Is the elaborate packaging backfiring on By Kilian?

You're contradicting yourself here.

Not only do you cast a doubt upon everybody's (hence your usage of "we" rather than "I" or "you") understanding/knowledge about Killian's cost structure, you also seem confident in claiming (the "LOL" did you in here) Creed's and Lutens' juices cost mere a fraction of the cost to make. That probably is true in most cases (and for Killian as well), but that isn't the point here.

So, since you asked the question anyway -- do you know Killian's cost structure? Or Creed's? Or Lutens'? (I don't). How, then, are you so confident about disagreeing with others' about Killian's pricing, and going on to judge Creed and Lutens pricing?

Personally I have no problems to whichever might be the case, I'm just trying to understand, is all.

Double Bubble Post.

Maybe when you're sober enough


Exactly, my friend, exactly. And you did the same thing here -- by assuming the Killian detractors were wrong -- wherein stems the roots of your "rant".




And I didn't once accuse you of claiming you were informed about Kilian's cost structure. I was merely inquiring whether you knew it. And don't point at me please, it was you, afterall, who dragged Creed and Lutens into the Killian cost structure equation, not me. Essentially, you've dodged my real question here.



Matter of factly, you do need to know about cost structures before you decide to rant about others not agreeing with your assessments about any perfumer's pricing structure. You do need to know, at the very least, some pointers to justify why exactly do you not agree -- to add any weight to your arguments -- without which they're basseless, plain and simple


To be completely honest, you said Rant but I heard a whine

Oh, English isn't my first language either -- it's Marathi -- question is, for how much longer are people going to use that (English not being their first language) as an argument before creating baseless rant threads

What you've done here, precisely, is answer your own questions thereby rendering this thread quite redundant in essence. Especially since there's already a monolithic thread on dedicated to "rants" of all shapes, forms and sizes.

Hmm, well besides the joy of reading the tirades from you two..*Oh, jokes, they're aren't legitimate tirades, just metaphorically...to appease and amuse my senses * I agree that we'll never know the exact cost structures on By Kilians products, creeds products and Lutens products...all we'll know is if we like the Colloids and structures that have been Imbibed into it's bottle...Ie; I think Chanel 19 is definitely worth the money...though..where as Amouage Gold is definitely not worth the money...structure that is appreciated from my senses is all that matters, Price does tell a story...though the structure itemizes the person, *My personal beliefs*...Hell I prefer A $25 Bottle of Quorum then Amouage Jubilation...Even if I considered quorum stark in it's changes, it just appeals to me more!

- Balava

*handing you a tissue*

Please wipe the froth off your mouth, it's distracting me.

When I read your first reply to me, I knew almost immediately you were off the mark by a few inches while spraying your frag on your neck earlier this day. Alcohol works in stranger ways, which is what my earlier 'sober' remark was all about. Oh, and I forgive you already, I knew intercepting it was way out of your league.

Okay, let's do this again *pulls a chair and sits in front of you*

Are you trying to act obtuse on purpose, or are you just attempting to be funny? It doesn't matter anymore actually because the only common factor here is that you're failing at both.

All that hammy gibberish and yet not a single argument supporting your assessment as to *why exactly* do you feel the Killian detractors are wrong, and you right?

And then you brought Grant into it? LOL. Just because I asked you a question which you didn't have an answer to? Are you kidding me or what? Oh how so babyish of you. Maybe you'll summon Mother Teresa next?

I'm sure Grant'll have a neat chuckle outta this when he reads it.

Also, can you go ahead and show me where I forbade you from posting _any_ amount of inane threads your heart desires? That's right -- you can't, because I never forbade you.

But I don't think i'm wrong in hoping that you at the very minimum should know what you're rambling on about. You are the thread starter, after all and you should at the very least carry the capability to answer questions to your own statements.

And I'm sure Grant will agree with me on that.

Therefore, I'm at a loss to understand as to why exactly are you unnecessarily engaging a "defensive" mode when the simplest questions are asked. You could've just answered my question?

Perhaps you were expecting everyone to just agree with you and post in affirmity, but I asked you one question and off you go into an epileptic fit in cyberspace. I also suggest you stop using the staler than fungus infested bread "english is not my first language" sarcasmic twist. Yes, it's really that stale and completely unfunny.

Heck, I could've baked myself an apple pie in the time it took me to wade past your extremely queer method of post-quoting earlier.

Mmm... Pie.

That's it -- I'm off to bake me a pie.

