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Basenotes Directory Trend - Reviews get more negative with time ?

post #1 of 13
4/17/12 at 6:54pm
Thread Starter 
This may not be the right place to post this, and perhaps it's simply my imagination, but when I go to the Directory to check out peoples views on a frag, I often see that it seems to have gotten a majority of good reviews, but that the first page of reviews (the most recent ones) often seem to contain a disproportionately high percentage of negative or neutral reviews, and it's not until I go back a few pages before I begin to run into the more positive ones.

Again, there's a good chance that it's just my imagination, but I was wondering if anyone else seems to have noticed the same thing ?
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post #2 of 13
4/18/12 at 4:18am
I think as a whole they are pretty balanced.
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post #3 of 13
4/18/12 at 4:58am
I haven't noticed what you describe, but I haven't been paying much attention to it. But I have noticed that the overall trend of reviews sometimes change over time. A good example of this is the so-called powerhouse fragrances of the '80s. They are generally thought of very differently now than how they were thought of when they were released.

When a fragrance is new, there is much hype, excitement, and certain expectations. The new fragrance may fail to meet expectations or on the other hand may be a groundbreaking scent. After years pass, even as few as four or five, the product blends more comfortably into the the manufacturer's product line, other, perhaps similar fragrances have been released, trends and styles may have changed, and for the most part there is a different frame of reference by which the fragrance is judged. People are always making comparisons, and it's difficult to judge a fragrance purely on its own.
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post #4 of 13
4/18/12 at 5:35am
You know, it's funny that you bring this up because I've often thought the same thing. I generally have to go to the second page or right at the beginning to read those positive reviews because I know that's where they normally are!
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post #5 of 13
4/18/12 at 5:46am
Remorseful, bitter blind buyers who purchased based on the good reviews.
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post #6 of 13
4/18/12 at 6:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hednic View Post

I think as a whole they are pretty balanced.

In a previous life I worked for market research firm so I'm a sucker for this sort of thing. I'm going all nerd just thinking about it. Frankly, I think hednic's single sentence probably sums it up pretty well. As the saying goes, "Water seeks its own level."

It would be difficult to truly see such a trend without being able to easily compile data connecting a fragrance's rating with its date of a review. To get an accurate picture -and not simply rely on anecdotal information of BNer's- would be pretty daunting since BN lists thousands of fragrances. You might be able to see some sort of trend if you randomly selected say, a couple of dozen fragrances that have at least 50 reviews. But without clear parameters the numbers could still steer you in the wrong direction. For instance, an increase in negative reviews may not have to do with the number of reviews, rather the period of time over which the reviews were posted. Lots of other variables to consider as well...
I'm almost tempted to give this a whirl... almost...
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post #7 of 13
4/18/12 at 6:32am
The market is over flooded with all types of fragrances, hyped up in order to sell. After many years in the perfume world, the discerning customer gets blase and thinks it is his/her good right to say bored and negative words. Just too much of the same is offered.

If there were more the sense of exclusivity of what is available, the words may be more favorable. This is simply human nature and herd behavior.
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post #8 of 13
4/18/12 at 6:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rüssel View Post

Remorseful, bitter blind buyers who purchased based on the good reviews.

Ditto -- this reason.
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post #9 of 13
4/18/12 at 10:21am
Maybe the more recent reviews are made up of people who are testing reformulated fragrances, and they do not live up to expectations?
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post #10 of 13
4/18/12 at 6:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo123 View Post

You know, it's funny that you bring this up because I've often thought the same thing. I generally have to go to the second page or right at the beginning to read those positive reviews because I know that's where they normally are!

Yes, this is exactly what I was referring to.

My sense it's what Noggs was referring to : Upon first release something may be authentically novel, exciting and new, but as other frags play catch-up what was once new takes it's place within an evolved framework, and now may not seem nearly as exciting as it once was.

I've also seen entries in the Directory that were so completely out of sync with each other that it caused me to think what Furrypine said : It's almost like these people are talking about two totally different things...which in this day and age, may actually be the case.
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post #11 of 13
4/18/12 at 8:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rüssel View Post

Remorseful, bitter blind buyers who purchased based on the good reviews.

bingo...

Quote:
Originally Posted by furrypine View Post

Maybe the more recent reviews are made up of people who are testing reformulated fragrances, and they do not live up to expectations?

interesting idea... I doubt that accounts for many of these situations though
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post #12 of 13
4/18/12 at 11:54pm
Quite often 'neutral ratings' point at a good fragrance's failure to hit the sweet spot for the reviewer while negative ratings could imply a poor fit to personal style preferences. Hypersensitivities to certain notes (e.g Iso E Super) could also throw a reviewer off.

I wouldn't read too much into statistics as preference is still pretty much individualistic. *shrugs* Solid workhorse fragrances get written off all the time while bizarre concoctions get high praises for staying on the edge. Nevermind if they smell like flaming turds & have zero wearability. Whatever floats your boat I guess...
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post #13 of 13
4/19/12 at 12:06am
That's funny- I've noticed it too. I have also found myself trying to search back to reviews that came before the publication of the A-Z Guide, because lots of reviews seem to borrow from that. For example, all the reviews of Iris Silver Mist that mention funerals.
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