Niche perfumes: what they are and why choose them
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By carthusia
At least once in your life, you’ve heard of niche perfumes: do you know what they are and why you should choose them? Quite different from the more commercial ones, these are artisanal fragrances made by Master Perfumers with precious raw materials, sometimes rare but always of the highest quality. Let’s discover together and more specifically the history and characteristics of these renowned olfactory creations.
Meaning of Niche Perfumes
The definition of niche perfumes comes from the fact that they are created for a particular section of perfumery, or rather for a market niche. However, if you think about the literal meaning of the word niche, i.e. room or recess, another more curious connection emerges. It concerns those small and ancient hidden “niches” in which the Master Perfumers used to store plants, spices and other precious raw materials necessary to create fragrances. The aim was basically to keep them cool, but also away from curious eyes.
It is also to this that we owe the birth of the expression “niche perfumes”, with which still today we refer to fragrances made with original, exclusive and rare materials, as well as with artisanal methods.
Characteristics of Niche Perfumes
First of all, niche perfumes are not easy to find: it is impossible to find them in the most well-known perfume chains, or in the supermarket. These types of fragrances are found only in selected boutiques, and are usually not even advertised, both because they are not produced in numbers sufficient to justify an investment in promotional campaigns, and because their starting price is already very high: increase it to support the advertising costs would make the product go off the market (even more than it already is).
Essentially, all niche perfumes have these characteristics in common:
- they are evergreen, eternal, not tied to trends as they do not follow the logic of fashion, or those of the market. Their olfactory notes are the result of experimentation and creative impulses, difficult to repeat and therefore far from those of more commercial fragrances produced for the mass market;
- they are the result of artisanal methods, because as already mentioned, their added value lies in the raw materials, from their research and selection to their treatment, which does not take place through industrial processes but follows the logic of “handmade”;
- they are unique, full of personality, because they are not made to please the majority of the public, but to give vent to the creative and artistic inspiration of the nose in order to create an original and unrepeatable fragrance. In fact, he or she who wears niche perfumes is a person who likes to stand out from the crowd: this kind of fragrance has a very specific identity, and leaves an important and unmistakable trail, which knows how to get noticed
How to choose a Niche Perfume
Needless to say, choosing a niche perfume is a subjective matter. Each niche fragrance has its own strong personality, much more intense and vigorous than traditional perfumery products. These are often eccentric and extravagant olfactory sensations: therefore it will be necessary to choose a niche perfume based on the aromatic notes that best reflect the personality of the person who will have to wear them.
Niche perfumes for womenFor example, a woman who likes to feel sensual and intriguing will almost certainly opt for female niche perfumes based on ingredients such as tuberose, agarwood or patchouli. The woman who wants to convey elegance and refinement, on the other hand, will choose a tobacco fragrance, with notes of rum and precious woods, while she will go for aquatic and marine notes to give expression to a sense of freedom and light-heartedness.
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Profumi di nicchia da uomo
Per quanto riguarda i profumi di nicchia maschili, un uomo che vuole colpire trasudando virilità prediligerà note muschiate e cuoiate; opterà per una prevalenza di note legnose se desidera evocare un fascino magnetico, mentre andrà su note agrumate per dare sensazione di freschezza e sportività.
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Italian Niche Perfumes: Carthusia is among the best
Finalist of the 2018 Accademia del Profumo Award for the “Best Perfume of Artistic Perfume” category with the gourmand perfume “Terra Mia”, as well as winner of the “Imprese Vincenti” Award as an example of entrepreneurial excellence and made in Italy, Carthusia has always set its business on a “niche” philosophy: each stage of the production of its niche perfumes is performed strictly by hand, in order to guarantee the observance of natural methods and artisan care.