There’s a new trend in niche fragrances: expensive presentation bottles filled with reasonably priced perfumes — perfumes that can only be bought at the “reasonable price” after the initial “trophy bottle” purchase. Agonist Parfums, based in Sweden, is one such (what I’ll call) “niche-niche” perfumery; it specializes in “unique fragrances embraced by handcrafted Swedish glass.”

Agonist Parfums highlights its perfume presentation as much as it does its perfumes. I wonder if Agonist’s sales would increase greatly if their perfumes could be bought without the deluxe bottles? (Or is Agonist really geared towards glass collectors who like a splash of hard-to-find perfume with their glassware?)

The Infidels, purchased with the bottle shown above, costs $495 (when you buy The Infidels perfume for the first time, the scent is contained in a separate bottle until you decant it into the “presentation” bottle). After your bottle is empty, you can use your special customer registration number to buy a refill (50 ml Eau de Parfum for $90). When paying almost $500 (unless price is not a concern), one must really love and want The Infidels bottle as much as the perfume. I really like The Infidels fragrance, but I can live without the bottle, so I’ll never own this perfume…

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