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Assessing the Trend of Celebrity Fragrances

Today’s celebrities are our modern day royalty. We’re the peasants, no surprise! Kings of long ago strove to stack their treasure rooms higher and higher with valuables. The celebrities want to do the modern day equivalent. That’s why they

diversify their earning opportunities by endorsing products:- fragrances, for example.

Peasants of old, meekly tugging their forelocks,strove to control their envy of the king’s wealth and power. Then they schemed to find ways of imitating his lifestyle.They mimicked everything possible of his, in hopes of sharing his ease and comfort. Fat chance! Today, we peasants think we can buy a bit of the royal lifestyle by spending our own meager treasure on items which the king declares to be good .He encourages us to do this, by appearing on his castle balcony and opening his sample case.We surge forward, offering our silver. Dream on! It’ll take more than a bottle of perfume- but we’re no more gullible than our forebears.

This practice of fragrance hawking has been going on for at least a hundred years, probably much longer. When Queen Victoria’s social circle learned that her favorite perfume came from the Perfume House of Creed, Mr. Creed’s Littlebusiness took a dramatic turn for the better. The queen herself did not benefit from this arrangement, but astute perfumers were taking note. The House of Creed is still active today, and has had the honor of providing personalized perfumes to such luminaries as Napoleon the 3rd, The Empress Eugenie, Franz Joseph, and Queen Christine of Spain. More recently Kevin Costner,Pierce Brosnan, Richard Gere and Robbie Williams among others have associated their names with specific Creed fragrances.The idea of exclusivity was enhanced by the Creed practice of making personalized fragrances for their client, and ONLY for that client for five years. Keep the peasants waiting. Good marketing strategy!

When Madonna told the world that she endorsed and wore the scent “Fleurissimo”, I’d lay odds that Prince Rainier of Monaco choked on his caviar. At the time of his wedding, years before, he’d commissioned a new fragrance from Creed. This new

perfume was to be worn by Grace Kelly ,on their wedding day and beyond. That perfume was “Fleurissimo”. I wonder if he was galled to see it promoted by a singer and dancer who started the Underwear On Top fashion. Princess Grace and Madonna have only Fleurissimo in common.

The perfume business is one where trade secrets and expertise are carefullprotected. It’s unlikely that any celebrity not born into a perfume-making family would have an inkling of how to blend-let alone create- a new fragrance.However they CAN sniff samples and pick one out.I don’t see how anyone can blame them for endorsing perfumes. It’s one of the most lucrative options open to them in their quest to diversify their earning potential.

Given the amounts of money that celebrities make, we can’t blame them for trying to save for rainy days . They’re in a notoriously fickle business, and their fate can change overnight due to new ideas and new standards.Then, if the Barbarian

Horde unseats them ,they’ll have enough treasure squirreled away to enable them to live out their lives in the royal style to which they have become accustomed. Good on’em! Go, celebrities!

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