We’ve seen many of the top-selling perfumers scrambling to create the next hit celebrity perfume. Already we have had the scents of Britney Spears, J-Lo, Sir Cliff Richard, Danielle Steel, Sarah Jessica Parker, Celine Dion, Isabella Rossellini, Naomi Campbell, and that timeless classic, Forever Krystle, by Dynasty’s own Linda Evans. Marilyn Manson, Kiss, Russell Simmons and Andy Roddick had their perfumes splashed onto the market with lightening speed. November brings yet another celebrity fragrance to perfume counters, one by Mariah Carey.
Some critics of celebrity perfumes say that it is more about marketing the celebrity and increasing name recognition than it is about creating a quality, original fragrance. Others suggest that celebrities actually have very little to do with the actual creation of the fragrance, and it is primarily a means of cashing in on fame via what is often, with rare exceptions, a mediocre product. However, despite critics panning of the concept of a celebrity fragrance, it should be noted that there are a few that have been quite successful.
The question then, may be whether or not those perfumes are successful because of the quality of the scent itself. Perhaps some of the appeal of celebrity perfumes comes from our more primitive selves, that place from which the shaman rose thousands of years ago to take on the attributes of powerful creatures through ritual and magic. It may be an unconscious hope or desire that with a spritz or splash, a bit of that celebrity’s sex appeal, charisma, power etc., can be the wearer’s. Whatever the answer may be concerning the popularity of such fragrances, the fact is that more and more are entering the market to compete for their share of perfume dollars.
While celebrity fragrances do appeal to some perfume buyers and there are likely some that are quite attractive, there are many who prefer to find fragrances that are more expressive of their own essence, something a bit more personal than the mass-marketed celebrity fragrance. In other words, they prefer a fragrance speaks of them, not one that loudly cries another’s name.
