Nez N° 17, spring/summer 2024
Money & Perfume

Money & Perfume The product of a lucrative industry, a promise of luxury, a social marker, a purveyor of emotions... what is the true value of perfume for those who breathe it in, buy it or create it ? After having long played a spiritual and religious, then therapeutic role, perfume became, more than a century ago, a lucrative industry, at least for some. Despite the fact that it was widely democratized in the 20th century, it seems today that prices have surged, and made it an exclusive product again.
But how much does it actually cost to produce a fragrance ? Why do some bottles go for a few handfuls of euros while others cost half the minimum wage ? True, brands have always attracted customers by promising luxury, success and rarity. Smelling good is always a sign of distinction, namely compared to the olfactory markers of poverty... While fragrances are mostly intended for the well-off, the raw materials that make them up are often the outcome of the labor of populations that only get scraps, unlike certain figures in the industry who make a comfortable profit out of this thriving business.
As for perfumers, without whom nothing would be possible, are they always paid in proportion to their talent ? If money doesn't smell, perfumes often smell of wealth, but not for everybody...