What is "Niche?"

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The world of fragrance and fragrance collectors has morphed quite a bit over the years, particularly the 20 or so that I've been heavily into scent. Trends can create shifts in styles and preferences, as can the addition of younger and younger consumers to the hobby. Sweet, fluffy, fruity, and youthful fragrances currently reign supreme at the moment, but something else might be more en vogue next year (god, I hope so). Not only do tastes change, however, but also things that seem like they should be immutable. For instance, the definition of the word "niche," as it pertains to perfumery. 

Back when I started collecting, in the mid-00s, fragrances were sorted into three general categories: mainstream/mass-market, niche, and indie. These designations referred to the number of "doors" or individual shops in which those scents were sold. Mainstream scents could be found in the many hundreds of mall department stores with a fragrance counter (for example, Estee Lauder White Linen) and others, like Revlon's Charlie, were sold in thousands of drug stores. Niche perfumes, on the other hand, were sold in very few shops, including expensive department stores like Bergdorf Goodman or Henri Bendel of which only a handful existed, online stores like Beautyhabit.com, and perfume boutiques like Scent Bar. Finally, "indie," or independent fragrances, were sold by the perfumers themselves on their own websites or shops. 

These days, online discussions still refer to three categories of fragrance, though the term "designer" seems to have replaced mainstream. As the word suggests, designer fragrances are created by companies associated with a fashion designer, like Calvin Klein, and can include both mass-market and "luxury" or "prestige" lines. Independent scents are still mostly sold by the perfumers themselves, though occasionally they can be found at specialized perfume boutiques. But niche has picked up a new definition: fragrances from companies that make nothing but perfume. I've been in arguments with Redditors who will die on that cross and (virtually) scream me down over my assertion that the word niche simply refers to where the scents are sold. Period. Full Stop. 

I want to insert one of my (many) unpopular opinions here because it works with the theme of this post: designer fragrances can also be niche. Let's look at Chanel. Chanel Chance is sold everywhere, from department stores to Sephora and Ulta Beauty, and unlike most Chanel fragrances, can be found at online discounters. It is a mainstream fragrance. But Chanel's Les Exclusifs line is sold only in high-end department stores and Chanel boutiques. Because the number of doors is small, that makes Les Exclusifs niche. Disagree? Let's do my word-geek thing and look at the dictionary definition of the word niche. Pay attention to 2 d.

According to Merriam-Webster: 

1 a : a recess in a wall especially for a statue

   b : something (such as a sheltered or private space) that resembles a recess in a wall

2 a : a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted

   finally found her niche

   b : a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species

   c : the ecological role of an organism in a community especially in regard to food consumption

   d : a specialized market

Ah. "A specialized market." The word "Market" doesn't only refer to the actual shop in which the product is sold, but also to the group of consumers who would be interested in the product itself. It doesn't matter one bit that the name on this product--in this case, a perfume--is a designer who also makes shoes, watches, and suits. Or that they also sell fragrances that can be purchased at thousands of shops world-wide. The market for Chanel Les Exclusifs is the relatively small group of people who want a well-crafted fragrance created by an in-house perfumer using high quality ingredients and are willing to pay high prices for the privilege. 

In other words, it is the market that creates the designation, not the amount of other stuff that the name on the label does or does not produce. 

Let's make things a little more complicated. Are all the fragrances that we might consider to be niche actually niche? How about Kilian Paris? The company only makes perfume, so it fits the modern internet/social media-favored definition of the term. However, while Kilian fragrances are not sold in Macy's (yet), they are available at Nordstrom and Sephora, which together equal roughly 2000 stores in the US alone. That makes them mainstream--at least the individual Kilian scents that are sold in those places. One can say the same for Tom Ford fragrances. His Private Blend collection--which as a designer luxury line once fit my criterion for niche, as it was sold in few shops--is no longer particularly private. They, too, are available at not only Nordie's and Sephora, but also Macy's, of which there are currently 500-ish locations. (I wouldn't be surprised to see Tobacco Vanille on the shelves at Rite Aid in the future.) Tom's definitely in mainstream category now, despite the ridiculous price tag.

There are probably other examples that don't fit the formula exactly. Celebrity scents that are distributed by companies that only make fragrance products--mainstream or niche? Michelle Pfeiffer's fragrance line Henry Rose--niche or indie? I'm sure there are people who can argue one way or the other, and maybe I would, too. But that's another post for another day.

Have an opinion on the subject? Please leave a comment!

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.