Celebrity fragrance sales down....except for Britney!!!

 

Celebrity names can sell loads of stuff, but these days, they’re stinking up the perfume business.

 

Indeed, sales of celebrity-branded fragrances are going out of favor faster than the last Britney Spears single, according to TheStreet.com.

 

Some of the decline, experts suggest, is because consumers may be embarrassed to use a celebrity fragrance.

 

“On blind scent tests many of these fragrances test extremely well; they're designed to be the least offensive and offer the broadest appeal,” Karen Grant of the market research firm NPD Group told TheStreet.com. “But when a celebrity is associated with it, you see a different reaction.”

 

Fragrance peddler Parlux France relies heavily on its celebrity branded scents and has taken a hit for it. The company produces Queen Latifah’s Queen, Jessica Simpson’s Fancy and Fancy Love, Andy Roddick's Andy Roddick and all of Paris Hilton's many fragrances (Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton for Men, Heir, Heiress, Just Me, Can Can, Fairy Dust and Siren).

 

The company lost $4.3 million last year and $2.5 in the second quarter of this year alone.

 

While the prestige fragrance market as a whole is down 10% from last year, Britney Spears is one celeb who appears to be bucking the odds.

 

Sales of her fragrances - Fantasy Britney Spears, Britney Spears Believe, Curious Britney Spears and Curious in Control Britney Spears - rose 13% in the June quarter. Elizabeth Arden, the company behind the ageing pop tart's perfumes, just brought out Circus Fantasy, named after her latest tour and album.

 

Then again, she’s global.

 

“More than half of the sales of Britney brands were sold of outside of North America,” said an Arden company spokesman.

 

Also doing well are classics like Chanel's Coco, Mademoiselle and No. 5 and Dolce and Gabbana's Light Blue. But it remains to be seen how Forever Mariah Carey, Derek Jeter Driven Black or Sara Jessica Parker's Lovely will fare in recessionary times.

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle..._sales_re.html

So true! I conducted blind tests for my dissertation and loads of people loved 'tacky celebrities' fragrances, but then insisted they would never buy them once they realised who it was endorsed by... Odd!

Well, I'm glad Britney is the exception of the rule. I think it's actually the contrary with her, when she's the brand, everyone wants a piece of!