Launching any fragrance brand can be a daunting prospect with pitfalls and obstacles around every corner. It becomes even more of a challenge when the customer that you’re aiming for is more used to buying an “own brand” perfume as opposed to a high street or niche scent. The balance between performance and price is a precarious one to navigate in that market, but this hasn’t deterred Laurelle from entering the arena with their new range, The Scent Doctor. The first trio of fragrances is made up of Neroli, Gardenia, and Rose & Jasmine but, even at their prescription price, will you be making an appointment with this doctor?
When Jo Malone opened her first fragrance store in 1994 she had already become known as an "English scent maverick". From simple blends created by hand in her own kitchen she went on to steer her company to become a worldwide phenomenon, eventually selling to Estée Lauder in 1999. Jo Malone remained the creative director for seven years before finally leaving in 2006. After a "contractual" silence she launched a new venture in 2011, Jo Loves. To celebrate the company's fifth birthday, and her own indomitable spirit, let's look back at one of those "comeback" fragrances, the spectacular Gardenia.
With Dynasty about to finish its nine series reign over prime-time television, Joan Collins decided the time was right to launch her first fragrance. No stranger to perfume promotion, Joan had been the face of Revlon's Scoundrel from 1983-1986, but this time she was very firmly in charge. Under the name of "The Design House of Joan Collins", but actually produced by Parlux Fragrances Ltd, the first perfume in a planned line was Spectacular. At the time of the launch Joan was very open about the fact that she wanted an independent income and, alongside other "Design House" ventures, Spectacular came with very high expectations.
