According to market research company The NPD Group, Inc., its annual survey of consumers’ holiday spending intentions shows one in five (19%) consumers told NPD “they plan to buy fragrance” as a gift this upcoming holiday season, a two point increase from last year.
— From Fragrance On the Rise for Holiday 2009 at Happi.
Forget the lipstick index as economic indicator; in this recession, the most successful downturn beauty product is proving to be fragrance. While much of the luxury business has struggled over the past year, a number of high-end perfume businesses have been spritzing their way to success.
— From Luxury perfume houses are expanding at the Financial Times.
The Fragrance Foundation is planning a unified, multi-media ad campaign to encourage women who already use perfume occasionally to use it more often. The new effort to reverse years of faltering perfume sales will start in January…
But the craze, while not on its way out, seems to be on its way down. The average celebrity fragrance brought in $2.6 million in sales last year, down from $8 million in 2005, according to NPD.
—From Celebrity Scents Fall Out of Style: So Over It at The Street, with thanks to Marsha for the link!
Prestige fragrances in the U.S. posted the steepest loss in first half 2009, declining -10 percent in dollars versus first half 2008. Women’s and men’s prestige fragrances both posted 10 percent declines from a year ago.
— Read the whole thing at NPD Reports on First Half U.S. Beauty Retail Industry.