While the number of fragrances available for purchase has never been bigger, sales of fragrance are actually trending down.There are several different theories for this. Some believe that the overwhelming amount of fragrance in everything from laundry detergent to body wash is cutting down on the need for perfume. Others think that going without perfume is a way not to offend others.
Like red roses and heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, perfume has traditionally been one of the fail-safe offerings of Valentine's Day. But this year, as couples sit down to romantic dinners, a small but growing cohort of American women will emit scents that are more corporal and less Chanel. At a time when the number of perfumes on shelves has dramatically increased, consumption of fragrances is declining, industry analysts said. Last year, department stores carried 1,160 different fragrances for women compared with 756 in 2002, according to NPD Group, a market research firm that tracks consumer product sales.
Yet, last year in the United States, spending on upscale women's fragrances declined, as part of a multiyear trend. The group said $1.97 billion was spent, down from $2 billion in 2002.
Like Ms. Ware, more women are forgoing scent altogether. Last year, about 15 percent of women said they did not wear fragrance, up from 13 percent in 2003, according to a survey of 9,800 women conducted by NPD.
"That may sound like a small number, but nationally that translates into two million more women who are saying 'I don't wear fragrance,'" said Karen Grant, the senior beauty industry analyst at NPD. "Eighty-five percent of women are still buying fragrance, but an increasing number tell us they are wearing fewer scents, less frequently or not at all."
Fragrance fatigue is probably inevitable, with heavily fruited scents wafting out of everything from dishwashing liquids to hotel linens to candle displays at the mall. But perfume aversion seems to be tapping into a larger societal phenomenon that may have its origins in bans on cellphones and cigarettes: the idea that the collective demands of the public space trump one's personal space.
"People are shying away from fragrances not for the traditional reasons that you'd expect, that it is too expensive or that they are wearing alternative products like body sprays or lotions," Ms. Grant said. "Many people said it bothers them that fragrance has an effect on other people, that they are trying to be considerate by not overcoming others with scent."
We're a bit surprised by this trend. We adore fragrances and wear quite a few different ones. We do hate it when people pour on too much cologne, it's true, so we could see how one might go fragrance-free while in the corporate environment. And we admit that we are fragrance snobs. Accursed with one of those "noses" that has hypersensitivity, we can't abide cheap fragrance of any kind.
But what we hate most is the current trend of putting cheap scent into everything from detergent (we revolt by using Tide Free), to lip gloss. We even caught one dog groomer trying to perfume our puppy (we put a stop to that, pronto). The answer, we think, is to think before you spritz. Your office mate will thank you.