Most definitely -- you know the phrase, "Sharing is caring"

And spray at me by accident? Even if you did, I greatly doubt the spray mist can travel all the way from Singapore to Mumbai.

How absurd, isn't it?

Backs away slowly...


Just want to throw this point in there - It might not be about the actual cost per se, more about the PERCEPTION of the whole thing. Like "I'm paying $300 for the bottle?".
Then again, guys like Creed or Bond might actually take a cue and make slightly nicer ones to encourage (some) buyers to pay a little more for them.

It is not my intention to fuel the ongoing argument in this thread but, who cares what the production cost structure is? If the juice is in a beautiful artistic bottle (like some of the Lalique crystal creations) then it is a experience of duality. Art in the juice and Art in the bottle. Those who collect perfume bottles will attest that these bottle are physical evidence of great days of fragrance past. Would I pay more for such a fragrance/bottle? Yes.

To be honest, I think arguing whether or not perfume is 'worth the money' is a moot argument in a way.

1. Do you like the smell?
2. Do you LOVE the smell?
3. How much is that worth to you?
4. Do you feel ripped off?

Those are the important questions to ask when you buy perfume. Whether to use synthetics, naturals, cheap blends, expensive blends, cheap packaging, ludicrous packaging - the perfume is ultimately a combination of artistic, stylistic and business decisions from the point of view of those producing it. I'm yet to see a business that wouldn't need to make profit in order to exist, but if they do their job properly, their target customers will not feel ripped off with the end products. If you feel ripped off, they've either got it wrong or you're not their target customer.

I know I'm not the target customer for Bond No9 (for example) - they seem very packaging-led, image and status-conscious and aimed at the luxury-end of the market. I like a couple of their scents (and was given one of them as a present by a very generous colleague), but I cringe at the thought of spending the money on what I consider a pretty bottle and average juice. But I'm cool with that. The right customer - the customer Bond No9 has in mind - will absolutely lust after the scents and bottles. And, I must add that they've done a clever thing I wish most of these luxury brands would do, which is to offer a plain(er) packaging choice for those who happen to fall in love with the juice, but aren't buying the scent as a status indicator.

Nukapai, you are right on target!

I approach perfume purchase in many ways: First, my price range! I buy some for the bottle (I admit to buying just for the bottle when I have no intention of wearing the juice), some for just the scent, and some for both bottle and scent.

I am not particularly a fan of Bond No. 9, but many people swear by the line for both the unique bottles and the scents. Chacun a son gout--each has his own taste.

In 99% of the cases, I buy for the scent--after all, it's the scent we go for. By Kilian have the elegant, distinctive bottles presented like jewellery in a locked box. The scents are truly exotic creations, if Back to Black is any indication, as it's the only scent from the line I have tried.

I concur with Diamondflame that the small purse atomiser with refills are one way to buy some of these more expensive scents as it is cheaper this way. (Kilian has these and also Juliette Has A Gun with its "bullet flacon.")

What I *do* like about By Kilian is the ability to refill and the environmental statement in the packaging insert which encourages the purchase of refills. The insert states, "Please enjoy this product for your lifetime." The bottle is intended for numerous refills.

All in all, the right customer with the ready cash will not blink at the pricetag, whatever the bottle and whatever the contents.

And with all this in grasp...My Friends, I Profess...."SAMPLE!!!!".

Thank you, that is all

- Balava

Throwing this out there.

The By Kilian has the actual formulas of all the fragrances he creates, so shop the list around and see how much it would cost to make it yourself, double that cost at least for all the logistics, and see how close you are to the final pricetag.

He's the only one I know of that's completely open as to his formulas.

Put up or shut up, in other words.

Yes, it's all there on the Web site...

This is a good point.

Now that this thread seems to have calmed, I have a By Kilian story...

I really fell in love with their Pure Oud. I sprayed it at the store and managed to get it all over my jacket. I spent the next week falling in love with its amazing evergreen forest basenotes. I went back and sprayed it again. Same reaction. So I started saving up. Almost $400 for a frag? My head knew better (it's Givaudan's oud accord, certainly not worth that kind of money).

Then, I finally tried real oud oil. And it did everything I loved about the Kilian - same beautiful top and forest base. To top it off, it was Cambodian oud, the cheap, "beginners" oud. And it cost about $60 a bottle, if that.

