Issue #38: Gen Z wants to smell good
Perfume is having a moment. Here's why.
Good morning and happy Halloween!! 🎃 I hope everyone has a cute costume idea today. I’m thinking of dressing up as Blair Waldorf just so that I can use pieces that I already have in my closet. Last year I went as Violet Beauregarde from Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, which was a major hit, but I bought a blue Adidas tracksuit that I haven’t worn since.
Thanks for bearing with me as I’ve been publishing a little less frequently lately. I’m finally back in NYC after my month (!!) of travel and very happy to have more time to put towards writing these days.
Everyone wants to smell good 💐
This past week, I had multiple conversations with friends about the popularity of perfume right now. And after the recent launch of new fragrances from both Glossier and Merit, I wanted to take a look at why perfume is so popular right now and analyze these product launches from two of my most-loved beauty brands.
Why is perfume having a moment?
Growing up, I associated perfume my grandmother. It was something fancy and opulent. And my first perfume in high school, Marc Jacob’s Daisy Eau so Fresh Eau de Toilette, was way too floral for me. But since then, I’ve found my own signature scent, and Gen Z at large loves perfume. Independent creators, influencers and brands are all talking about complex scents on TikTok, leading specific perfumes to go viral.
Take Baccarat Rouge 540, for instance. At $335 a bottle, it’s definitely pricey. Nevertheless, TikTok has made the product incredibly popular, with a friend telling me yesterday that she bought a dupe from Urban Outfitters recently. There are a ton of videos on TikTok about where to buy Baccarat dupes, and whether or not it’s worth it to buy the real thing.
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A lot of legacy perfume brands like Chanel and Giorgio Armani are also leaning into social content in an attempt to expand the reach of their products that have lined the shelves of department stores for the past few decades. Where these brands might have previously prioritized advertising in print ads and TV spots to reach an older consumer, they’re realizing that young people are all-in on fragrances, and they’re meeting them on TikTok.
Let’s chat about Merit & Glossier
But what about two brands that are new to the fragrance space? Merit and Glossier have expanded beyond makeup and skincare with the launch of new perfume products in the past month. I stopped by my local Sephora last night to try on the new Glossier and Merit fragrances so that I could report back, but both products were entirely sold out, and even the sample bottles were missing from the shelves! I wish I could tell if you if they’re even any good (comment below if you’ve tried any of them!), but alas…
The strategy behind Retrospect vs. Rêve + Doux
Since they’re apparently pretty popular, let’s look at the marketing strategy behind the launch of the two brands’ new fragrance products.
Merit wiped their Instagram grid to launch their first-ever perfume, Retrospect, in early October. Since then, they’ve been sharing a look behind-the-scenes at the scent and package design on social channels, as well quotes from customers about their first impression of the product.
(An interesting aside: Merit is also selling a limited-edition coffee table book about fragrance… A really cool idea, but is anyone buying it for $52?)
The campaign’s messaging emphasizes the complexity and sustainability of the product, framing it as a ‘modern fragrance’ that ‘you’ll keep coming back to.’ They went all-in on this campaign, building an entire creative look-and-feel around the bottle.
It’s clear that Merit is attempting to appeal to the modern consumer. They’re not trying to compete with the legacy brands – the Diors and Chanels of the world – but they’re still positioning the product as sophisticated and complex. The price point, at $92, reflects that sentiment. It’s accessible as far as perfumes go, but it’s still a luxury good.
And what about Glossier? Glossier expanded on their first (and only) perfume product, Glossier You, with the launch of Glossier You Rêve + Doux in late September. They threw a launch party in New York and put up some out-of-home in Soho. Sticking to their tried-and-true social strategy, Glossier has been leaning into a lot of influencer and user-generated social content around the products.
And just a few days ago, they announced a Glossier You home fragrance kit, complete with a scented ceramic to hang in your home. This kind of reminds me of what rhode did with their lip balm phone case that I talked about here – an example of a product that supplements the main offering. I don’t know if it will be very popular, but it kind of reminds me of a Christmas ornament, and the holidays are right around the corner…
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At $78 per bottle, the Glossier You line is a little more affordable than Merit’s product, and it’s definitely geared towards a slightly younger audience, as demonstrated through their social strategy. That audience target is even evident in Glossier’s decision to host a launch party in NYC and to paste OOH in Soho.
Scent & self-identity
I think that there’s a larger conversation to be had here about the purpose of perfume as a way to build identity. There’s a search for self-assuredness in the process of finding and wearing a signature scent. Fragrance can become so personal, so synonymous with someone, that landing on a signature scent can serve a really valuable purpose of establishing a sense of self in a world where it seems everyone is wearing the same clothes and hairstyle.
But here’s the thing: I love that I rarely meet someone who’s wearing the same fragrance as me (which is also why I’m not mentioning my own signature scent in this issue)! So when the it-girl beauty brands launch fragrances and all of the girlies start wearing them, does it decrease the fragrances’ product value?
Thank you for reading, and see you next week! xx
It's interesting because I bought the Merit perfume without seeing it or reading as much as I normally would about it. I really trust their brand and use their products every day, so I assumed I would also love their perfume and I was correct! I guess it proves their brand loyalty and the quality of all their products... but I do love that they released a perfume scent.
I have an old bottle of Glossier You that I still love! I think your argument is interesting in the Glossier You context because it's supposed to smell different on everyone, and while I'm tbd on if that is true, that would allow the it-girl brands to continue to sell the same product while maintaining everyone's "signature scent".
On a different note, I'm curious what your thoughts are on Dossier perfume dupes for higher end brands. If they truly smell the same, is it just the "cool & luxury" factor that keeps people purchasing the higher end version of the scent?