words Al Woods
The world of perfumes is one of the most mysterious and yet fascinating of the whole fashion industry. The way a perfume is made – discovering the most unusual and pleasant essences, blending them with expertise and precision, until the right balance is found and the fragrance comes out as new, charming and attractive – has always drawn the attention of artists and men and women of culture.
This seductive potential, which is both mental and sensorial, has always been the secret weapon of a perfume, and it’s enough to explain why this beauty and body care ally has always been a protagonist in human history, since the ancient times. Everyone who has read Patrick Süskind’s novel Perfume knows what kind of uncontrollable sensations a good perfume can awaken.
Typically, a perfume buyer is used to look for branded fragrances. The most passionate ones are also willing to pay remarkable sums to get their favorite ones. A Valentino perfume, for example, can have a cost that significantly exceeds the 100€ threshold, for a small 100ml bottle. Nonetheless, more recently, a new trend is taking hold, both in Europe, America and Asia: buying (mainly online) “unbranded” fragrances that smell like the most renowned ones, at prices that are, usually, equal to 1/3 of the original.
The leader brand of this new business is Dossier, an American company with deep roots in France (in particular Grasse, along the French Riviera, one of the few world’s capitals of perfumery), whose aim is to provide its potential buyers with a product that is equal to the top brands in terms of quality and craftsmanship, at a way more affordable price. In a few words: people won’t pay the packaging, a luxurious advertising campaign, a celebrity’s cachet for his/her endorsement, or the brand’s prestige itself. The will just pay for the “nude” product, in the belief that the substance is worth a lot more than the form.
This mindset has led Dossier to have a “braver” and more experimental approach in the research of new essences and the craftsmanship of original fragrances. To the point that the company can be considered by now a sort of cutting edge, if not even a guide, for the entire perfumery business, on the basis of its ability to anticipate new trends and styles. That’s why, by looking at its catalogue, we can easily detect which types of perfume have become the unmissable ones during the first half of 2022.
1. Vanilla. The sweet fragrances are still the favorite ones among the teenage girls. Vanilla is the softest and less invasive one. Plus, its versatility makes it suitable for almost every situation.
2. Citruses. Quite the opposite is the jack-of-all-trades among the adults. Both women and men in this case.
3. White flowers. Daisy, magnolia, gardenia, lily of the valley, azalea, hawthorn, hydrangea, jasmine, snowdrop: they’re just the most popular white flowers commonly used in perfumery. Their blends are usually soft, aromatic and persistent, with different nuances.
4. Star anise. The most peculiar and, at the same time, easily identifiable. You must use it parsimoniously, but the freshness that it’s able to spread everywhere is incomparable.
5. Herbs. They may seem the most traditional – and maybe conventional – ingredient for a perfume, but they’re actually quite the opposite. Research discover and test new herbs – hence new essences – almost every month. This means that the herbal fragrances are the ones that undergo a continuous renewal process.
