Most people haven’t got a clue this is happening in the perfume industry, and I doubt most people really care. They might sense a difference in their favorite scents, but is it enough to make them stop buying en masse and make the perfume companies wake up, take notice and try a different approach such as an allergen statement? Not yet as far as I can tell.
I think perfume companies as very happy to be stabilizing their costs and increasing profits by using cheaper synthetic versions of historically-used expensive natural ingredients, and selling the result to a public who can’t, for the most part, discern the difference.
We aficionados are the ones doomed to suffer for our sensitivity and attachment to a product whose formula is secret, subtle, and at the whim of a large corporation who doesn’t care about any “art” of perfumery, only growing its brand. We, who are not part of any large perfume company’s target market, should definitely support small boutique/niche perfumers who are in business for their dedication to the craft and dare to do it their own way using real ingredients.
I think ryanm’s above analogy to the food industry is right on.
