When discussing why maximalist fragrances are so in vogue, Jun Lin tells me that, from his perspective, this is the natural next step in the evolution of niche perfumery. He explains that once consumers get a taste for uniqueness, they want more. “More drama, more intensity, more longevity. Beastmode fragrances are simply a reflection of that appetite,” he says. Jun tells me that the niche world is constantly pushing boundaries, and now we’re seeing the rise of louder, wilder, bolder scents as part of that trajectory.
— Read more in Summer Fragrances: Maximalist Scents Are Back at Forbes.
It makes me want to cling to Jean-Claude Ellena.
Exactly!
Maximalist scents can’t be back, because they never went away. Even during the early nineties when the general mood was gauzy and airy and aquatic, there was a booming business in big-ass fragrances — Angel launched in 1992, Gaultier Le Male in 1995. You could pick any year you like and find a surfeit of big room-filling scents along with the minimalist Jo Malone and Jean-Claude Ellena offerings.
I know how cynical I sound but that article is just an advertisement for the scents mentioned (they even have clickable links). There’s barely any substance to it at all.
That is what nearly all perfume articles are. Roses are back, and they’re not your grandmother’s rose! Gourmands are back! Etc etc.