How to create a truly unique perfume wardrobe? Switch your attention from replicated fragrances, which are popular and therefore have many, to selective ones. We will tell you what selective perfumery is and what are its unconditional advantages.
To begin with, let's figure out which perfumes can be classified as selective perfumery.
Selective perfumery is a subtype of niche perfumery, the name of which comes from the word sélectif. Translated from French, it means "special, selective".
Indeed, each of the selective fragrances is conceived as incomparable - perfumers work on them like artists on great canvases. Selective aromas turn out to be extraordinary in all respects: this is a unique composition that opens the whole world to "listeners", and rare ingredients of the best quality, and thought out to the smallest detail packaging, and limited edition - special perfumes should not be available to everyone.
Selective fragrances are perhaps the most distinctive of the composition. As a rule, selective brands are copyrighted. Often the main “nose” of the brand is its founder.
Perfumers of selective brands treat their fragrances as works of art and strive for perfection in the process of creating them, which is much more difficult to achieve when there is a framework dictated by commercial requirements, as is the case when working on fragrances in the luxury or mass-market categories. Selective fragrances are intricate, complex compositions that are composed of many ingredients, such as Lancôme's Magnolia Rosae.
There are much more notes in selective perfumes than in well-known mass-market fragrances. That is why selective perfumery is so versatile. You need to be a real connoisseur to catch all the nuances of the aroma and appreciate the subtle combinations of a variety of notes. You need to be a real connoisseur in order to catch all the nuances of the aroma and appreciate the subtle combinations of the most different notes.
In selective perfumes, natural essential oils and plant extracts are used to a greater extent. The concentration of perfume essence in them is much higher than in more affordable alcohol-based fragrances. That is why they are so bright and persistent - the smell can stay on the skin for up to 2 days.
The high content of oils provides selective perfumes with another feature: they all open differently on the skin of different people.
It is impossible to predict how the composition will “sound” in each specific case. Plus, the sound of the scent will vary depending on the weather - drier or wetter. Thus, together with a bottle of a selective perfume, you get a scent that is truly unique - it will definitely play differently with another owner.
The design of selective fragrances emphasizes their exclusivity. How exactly? The bottles and packaging of such fragrances may be simple, but this minimalism looks noble and sophisticated. It indicates that the essence of your chosen perfume is the content.
In addition, a bottle with a complex design can become a serious cost item for a perfume brand, and in niche perfumery, it is more important to invest the maximum in a high-quality and interesting composition. However, there are selective fragrances with a luxurious design - if this reflects the idea of the perfume itself.
Often the word "selective" is used as a synonym for the word "niche". In fact, they are not equal to each other.
Selective fragrances are a rather narrow trend in niche perfumery. Not all of the niche fragrances are selective. Not everything can be called as sophisticated as selective - sometimes these are bold experiments with the repetition of everyday smells (for example, earth, freshly cut grass, newsprint).
In addition, niche fragrances can contain simple, mainstream, and budget ingredients that are minor or absent in selective compositions. Another difference is that niche perfumery can have a much larger circulation than selective fragrances. The latter are often produced in quantities of up to 500 bottles.
Selective perfumes are in vogue now, but this is not a new phenomenon. The aromas of the past can be considered the prototype of modern selective perfumery: for kings, princes, and their entourage they created truly exclusive aromas that were available to a very narrow circle of people. Thus, the British Queen Victoria once used the Floris fragrances (a brand that still exists nowadays).
Selective fragrances are not exclusively for women or men. They have no gender - their creators do not recognize the stereotypes according to which the rose is a “female” ingredient, and cedar is a “male” one. Both of these notes can appeal to both women and men, so there is no point in dividing fragrances by gender.
In the case of selective brands, the face of the brand is not the guest star, whose fee seriously increases the cost of each bottle, but the perfumer himself. Usually, he personifies his creations as a true artist.
In selective perfumery, you are unlikely to find light and airy eau de toilette. Eau de parfum, parfum and extract de parfum - this is the concentration in which such fragrances are presented. As we have already mentioned, the proportion of perfume essence in selective compositions is very high.
Have you ever tried selective perfumery? Tell us about your impressions!