And that's what forced me to realize that I liked the whole package from Kilian. I still wanted that bottle and the box (it's the oud collection so it's gold-plated!). I want to be doted on by the SA's and given samples. I wanted to feel $400-fancy-bottle special, not $60-on-the-internet un-special. I know it's stupid, but I'm not sure I care.

Why would I, a decently-well-informed perfume consumer even consider paying $340 more than I have to for a fancy bottle and a box and "status"?

In the end, I'm sure I won't. $400 is a LOT of money. But the fact that I still kind of want to buy it is the magic of marketing and the By Kilian aura.

I read one review that said Back to Black smelled just like expensive barbershop powder and Flowerbomb by V&R...

But, yes, the boxes and bottles are to die for! Black on black designs, presented in lined boxes with locks and tassels.

To be honest I found the By Kilian strategy a bit confusing. My take on it (this is from following the way the brand rolled stuff out on luckyscent) was:

1. Desirable and uber exclusive pricey 'refillable' bottles in gorgeous box.
2. Desirable and still pricey but more accessible travel pack with nice metal travel thing.
3. Ooops - sales a bit light, let's sell bottles - the 'refills'.
4. Hmmm - could use a little more revenue so lets offer BIG refills or refills without the metal travel thing, or . . . whatever.

I may be off here but that's what it LOOKED like to me as time passed. I bought the laquer box of Taste of Heaven and the travel set of Straight to Heaven and I still don't know if I paid too much or should have waited because it all just got too damn confusing. OK, now I can buy a set of travel refills, oh wait a minute, I need to own the metal thing, oh no, but I have call by phone, oh, I should fly to France and watch the perfumer refilling my bottle from a sacred urn . . . are they making this up as they go along?

That said:

I like Taste of Heaven a lot but have no need for the box - so this qualifies as an 'extravagance' to me, personally, but presumably I can buy another bottle at a more realistic price at some point.

I don't like Straight to Heaven but I do like the metal travel thing and having 4 refillable 10ml decant size bottles for short haul trips is handy so this qualifies as an ill-judged perfume purchase with a practical happy ending hardware-wise.

Now all of this is just the opinion / experience of one over zealous consumer (back when the line was launched) but going back to the original OP question I think it's not so much the packaging itself but the 'fits and starts' of how variations on the product line have been rolled out that makes me think that company is in danger of alienating potential customers through sheer bad planning . . . frankly I still don't know if I 'fell for' the initial high priced burst and those who bought the 'refills' later are laughing behind my back or not. I don't really care, mind you, but I'm not really in any hurry to track down anything else from Kilian at this point - it's JUST TOO MUCH EFFORT . . . should I wait till the 'economy version' package comes out, oh, maybe there will be a sampler set with 4 scents . . . maybe not? Life is too short.

Personally I could live with all perfumes coming in 15 ml Hermes travel bottles, 30 ml Parfums de Nicolai bottles, 50ml Lutens bottles, and maybe the big ones in the Cologne du 68 bottle - I like that aesthetic. I'm a simple soul

Short answer - I think the consumers are under-writing their R&D for product design and marketing.

I have to agree that By Kilian does get a bit of a bad rap around here, which I believe to be quite undeserving. If anyone pokes fun at the way they go about marketing their product I challenge that person to run a perfume company that outdoes By Kilian in pure profits alone. It may provide us lowly citizens with a chuckle here and there, as is often the case when we can't afford 'said' luxury product, but when all is said and done, I know By Kilian has a bank account I could only dream of!

PS Balava, I hope you are not criticizing Amouage's pricing as you seem to have mentioned them twice in one post!

Luxury products are luxury products: period. They command high prices because people will pay. My only sampling has been Back to Black and I find it wonderful and bottle-worthy, but I cannot now afford such things. This will be on a birthday or Christmas wish list for me.

I find the scents (if BTB is exemplary of the line) to be a cut above the average, and I think the packaging is marvelous. Has anyone seen the travel case and what a little gem it is? Have you played with one? (Yes, the cap is a blast!) Hefted one in the hand? Yet many of us think nothing of forking out $200 USD for some EDT of Chanel Exclusif scent in a plain glass bottle.

I do have my price limitations. I cannot, on humble income, see buying the new scents for almost $400 USD. But, then again, if I became the mistress of a wealthy dandy...he could buy one for me...and one for himself...

delete

I suspect some of this has to do with resentment over the fact that so many apparently "must-have" fragrances are so darned expensive.

