baseball glove."
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post #9 of 16
3/23/06 at 9:26pm
Interesting article. Thanks, Scentsei.
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post #10 of 16
3/23/06 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vicomte de K

Interesting article. I wonder what might happen if department stores did not separate their fragrances by gender ... there would be no mens & womens counter, and they kept it in a separate area from the cosmetics (I think guys would traditionally avoid that area).

Jumble it up a bit, eh?

They started doing just that in many of the main department stores down here about two years ago.
It is an absolute pain in the ar##!

I've lost count of the number of times I've accidently sprayed a woman's one on my wrist smelled it and thought "Yuk/Damn/Not again" and furiously tried to wipe it off against my trousers.
This happens when the bottles are fairly similar.

I used to like dropping into the men's section of those particular stores.
Now I go there much less frequently, instead preferring other stores where I can easily see what's available and not have such accidents.
Renato
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post #11 of 16
3/23/06 at 11:35pm
I enjoyed the article, thanks, but remain very skeptical about it's premise.

I'll believe it when I click on the various countries' top ten best selling scents at PerfumeWorld, and see a whole bunch of unisex ones showing up.
Renato
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post #12 of 16
3/24/06 at 9:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renato

[quote author=Vicomte de K link=1143144087/0#1 date=1143149254]Interesting article. I wonder what might happen if department stores did not separate their fragrances by gender ... there would be no mens & womens counter, and they kept it in a separate area from the cosmetics (I think guys would traditionally avoid that area).

Jumble it up a bit, eh?

They started doing just that in many of the main department stores down here about two years ago.
It is an absolute pain in the ar##!

I've lost count of the number of times I've accidently sprayed a woman's one on my wrist smelled it and thought "Yuk/Damn/Not again" and furiously tried to wipe it off against my trousers.
This happens when the bottles are fairly similar.

I used to like dropping into the men's section of those particular stores.
Now I go there much less frequently, instead preferring other stores where I can easily see what's available and not have such accidents.
Renato[/quote]

Hmm. Good point, I never thought of that. I wonder if their sales have dropped off since they started jumbling it up. I haven't seen it happen in the US, but maybe they're testing it overseas. I could see it happening more easily at some of the high-end department stores here like Saks, Nordstroms & Nieman Marcus, where there are at least some of niche frags sold. My feeling is that the niche market doesn't tend to target men vs. women as much as the designer market.

I wonder if I would have the same sort of reaction because, in general, I don't go for womens frags. I think it might be the aldehydes/flowers. (Although I do have some vintage Miss Dior which I think has a bit 'o' aldehyde in it. The newer stuff is more green.)
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post #13 of 16
3/24/06 at 9:52am
I didn't get the Creed rep saying they make no gender distinctions with their scents. They most certainly do. The bottle may not say "pour femme" or some such but they certainly package the more classically feminine fragrances differently.
Other than that it was an enjoyable read.
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post #14 of 16
3/24/06 at 10:23am
Quote:
Originally Posted by loungeboy

I didn't get the Creed rep saying they make no gender distinctions with their scents. They most certainly do. The bottle may not say "pour femme" or some such but they certainly package the more classically feminine fragrances differently.
Other than that it was an enjoyable read.

Very good point! I'd forgotten that because I'd only ever seen all the Creeds laid out on display shelves in a shop in London when I was there - and they was no doubt as to which ones were the purely feminine ones.
Renato
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post #15 of 16
3/24/06 at 10:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Domer04

Who wants to bet that at least one Basenoter was mentioned in that article....

EDIT: Â*Anyone who caught the Colbert Report on Comedy Central tonight was treated to some hilarious further analysis of the article. Â*Colbert's thoughts: "I believe a man should smell like an old baseball glove."

Aha, I always knew Steve Colbert was a Knize Ten man!
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post #16 of 16
3/24/06 at 4:50pm
I've lost count of the number of times I've accidently sprayed a woman's one on my wrist smelled it and thought "Yuk/Damn/Not again" and furiously tried to wipe it off against my trousers.
This happens when the bottles are fairly similar.

I used to like dropping into the men's section of those particular stores.
Now I go there much less frequently, instead preferring other stores where I can easily see what's available and not have such accidents.
Renato[/quote]


WOW What a baby
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