Why is perfume so expensive?

Why is perfume so expensive? Perfume’s many secrets will finally allow you to put your finger on this luxurious object that dresses our skin, but at what price? Such a cost is justified by its rarity, its components, its bottle… but also, and especially, by the marketing and associated advertising.

Expensive perfume, rare!

Raw materials come at a price!

The raw materials that make up our perfumes directly affect their price. Some of them contain rare natural materials such as precious flower petals, roots with an exceptional maturation time or unusual essences. For example, the essence considered “the most expensive perfume in the world” in the 1930s was Joy, by Jean Patou. Its price? 160 euros. A price justified by the more than tens of thousands of jasmine flowers and over 300 May roses used to make a single bottle!

Some ingredients are indeed highly prized in the perfume industry. Here are some examples: Ambergris at around €10,000/kg. This substance is produced by the digestive system of certain species of sperm whales and has a unique, strong, marine, animal odour that softens over time. Ambergris is also used as a fixative to improve the durability of a perfume. Who knew that? Nowadays, it is most often substituted with synthetic musks, which are sperm whale friendly and smell clean.

Oud wood at around €30,000/kg. To defend itself from infections caused by small animals, this tree from the rainforests of Asia secretes a resin that has a rich, dark, woody, almost animal scent. It is worth a fortune. Its very low yield is attributed to a particularly slow and labour-intensive extraction process, but its scent won’t leave you indifferent.

Iris absolute is worth €100,000/kg. The extraction of its oil, from which it gets its name iris butter, takes about six years. Why so long? The reason is that the root grows for three years in the ground before it matures for a long time, from dry to aged. Because of the volume and time required to produce the oil, pure iris is considered one of the most valuable and expensive ingredients. Soapy, sweet, powdery, floral and earthy, its scent is extremely popular in unisex fragrances.

Fluctuating commodity prices are a reflection of their value!

Natural phenomena, such as climatic or biological changes, are often the cause of price fluctuations every year. These disruptions can lead to poor harvests, which in turn can cause prices to rise. From a biological standpoint, disease outbreaks can also play a role and increase the value of raw materials from one year to the next. But the price difference between two essential oils is not only due to these fluctuations. A raw material in high demand on the market, synonymous with large expected volumes, will have a lower price. This is logical! Finally, there is the question of yield, which has to do with the scarcity of raw materials, and playing on lower prices for better profits!

For an expensive perfume, a certain concentration!

It starts with a desire, an idea: a brief. This is what enables the perfumer to compose a juice, and this, over several months! Once the umpteenth test has been validated, it is the turn of the factory to manufacture a perfume concentrate that will bring together all the necessary ingredients.

Everything is extremely precise, including the geographical origin of the raw materials After several days of maturation, alcohol is added to the perfume concentrate. This is where price differences between eau de parfum, eau de toilette, eau de cologne and perfume come into play.
Eau de parfum is concentrated in alcohol at 12 to 25% (as at Sillages Paris!!).
Eau de toilette is lighter with a concentration between 6 and 12%.
Eau de cologne is fresher and more airy, and has a concentration between 1 and 5%.
And finally, perfume extracts are above 25%.

These are rarer products and very strong. The percentage of concentrate present in the alcohol solution is thus directly correlated to the price of the perfume. A brand therefore often develops different concentrations for its juices, thus adapting to consumer demand.

Moreover, the eau de cologne, which was birthed in Cologne, Germany, is the result of a balance between alcohol, natural citrus essences, and natural bergamot essence created by the Italian Jean-Marie Farina. Fun fact: this water is not protected by an AOP or AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée or Protected Designation of Origin), which is why it is possible to use this term beyond the borders of Cologne, and that it can therefore be found throughout the world!

Expensive perfume, luxury packaging!

A perfume’s bottle provides real branding support. Consistent with the spirit of the brand, it represents its image and elegance. For some people, spraying perfume is part of a ritual, and the beauty of a bottle gives this gesture all the more prestige.
For example, some very expensive perfumes are offered in uniquely pure bottles. The French company Baccarat, among others, shapes a world-renowned crystal, making the bottle extremely precious. Solid gold, diamonds… other bottles are adorned with such beautiful stones. An expensive perfume, synonymous with ultimate luxury, becomes a symbol of social status. But a luxurious design is useless if the perfume does not take centre stage. A budget can then be quickly allocated to marketing and can take on a magnitude that is hard to imagine!

Expensive perfume, marketing worth millions!

Perfume ads for a price that skyrockets!

Every year, about 400 new perfumes are launched worldwide, and each one has its own advertising. For luxury brands, it is imperative to create a story, a journey, a dream, before selling an emotion associated with a smell. This story is implemented before the creation of the perfume. It is a precise brief given to the perfumers, to which they respond creatively, developing a juice that interprets the olfactory universe in question. But it is not enough to encapsulate these emotions in a bottle. You have to arouse desire and aspiration for a perfume! Isn’t it extravagant and expensive campaigns that make us dream?
Indeed, a perfume is a very personal product, and the motivations for buying it differ from one person to another. However, marketing experts know exactly what factors will trigger a purchase within a target group – a group for whom the product is intended. Campaigns therefore have approaches that respond to the target group’s way of behaving. Thus, the decision to buy a luxury perfume is encouraged by several factors, including:

– An element of aspiration: Everyone aspires to be something or wishes to reaffirm their character and status. Seduction, social elevation, strength… every mortal has his own motivations and the message that perfume sends is open enough for him to project his ultimate aspiration.

– The inspiration factor: A brand or a perfume uplifts, inspires, bewitches… and can provide emotional and spiritual comfort. Each colour, each material, each ritual associated with the fragrance, suggests a new inspiration connected to the scent.

– Well-being: A powerful element in our lives today, it often originates in our past, and inspires a nostalgic return to our roots. It then becomes the sought-after Madeleine de Proust that brings back past emotions.

Perfume muses come at a price!

To convey all this, each brand carefully chooses its representatives. The role of the muse is paramount. They represent the spirit of the brand and embody the elegance that is conducive to a beautiful image and the message to be conveyed. The budget can thus reach astronomical sums since the star will obviously influence the consumers’ choice. For example, Chanel paid Brad Pitt $7 million for a Chanel N°5 TV spot. Robert Pattinson received $12 million for three years for Dior Homme. As for Natalie Portman, she was the face of Miss Dior for three beautiful years, for $28 million!

A perfume for the right price at Sillages Paris!

If investments in the quality of natural raw materials are a priority, extremely fine ingredients are sourced, following a sustainable development programme to the fullest extent possible. As a result, a concentrated eau de parfum is more expensive to produce, especially with ingredients from the most beautiful regions of the world.
The formulation of the perfume in France in the tradition of Haute Parfumerie crowns this unique know-how. And when the tricolour flag wins hands down in the making of the packaging, it also comes at a price!
As the first Haute Parfumerie brand to be sold mainly online, Sillages Paris favours word of mouth marketing and talented celebrities who have chosen to endorse us. Our muses are those who wear Sillages, those who breathe Sillages. They perfectly represent the spirit of the brand and our unique philosophy that associates a special person with an atypical Sillage. This new kind of business model greatly reduces expenses related to points of sale and advertising, allowing us to devote most of our resources to the product. It means we can sell extremely luxurious perfumes at a completely affordable price. And Sillages is proud of this!

 

If we have convinced you, then take the plunge and integrate a Sillage on your skin! We look forward to seeing you in our Parisian workshops! You will have the opportunity to smell all the most beautiful ingredients in our perfume organ. You will also find our experts ready to help you via our website chat! Please don’t hesitate to contact them. They are waiting to hear from you!

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