The more expensive it is, the better they think it is. That’s also a thing in perfume that you don’t have anywhere else. The price tag gives the label quality.
— Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian talks to W Magazine about luxury perfume collections, among other things. Read more at Francis Kurkdjian is the Dick Page of Perfumers.
Mr. Francis, I don’t know you, and with all due respect.
Shut up !
Please.
Finis
Really? Why?
It’s an old story, maybe I’m being jaded.
During the development of Opium, Mr. Saint Laurent insisted that the price be approximately 50 percent higher than comparable fragrances.
The consumer would perceive it as more ‘luxury’, yet it would still be obtainable.
I appreciate his honesty, but only a newbie wouldn’t know the price reflects the cost of the ‘juice’ the least.
I would say the opposite — yes, everyone knows the cost of juice has nothing to do with the final cost. But still these luxury collections (and many expensive niche brands) get huge amounts of love, even from perfumistas, and even when they’re not (admittedly, in my opinion) all that good.
But more than that, Francis Kurkdjian is really one of the very few mainstream perfumers who talks openly and honestly to the press. So I don’t want him to shut up 🙂
Strange that he thinks this phenomenon is limited to perfumery. As far as I know it extends to all or most products.
Also, it’s struck me that most of us know – intellectually – that price and quality are not correlated, but that we often suspend this knowledge, or are seduced into thinking otherwise. And there are also many social forces at work in this.
I loved this! Very interesting to be able to pick the brain of a perfumer and to understand their way of thinking. How fascinating to learn that Narcisco was the 1st female fragrance he created that his mom wore. Gotta get me some – never owned a bottle.
My favorite line from his interview was, “Never forget that a perfume is a message in a bottle.” Makes me wonder about the messages my scents send out. 🙂
Fascinating interview!
Perception is reality. Someone may happily spend $1000 on a t-shirt should they care deeply about cotton clothing.
I laughed when the interviewer revealed she stopped wearing Santal 33 because “everyone’s wearing it now.”
As if NOT wearing it because everyone is wearing it is somehow better than wearing it because everyone else is wearing it!
He makes a lot of good points. Fun and thoughtful interview, he comes across as having a great sense of humor.
I agree with Robin that Kurkdjian is very direct and honest about the perfume business.
If anyone wants to find out more about his perspective, check out this interview with him: https://nstperfume.com/2016/05/17/perfume-is-such-an-easy-subject-to-lie-about-an-interview-with-francis-kurkdjian-part-1/
Part 2 appeared on Persolaise’s blog: http://persolaise.blogspot.ca/2016/05/seventeen-families-exclusive-interview.html
Interesting interview, Robin. I respect FK’s candor immensely. Thanks for posting this.
I must admit to finding this overpricing aspect very annoying….not so much by the companies as annoyed with consumers wanting to pay more for luxury items. Unless we’re talking about naturals and/or truly above average materials (thinking of FM Carnal Flower, but who knows, maybe that’s not even true), most perfumes cost roughly the same to create. It’s the packaging and advertising which likely cost the most. I have to admit to finding it extraordinarily annoying within the perfumista community (sorry…please don’t think me rude…maybe I am, but I don’t mean to offend) when everyone is always swooning and singing the praises of the latest most ridiculously overpriced luxury fragrance…or even all the nonstop praise of certain luxury brands almost no matter what they smell like (Chanel, Guerlain and a few others will be loved almost no matter what they smell like, due to brand prestige).
Oftentimes I wish bloggers would review fragrances blind. That would likely take away the luxury-uptick, the perception that something is superior just because it costs 3-5x as much as the average fragrance.
Fascinating topic…
Perfume Sniffer, re Blind testing. You might be interested in the Women’s Wear Daily project to have a group of 10 people (perfumers, critics, analysts, bloggers, etc) blind sniff vials of new releases.
This post by Victoria at Bois de Jasmin explains the process and links to the results at WWD.
http://boisdejasmin.com/2015/05/the-smell-test.html
..and Dick Page is the Francis Kurkdjian of makeup? A metaphor that can’t mean anything for most people.