BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013 - (Page 42)

Insight: Fragrance creation Role of the perfumer Talent pool An analysis of the challenges facing today’s perfumers by Alissa Demorest T alk to any perfumer and they will tell you that their profession today has very little in common with the job they did just 10 years ago. Some perfumers claim that creative work is no longer the priority, as financial quotas, regulatory constraints and the diktats of consumer insight studies take an increasingly large part of their time. “I would say that 2008 marked the year when the profession began to undergo a real change. We simply work much more than before. We work on more projects, as there are a lot more brands launching internationally, and so our presence is more in demand,” explains Firmenich perfumer Olivier Cresp. “But it’s not just the perfumers—it goes all the way down the chain; evaluators also have more work, as do the salespeople. We need to adapt to this new way of working,” Cresp continues. “ Today, even the majors are asking for fragrances with a stronger signature. The perfumer is being asked to be less consensual than in the past—this is a wonderful shift for the category ” Mane perfumer and vice president creation fine fragrance Christine Nagel Fragrance house Takasago senior perfumer Antoine Lie explains that noses at some of the major houses are becoming more akin to technicians, due to budgets that need 42 credit: istock to be met and the reliance on consumer testing. “Perfumers [at some of the major] companies have become experts in formulation, are vigilant that the scents test well at the lowest price possible and respect the regulatory framework. But there is less time devoted to proactive research and true creative work,” Lie explains. Developing new notes and coming up with fragrances that are qualitative, different and unique, but that respond to a certain acceptability in consumer tests takes a lot of time, he adds. “Yet at the majors, the time given to perfumers is an issue—the numbers need to be in quickly and it’s difficult to invest for the long term. September-October 2013 - N°15 - BW Confidential

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013

Cover
Comment
Contents
Update
Brand & retail news recap
Companies on the move
Take note Market facts, figures & trends
Best of BW Highlights from our e-publication
Launches The latest in fragrance, skincare & make-up
Interview Origins, Ojon & Darphin global president and gm Jane Lauder
Insight: Fragrance creation
Category overview
Industry views
Emerging markets
Consumer data
Role of the perfumer
Retail
Store strategy
Store concepts
Digital Beauty apps
Market watch: Chinese consumers
Overview
Shopping habits
Online sales
Radar A profile of six up-and-coming beauty brands
Travel retail: Inflight sales
Sector analysis
Channel innovations
Emerging markets Company profile: Marico
Packaging
Make-up analysis
Make-up innovations
Last word The Young Group’s Karen Young on industry trends and technology

BW Confidential - Issue #15 - September/October 2013