Despite all the follderall about rare ingredients and materials prices, that aspect of things can get tiresome for some, particularly for those in the hobby who from a economic standpoint find themselves located well outside the demographic that these things, in their full-bottle original-packaging glory, are so obviously targeted at.

Personally, I understand quite well that if I'm fortunate, I'll end up with a pricy 5ml decant in a cheap plastic sprayer, rather than the fancy bottle with the marble bust on the cap.

The Kilian frags are supposedly made of the very finest ingredients. Being in the position of making my own as a sheer hobby. I have looked up many of his compositions with a view to learning from them and I can vouch for the fact that many of his ingredients are the very best available and very expensive indeed. To wish to present the best ingredients in the very best packaging doesn't present a problem really. It is merely a way of conveying luxury to others in a designer way.

If you want a cheaper thing without the fuss, you can have it in sample form or decant or refill. Isn't the perception of luxury dependent on the frillies and the quality together? What use is a designer bag if no-one can see it when an Asda plastic bag performs the same physical performance? Which would you actually like to have to please yourself?

Interestingly the by Kilian frags have different designers assigned to them; Calice Becker and Sidonie Lancesseur. It doesn't say who blended the Oud range. It would be interesting to know how much of a hand Kilian had in each.

I had to post a rant a couple weeks ago. I find people complaining about price somewhat annoying... the value you find in a frag is very subjective. It can have the best of everything but if you don't like it, it has no value to you...

If there is something I want and feel it will enhance my collection price will not figure into my decision to buy it, whether it be By Kilian, or Lomani.

I think this is absolutely true and a big part of the reason price is a more of a talking point for some houses than others.
Some seem to be easy to rationaise for the majority of people (like Lutens, Malle etc) while others (Bond, Xerjoff, CC (hadn't noticed Kilian myself actually)) are not. I guess the only thing to think about is why this is the case.

Personally I have no issue with value judgements as long as they're specific and explain why the poster has their point of view.
It's only the general one's like "all Kilian/Creed/Bond ore overprices etc etc" that annoys me.

double post............

Well, 2 years on and it looks to me like the options for HOW you can purchase from By Kilian have panned out very nicely.

The customer has the option of a very nice laquer box-set or metal travel spray presentation (beautiful for gifts) OR the basic refill bottle or travel refills, just the jus with no trimmings - thoughtful, user friendly, cool.

by Kilian uses quality ingredients (regardless of whether synthetic or natural).

I might be in the minority here, but By Kilian's presentation is so over the top to put a fragrance in it's laughable. It's a direct rip off from the watch market. I have a Chase Durer watch box that looks almost just like it except it's brown. My favorite packaging is a well designed outer box that protects the fragrance, a nice looking clean designed bottle that has some weight to it and has a great sprayer. What the hell is he trying to sell in a wooden box, with a key, and a satin cloth inlay? I bet if you took out the bottle and asked 100 people what product would go in that box less than 2% would guess a bottle of cologne.

You are obviously not his targeted market.
I'm sure there are 100 people or more who would be shocked at your perfume hobby, in the same way you say 100 people would not guess that a perfume goes into that box.
Its all subjective really.

Oops, I didn't notice the age of the thread!

Oh well.....

oops, neither did I.

The reason old threads get resurrected so easily is because the suggestion box at the bottom of similar threads often has very elderly ones in it, so one thinks they are current without looking properly. Just look below, 2009, 2008, 2006 and 1970!!!!!

These are some of the most poorly blended juices I've smelled, especially those scent by the nose Sidonie Lanceusser. Pure Oud is the best of what I've tried but it's merely alright - nothing more.

I think the reason this line gets slammed for being overpriced is the same reason Xerjoff does - their compositions just aren't that good, and they're hiding behind the ol' "quality of materials" bit, which I find to be most often a lie with both By Kilian and Xerjoff. With only a few exceptions, most By Kilian and Xerjoff that I've tried have rather poor quality ingredients and a very weak structure that is supported heavily by synthetic musks.

Well, IMO Kilian and Amouage and neck-and-neck as far as quality... both materials and composition. I could argue all day about how well blended and composed some of Kilian's frags are, especially Back to Black and Cruel Intentions by Sidonie Lanceusser.

Your opinion is just that, your own opinion and not objective fact, which seems to be what you're claiming. I mean, do you have any evidence Kilian is lying about the ingredients they use, which are listed on their website? Because if they're NOT lying, you are wrong about the use of cheap materials. And somehow... I really doubt the lists of ingredients they are posting are a complete fabrication and bear no resemblance to what's in the bottles. I may be a fan of Kilian's frags, but I'm not making any outrageous claims. You are, and IMO you should provide some reasoning or proof behind why you think this house in lying about it's ingredients. If you can do this, people can have a reasonable discussion about it, if not.. people are just going to assume you're full of it.

