Mark Buxton im O-Ton, 2. Teil

So, with having this upfront information and stuff like that, so people know exactly what to do, so it's, as we say, "à la Procter". They have their Gremium, they have their team which make the screening which ones they are going to test anyway. You put apple in a fragrance at Procter, they love it. Because one of their biggest successes was the bottle, I think it's called... This blue thing which smells apple. You put apple in there, you're already in a test. Feminine? You put something in there which reminds you of Laurent, 'cause it used to be their bestseller for over ten years, you're already in the test.

So, with knowing these elements and with knowing which buttons to press, you get out your computer, you have your little buttons, you have your Legos, and you take this accord out of that one, this accord out of that one, this out of that, put this together like, you know, making a cocktail, and you present this to Procter. They won't say "I know it," they will say "Oh, I like this... I reminds me of something, but I like it." Of course, it reminds them of something! There's bloody apple in there! Or the other one, you put the muguet in there, so of course it reminds them of something. But they say "But it's well done, it's really original, it does something I like," you know? Of course!

So, and you do this now for all these companies. So that's why at the end of the day the market started to smell the same. Because you're doing like a trickle-down. "This has worked, so, okay, we're doing one like that. It's a bit different, but it's in the same family." And then you look at all these families and it's all... all smells similar. No originality anymore, nothing stands out, everything is polished, you know... Just change the colour of the bottle. Nowadays they don't even change the bottle anymore, just change the colour. Or we do "light", or then we do "blue", and after blue we do "black", and then... We even had "black black", and then "black black light". And so all these trickle-downs, triple extrèmes, so yeah... It's all just moneymaking. They keep the same bottle, change the colour and that's it. And they just put any fragrance in there as long as you can just show them, oh, look, we tested it here in France and in States. Great. Just behind Acqua di Gio. A buy! So, that's a hard one. So, that's what, when you work in the big industry. Because, as I said, at the end of the day your boss, your management is absolutely not interested if you get to walk out there and say "I made this and this and they stand out on the market and they're creative" or something like that. They just don't give a shit. All they're interested about is moneymaking business and that's it.

So why do we have this movement towards niche? Just to wrap it up. I think, people are fed up. The market is overflooded with fragrances, there's too much out there, like I just said, between the "light light light light" and the "light light blue" and "green red blue". We've had enough and people are seeking for something different, for something with more character, with more personality, name it as you want. Celebrities are the first out there. It's amazing. I mean, you can read about any celebrity, you see what fragrance they're wearing, but they're not wearing Flower by Kenzo. And they're not wearing L'Instant by Guerlain, no. These fragrances, they come out, they are made for a certain public, they buy it, they sell half a million bottles in the first year, they're really happy because they made their turnover. But, I mean, why should I go out there and smell like everybody else? I mean, that's not the point of a fragrance. I mean, this has to be something personal. I mean, you have to seek for fragrance, you have to hunt it, you want it, I mean, it has to fit, has to fit your skin. If you like a fragrance and it fits perfectly on your skin, it doesn't mean that it will be the same on your skin. So, it's a job to find something out there. People don't even take the time to smell fragrances anymore. They go into Sephora and when they see these bullshit top 20, I mean, it's like when you go into a record shop, "What is top 20 now?" You know, and you come in and you (imitiert Sprühgeräusche) perfume everywhere and you go... Oh no... Oh yeah... How can you judge a fragrance in three seconds?

I think we have this movement. But then, furthermore, niche has been on the market now for ten years. And niche is not niche what it was ten years ago as well. Come back, like, to smell of a Garage, like Comme des Garçons made this series with Garage and Asphalte and stuff like that. Whoa, to be different that I smell like a garage of oil or like somebody just tarred a street or smell of shrimps or something like that... Okay, yeah... There was all stuff like that. Okay, if you want, it's niche, but, I mean, there's a limit to everything, I mean, let's not go too far, guys. And we mustn't forget, I think, niche, somehow, is alternative. And if you don't have the quality and you don't have the story behind it... It's a story you need, it is a concept. You can't just bring out a fragrance, I mean, there are a lot of niche products like Byredo. I mean, okay, the guy is a good-looking guy, he has 25 tattoos, he has a bloody body like an angel, and now he's making publicity for H&M. Nothing against that, but he has 20 fragrances as well.

So, niche is coming a bit... like where we came from. So there we have to be really careful as well because, anyway... That's where we are at the moment. Thanks very much for your attention!

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