[Our own Dr. Jessica] Murphy likened Printemps New York’s fragrance section to that of the since-closed Henri Bendel, which offered a sensorial escape from the busy New York streets on the second floor. But many Gen-Z and younger shoppers, who have largely driven the post-Covid fragrance boom, never experienced the department store heyday.

“Department stores — the ones that still exist — are going to have to edit a little more tightly. They are going to have to have events, and they are going to have to distinguish themselves in ways that resonate with Generation Z and Xennial and millennial shoppers,” said Murphy.

— Read more in Can Printemps New York revitalize the department store perfume counter? at Glossy.

In the past, shopping for a new cologne meant wading through department store kiosks with salespeople trying to sell you the latest “sport” iteration of an established classic. The groundwork for something different began bubbling 15 to 20 years ago with a surge in the prominence of niche fragrance houses, a stark departure from the mass-produced fumes that once dominated the market.

— Read more in The 9 Coolest Cologne Stores in N.Y.C. at Robb Report.