I've elaborated on it before. For one thing, their juices are far too clear to be using the amount of naturals they suggest.

I'd further elaborate but it's difficult if not impossible to articulate all of this. I've got about 200 bottles of natural oils/absolutes/concretes/C02 + SC02 extracts here that I work with, and there are certain qualities present in naturals and thus, in highly natural compositions, that I haven't found in the By Kilians I've tested - (exception: Pure Oud, which has a lot of natural guiac, for sure). I've not tried Back to Black, and that's a Calice Becker creation - which I assume from my testing of Pure Oud that her creations are more natural/nuanced than those by S. Lanceusser, so I can't comment on that, but Straight to Heaven and Cruel Intentions are both marred by a very clumsy, imo, usage of white musks.

I'm not going to argue that Amouage is 'higher quality', I generally find that they are 'higher quality' than the few By Kilians I've tried, but they are far from natural! Some Amouage use nice dosages of naturals, and some are plagued by overt synthetics (most of the womens Amouages are inferior synthetic-heavy creations, imo).

Very few niche houses are using good amounts of quality materials - and I'd say it often comes down to a scent by scent basis rather than house by house. Noir Epices, for example, has a lot of real geranium and real florals present, while many other Malles are overdosed on synthetics (iso e super reigns supreme in Bois d'Orage, Dans Tes Bras is Roucel working his synthetic magic/horror depending on your perspective, etc).

Pluran and numerous other veterans who also have a lot of experience with aromachemicals/natural oils have said the same thing about many of the Kilians. It's not just limited to Kilians though - it's most niche. Kilian just seems to get slammed harder because of their extra high pricing and misleading perfume formulas posted (btw, look at the amount of white musks listed in those formulas. Often quite high. And many of the ingredients listed are "X accord" which implies it is mostly or even wholly synthetic, since they seem to like listing their naturals seperately).

It is definitely true that the two Sidonie frags make generous use of synthetics, but the ingredients are listed as accords on the Kilian website, which I take to mean fully synthetic, because they list the naturals separately. Animalics I'd just assume are synthetic of course. Straight to Heaven has 5 out of 9 ingredients that are accords or animalics. Also, I never claimed or suggested any of the Kilian frags are all natural, I claim they are high quality. However, most of them use a large amount of natural ingredients... I don't have any reason to doubt their claimed ingredients lists.

Judging the whole line on Sidonie's 2 frags plus Pure Oud isn't a fair representation of the line. Many are fairly simple florals that feature many natural ingredients (Beyond Love, Love and Tears, Prelude to Love, Liasons Dangereuses)... these are the most natural of the line. Back to Black and A Taste of Heaven are examples of "well blended", and also have very restrained use of synthetics.

Anyway, you should definitely try BtB, AToH, Beyond Love and Prelude to Love, and see if you still have the same opinions. They are very, very different in character from CI and STH and are the best of the line IMO... although I really like CI despite it's overt syntheticness.

If you pm me your address I'll send you samples of the 4 I mentioned above.

Thanks Dorje. I really shouldn't have written off the line after only having sampled 3 of them - I know many could do the same w/ Amouage or well, any house, I'm sure. I am really interested in AtoH as I love absinthe/wormwood notes, especially when combined with lavender. In fact, my very first scent I tried making on my own was a combination of wormwood/lavender + evergreen notes and some other woods and spices, along with vanilla.

I can definitely understand the criticism based on CI and STH, they both use a lot of obviously synthetic accords and do have a different character vs. the Calice Becker frags. Their use of synthetics is far heavier than the rest of the Kilian line and don't fit into the image Kilian is trying to project as using mostly natural ingredients as much.

When I commented on the use of good quality ingredients, I will clarify I was only looking up the naturals. I was looking up the types of ingredients he used and where they came from as part of my perfumer learning curve. In the case of each natural where specified, I found the ones I was researching were considered well of each type. It was only an assumption the chemical part would follow this trend.

I emphatically agree. There seems to be this common misconception that if a fragrance is priced high, that means it's made of quality ingredients. Amouage (Lyric, Epic & Jubilation) and Kilian both, to me, do not smell high quality at all. The prices definitely appear high quality and the packaging and web/ad copy is no doubt about as polished and stylized as possible but when it comes to brass tacks both these houses are obviously using lots of aromachemicals.

