
Originally Posted by
CMcG
I've never tried a niche fragrance, but I've been thinking about ordering a Slumberhouse sample pack. Are these scents really THAT far out? Or is their niche-ness more indicative of a small operation and high quality ingredients?
When people are saying Slumberhouse does not have mass appeal, I think there are a group of complex factors involved. Price and wearability are being cited as the two main ones, but some of the arguments around these seem a bit shaky...
Dollar for dollar, Slumberhouse isn't more expensive than some designer fragrances at my local mall. Yes, the size of the bottle is smaller, but the concentration is higher. I think even the most uneducated fragrance buyer can quickly learn the difference in %/vol between an aftershave, cologne, eau de toilette, and perfume, so it does not seem unreasonable for people to understand that the value of Josh's "extrait" fragrances are to be measured in a smaller bottle -- of equal price -- lasting the same amount of time as a bigger, less concentrated bottle of something else.
As for mass appeal, I don't think that is a determining factor in wearability, because taste varies by individual, time period, and location, among other factors. There are fragrances at the mall that I find un-wearable, but have the brand power to achieve wide distribution, which helps them to find the people who will appreciate them. Kouros is just one example. There are also older scents that have their devotees, but perhaps appeal less to the next generation. This is the classic "old man/woman" fragrance that has mass appeal to a certain age range, but is less popular or wearable to another cohort. By location, I mean different cultures consider different scents to be fragrance worthy; I was wearing Old Spice in Hong Kong and got asked by my friend if I was using herbal medicine...
Furthermore, in periods of high market homogeneity (like most new releases of designer/celebrity frags these days), it does not follow that all people will just buy what is available. If demand for something is not sated, consumers drop out of the market until something different comes along. Marketing can go a long way towards encouraging people to buy something, but fragrances are a luxury product, so taste is a deciding factor.
Basically, "mass appeal" is difficult to determine because masses of people are heterogeneous. There may be a current mainstream of new fragrances, but these trends are just a grouping in the much larger range of what is available from even the average mall.
That being said, I don't want to waste my money on a Slumberhouse sample pack (currently Norne, Jeke, Sova, Pear + Olive) if they aren't wearable. Being outside the current mainstream is OK, strong is OK (I like powerhouses!), different is OK, but are these fragrances really that weird or beyond the pale? If they were available at the mall and people understood just how concentrated they are (re: value), would they sell or would they sit there until some devoted Bassnoter came in?