Fragrance - Beauty Magazine

COUNTER
A S S I S TA N C E
YOUR GUIDE TO GIVING THE BEST ADVICE – AND GETTING
CUSTOMERS TO SPEND MORE MONEY IN YOUR STORE!
Fragrance
Objectives:
After reading this
module you will be
able to:
n Understand the basic
elements of a fragrance and the
different families of scents
n Help customers to select the type
of fragrance they are looking for
and to guide them through testing
the fragrance
n Give customers helpful tips and
recommendations when purchasing
perfume for themselves or as gift
n Link sales by recommending body
lotions, shower gels and other
products to complement or
enhance the effect
of the fragrance
Module 26: Fragrance
While brand names play an important
role in fragrance buying, it is the
scent itself that will ultimately
persuade customers to part with their
cash time and time again. In fact
when asked about the reasons they
buy fragrance, an overwhelming
88 per cent of UK customers said they
selected fragrance for the smell.
Fragrance sales in the UK were worth
an estimated £638 million in 2007
with an average annual growth rate
of five per cent so it’s a lucrative
market but with over 200 new
perfumes launching every year, many
shoppers will be confused and unsure
how to navigate the sector, especially
when they are buying gifts for their
girlfriends, mothers, teenage sons or
husbands. Here’s how you can make
perfume profitable by making the
best recommendations.
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Focus on fragrance
Fragrance has been a culturally significant commodity for thousands of
years and has been used for everything from rituals and religion to
hygiene and seduction. Our sense of smell is incredibly evocative and for
many people, a fragrance can ‘define’ who they are or how they feel.
The industry’s close links to fashion and its famous design houses also
make fragrance a very aspirational sector, allowing customers to buy
into couture brand. A Stella McCartney jacket or a Gucci dress is out of
most people’s price range but a bottle of designer perfume is an
affordable way to wear a luxury label.
Keep it in the family
Fragrances are grouped into different
‘families’, each with its own characteristic
scent. It is important to know the
difference between the families in order to
understand what scent a customer is likely
to prefer.
Although there is more than one
classification system in use,
generally there are seven major
fragrance families. These are:
Citrus – Characterised by the
fresh, tangy aroma of the oils
from bergamot, orange,
lemon, petitgrain and
mandarin.
Example: ck one
Greens – Captures the sharp, scent of
botanical notes such as leaves,
grass, violet and cucumber.
Example: Marc Jacobs
Splash
Florals – A popular
family that can
vary from
light
scents such as rose and
blossoms to heavier aromas
such as jasmine and tuberose.
Example: Stella, Stella
McCartney
Aldehydics – Usually typified
by a soapy or powdery
aroma.
Example: Chanel No 5
Chypre – Based on a
woody, mossy and flowery complex.
Example: Pucci Vivara
Oriental – Heavier aromas
characterised by musks, precious
woods and exotic essences.
Example: Opium, Yves Saint Laurent
Fougère – Meaning ‘fern-like’, these
scents are a composition
of citrus, oakmoss and
geranium.
Example:
Narciso
Rodriguez for
Him
Q.
Do fragrances
go off?
A. Yes. However, most should
last one to three years before they
degrade. Keeping them in their
boxes, out of direct sunlight and
away from direct heat should
prolong their shelf life.

Each of these fragrance families can in
turn be divided further into sub-sectors.
Sub-groups include gourmand fragrances
such as Thierry Mugler’s Angel which are
characterised by sweet ‘edible’ accents like
chocolate or marine fragrances and Aqua
di Giò, which capture the
freshness of water.
It is likely that a customer
will prefer scents from one or
two of the fragrance families.
Finding out which ones they
like best will help you to
recommend a new scent they
might like.
Concentrate!
A ‘type’ of fragrance depends on the
concentration of ‘jus’ or perfume oil
within it. This affects how intense the
fragrance is and how long it will last on
the skin – as well as how expensive it is.
These are the most commonly accepted
concentration types:
Perfume extract – Typically contains 20
per cent aromatic compounds (though it
can be as high as 40 per cent) and is the
longest-lasting scent. It is the least volatile
form of fragrance – around 50 per cent of
the perfume will last for 24 hours.
Eau de parfum – Typically
contains 15 per cent aromatic
compounds and is the second
longest-lasting scent. It has
been described as a
‘suped-up’ eau de toilette –
around 70 per cent will
disappear in four hours.
Eau de toilette – Typically
contains 10 per cent
aromatic compounds. Around 80 per
cent of the fragrance will disappear
in four hours – it’s made for
refreshment but not formulated
to last.
Eau de Cologne – Typically
contains 5 per cent aromatic
TOP TIPS
Application: Advise your customer to
apply perfume to pulse points such as
the folds in the crook of your elbow and
back of knees, wrist, and neck and not
to rub wrists together as this crushes
the smell. Spraying a little into the air
and walking into the perfume is also a
good way to apply and helps to diffuse
the scent over the body.
compounds so very little stays on the skin;
it is very volatile so it dissipates very
quickly. Eau de Colognes are designed to
refresh or act as a pick-me-up. People
used to bathe in it as its alcohol solution is
purifying.
Splash / Eau Fraiche / After shave –
Typically contain 1-3 per cent aromatic
compounds. As above, they are designed
to refresh rather
than last.
Limited editions
Limited editions of established fragrances have become big business
and most houses these days launch one-off scents for summer.
Based closely on the original scent, limited editions will generally
vary in one of the following ways:
• Some limited edition perfumes keep exactly the same
scent as the original, but they are packaged in new bottle
designs, marking them out as different (Marc Jacobs Daisy
Blooms in Spring comes in a customised bottle). In certain cases,
these become collectors’ items.
• Other limited edition fragrances boast a brand new scent, which
is reminiscent of the original, but certain notes are tweaked or added
to make it different. Often these scents will contain lighter, fresher
notes for summer.
It is important
to note that different
fragrance houses use
different amounts of oils for
each of their perfumes, so
an EDT from one house
could be ‘stronger’ than
an EDP from another.
M O D U L E
26
F R A G R A N C E
Once you’ve read through this
module, complete the multiple
choice questions at the end to
gain professional recognition
and a certificate that can be
kept as a CV highlight.
Top tips for selling
n Customers will want to try
before they buy, so make sure
testers are available
n Have a stack of scent strips at
the counter so shoppers can test
fragrances without having to
spray them onto their skin. This
allows customers to try more –
and avoid smelling of something
they dislike all day
n Recommend people do not try
too many fragrances in one go.
The nose will become ‘fatigued’
after about six and will stop
smelling as effectively
n Once a customer has narrowed
down their options, suggest they
try a couple on their skin.
Fragrances smell different on
different people (because of the
oils in their skin, their hormones,
their diet etc), so it’s important
to see how it suits them
n Recommend shoppers give a
scent several minutes to ‘settle’
before they decide on it. This
gives the heart and base of the
fragrance a chance to emerge
and will give buyers a fuller
impression of the scent
n Lots of perfumes are bought
on impulse, so use the marketing
materials that accompany
launches to make the fragrance
area enticing. Many brands have
celebrity faces and/or big budget
adverts that can be used to catch
a shopper’s eye.
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17