With that said, I appreciate that Kilian offers four 7.5oz travel refills for a sum of $75 (I believe). I wear Back to Black often, but Lutens, Tauer, HdP and Parfumerie Generale all smell at least 2-3 times more quality than any Kilian or Amouage I've come across. In perfume, luxury is illusion and nothing more. The prices have nothing to do with the quality of juice and everything to do with branding/image.

The price that comes with the packaging has already back-fired on me. But then, By Killian does not need me as a customer, to remain in business. He has plenty of customers who love the idea of elaborate packaging with a high class scent.

Regular chums like myself will refer to The Perfumed Court. Here is the link, as an example:

http://theperfumedcourt.com/Products...EANDTEARS.aspx

Good enough - and my bank account looks elaborate; and not the bottle on display as a vanity item.

Nukapai, I admire your well thought out responses. You really helped me reach a clearer understanding on that interminable thread I started elsewhere

When I purchase a piece of art the last thing I do is factor in the cost of paint or clay to estimate it's worth. Perfumes are slightly different in this regard since cost associated with ingredients can be indicative of overall quality. But what I'm really paying for is the artist's creativity manipulating those materials, their years of work and study developing a unique artistic vision and how their work speaks to me. Being a mere financial mortal my tastes and desires have limits but when it comes to purchasing perfume the principle remains the same. At that point, I hope I can discern those things which are overpriced and without merit so I don't end up owning an expensive status symbol. Hmm, the pairing of Bond #9 and Andy Warhol may be a very apt example of this...

I find it simply astonishing that:
- The L'oeuvre Noire 50ml bottle is €175, and only €75 for the 50ml refill.
- The Arabian Nights 50ml bottle is €295, and only €125 for the 50ml refill.

Don't get me wrong, I think that the presentation is stunning, but to pay more for the bottle than the fragrance is a ludicrous notion.

When you study marketing, you learn that choosing a price point is a marketing decision. It does not necessarily have anything to do with production costs or packaging. Consumers associate higher price with status and higher quality and a luxury brand will typically sell better at a higher price point than a lower one. All of this is carefully calibrated by the marketing departments of the large corporations that manage most fashion products these days.

It used to be said that Cadillacs cost GM only a $100 more to make than Chevys. A contemporary classic example is the Apple computer vs. the generic PC. The generic PC makers are essentially battling for the lowest price point slot and their mark-up is minimal to keep them competitive in the stores. Apple, however, aims at a cool, sophisticated up-market base. Its products seem much better made and packaged than their competitors but their mark-ups are gigantic, the highest of the industry. If Apple priced their computers at the same mark-up as PCs, they would be about 30% cheaper and probably would actually have a harder time competing in the market place because they would seem less special. This is one reason why Apple is the world's most valuable company.

I've run focus groups where we tested price points. Basically, you sit around and ask "What do you think about this price for this product? Would you buy it? Would you think it was too expensive? At what level does it look luxurious and and what point would you think it was too cheap?"

Fragrance makers have to trade trade on the vague associations of name and luxury so I doubt very much that the prices really closely track cost structure or packaging, especially for the brands that have high status. The prices are chosen to target specific markets and to work with specific marketing strategies. Some years after a launch, for example, you will often see a fragrance drop in price. This is because the brand owner is no longer promoting the fragrance as a luxury brand and is producing it to supply a built-in market of devotees. Something similar is probably behind those cheaper "refill" and "travel" bottles.

Dont let it bother you. You're not their targeted market. Hence your opinion. Here it sells like hot cakes, so to speak.

I understand the popularity of the fragrances! But you can effectively buy two refills for the price of a bottle!

Surely nobody would ever buy more one of the same bottle?!

I hate to break it to you, but with the vast majority of mainstream (and even some niche) perfumes, you usually are paying more for the bottle than what's inside.

That isn't a situation isolated to perfumes. Mass-market shower gels and face creams... you name it; the packaging usually costs more than the contents.

Now in the case of a luxury/niche house, it's very likely that the price points have been designed to appeal to status-shoppers. So the more expensive, the better. Go to Roja Dove's perfumery on the fifth floor of Harrods and you'll see some of the pinnacles of this concept - The Party in Manhattan available with a real diamond on the cap, etc, etc. It's the rich people's way of showing "I can throw this much money away" and has nothing to do with sensible pricing.