Get Thinking
Think about the fragrances and related products
available in your store and then decide how you
might answer a customer who was looking for
recommendations for:
■ A birthday gift for a teenage boy
■ A Valentine’s Day present for a woman in her 30’s
■ A mother’s day gift
■ An anniversary present for a man in his late 50’s
■ A gift set to say thank you to a colleague at work
BEAUTY
Anna Smith
Has successfullycompletedBeautyMagazine’s
training module on
fragrance
MAGAZINE
COUNTER
A S S I S TA N C E
ACCREDITED TRAINING FOR IN-STORE BEAUTY EXPERTISE
Awarded November 2010
Katy Harrington,
Lesley Johnson,
BEAUTY Magazine Deputy Editor
BSc MRPharmS, CIG Healthcare Partnership
Take note!
Fragrance is musically described as having
three notes, which together make up a
harmonious chord, or accord. These notes
unfold over time as their ingredients
evaporate and allow the perfume to
develop or mellow.
Top notes: Also called head notes, these
comprise of smaller, lighter molecules that
evaporate quickly – over five to 30
minutes. Top notes are initially the most
perceptible and are important as they
provide the first impression of a fragrance.
Middle notes: Also called heart notes,
these form the main body of the scent
and generally classify the fragrance family
(e.g. floral, oriental). They emerge as the
top notes evaporate, usually taking 10 to
30 minutes to come to the fore.
Bottom notes: Also called base notes,
these additionally provide a key theme to
the fragrance as they last the longest.
Often not perceptible until 30 minutes
after application, they would smell
powerful, even unpleasant, alone, but
mellow over time and as they blend with
the other notes.
Link Sales
Advise customers to layer perfumes
for a greater effect by using other
perfumed products. Begin with
shower or bath gel and then rub in
body lotion or spray with a
matching scent after bath
spray. Finally apply the scent
preferably as perfume or Eau de
Parfum.
Testing…Testing!
Work through the Activity (below left) to test
your knowledge of the fragrance sector.
To gain recognition for your training in
this area, complete the six multiple
choice questions (below) online at
www.Beauty-Magazine.co.uk/Fragrance.
A certificate will automatically be generated
for everyone who passes. These can be saved
onto your PC and printed off for your files.
In 2007 the UK fragrance industry was
worth an estimated:
a. £368 million
b. £868 million
c. £638 million
d. £668 million
2. The majority of UK consumers choose
their fragrance based on:
a. Celebrity endorsement
b. Value for money
c. Its smell
d. The packaging
3. Which of these generally contains the
higest perecentage of aromatic compounds
and is the second longest-lasting scent?
a. Eau de Cologne
b. After shave
c. Eau de toilette
d. Eau de parfum
4. Fragrances in the citrus family are
characterised by:
a. Woody, mossy scents
b. Sharp, botanical notes
c. Heavy, musky aromas
d. Fresh, tangy aromas
UK retail value sales of women’s fragrances, at current and constant prices, 2005 – 2015
Source: Mintel
Activity
Take part in some in-store training by asking members of staff to take turns acting the
customer. Ask them leading questions about the fragrance they are looking for…Is it a
perfume for them? Or a gift for a friend or family member? What type of scents do they
usually wear? Using the information suggest a few fragrances to try and see if your
suggestions are well received.
5. Fragrance lasts:
a. About three months
b. Between one to three years
c. Forever, if you store it correctly
d. Between six months and a year
6. Bottom or base notes are perceptible:
a. About 30 minutes after application
b. About 10 minutes after application
c. About an hour after application
d. About three minutes after application.
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