Perfume Shrine

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Best-selling Fragrances for Men: Russia 2011

The point of exploring which fragrances sell best is not only to understand trends, but to predict which fragrance references will be used to gauge the next fragrances to be made. Focus groups work in that way inside the fragrance industry, when developing fragrances, as we have analysed on the Perfume Shrine before, so it pays to pay attention, literally.
The Russian market is a major force to contend with lately, although it has to do more with niche and luxury brands aimed at the affluent (which is its own bag of bones to contend with yet again), however the mainstream sector is not without its own merit. We explored the taste of women with the best-selling perfumes in Russia for 2011 in our previous Perfume Shrine post. Now is the time for men.

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Here are the top selling fragrances for Russian men for 2011 according to the Euromonitor.

1. Chanel Allure Homme

2. Baldessarini Baldessarini Ambre

3. Gucci Gucci Guilty

4. Dior Dior Homme

5. Givenchy Givenchy pour Homme

6. Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gio pour homme

7. Dior Fahrenheit

8. Chanel Egoiste Platinum

9. Clinique Happy for Men

10. Paco Rabanne XS

11. Hugo Boss Boss in Motion

12. Hugo Boss Boss Pure

13. Paco Rabanne Black XS

14. Paco Rabanne 1 Million

15. Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy Man

16. Dior Higher

17. Gucci Gucci pour Homme

18. DKNY Be Delicious Men

19. Giorgio Armani Armani Code

20. Hugo Boss Boss Selection

21. Versace Verscace Man Eau Fraiche

22. Shiseido Zen for Men

23. Lacoste Lacoste Essential

24. Lacoste Cool Play

25. Giorgio Armani Armani Mania

26. Burberry Burberry For Men

27. Estee Lauder Pleasures for Men

28. Davidoff Champion

29. Carolina Herrera 212 for Man

30. Cerruti 1881

The overwhelming genre choice is for the fougere fragrance family, with oriental and woody only a distant second and third place.

Related reading on PerfumeShrine:

Monday, November 6, 2017

Best-selling fragrances for women: Russia 2011

Best-sellers in fragrance have been a mainstay of the Perfume Shrine blog, because they represent the taste of the average consumer. And any student of human nature is interested in the average consumer.
For this chapter we revert back to 2011 and the women of Russia. The source is an official one, the Euromonitor, and the results are predictable to a degree, still quite interesting to see.
The stats come from buying figures from major department stores concerning scenting needs a few years back.

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Here are the Russian mainstream market 2011 best-selling fragrances for women on PerfumeShrine.com. Links point to fragrance reviews by Elena Vosnaki.

1. Dior J'Adore
2. Chanel Chance
3. Versace Versace pour femme
4. Estee Lauder Pleasures
5. DKNY Be Delicious
6. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
7. Chanel Allure
8. Gucci Gucci Guilty
9. Guerlain Shalimar
10. Dior Miss Dior
11. Paco Rabanne Black XS for Her
12. Estee Lauder Sensuous
13. Gucci Flora by Gucci
14. Gucci Gucci Eau de parfum
15. Givenchy Very Irrestistible
16. Clinique Happy
17. Cacharel Amor Amor
18. Gucci Gucci Envy
19. Gucci Gucci by Gucci
20. Dior Dior Addict
21. Lancome Tresor
22. Chanel Chanel no.5
23. Giorgio Armani Code for woman
24. Lacoste Love of Pink
25. Elizabeth Arden Green Tea
26. Kenzo Kenzo Jungle
27. Estee Lauder Pure White Linen
28. Lancome Miracle
29. Hugo Boss Boss Intense
30. Guerlain Insolence

The winning genre choice is for the floral, with floriental competing eye to eye. Fragrance developers, take note.

Related reading on PerfumeShrine:

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Halloween Fragrances

Halloween is here once again and everyone who has worshipped at the shrine of perfume, Vincent Price, Tim Burton, Hammer films and Edgar Allan Poe rejoices at the opportunity to go all ghoulish and creepy; indulging a little bit of inner terror is good for the soul.

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Here are some previous lists and articles on Perfume Shrine which might interest you.

Everyone Hail to the Pumpkin Song: Scents of Halloween

Halloween Preparations: Scent and Beauty

A Dish for All Saints and Day of the Dead: Bittersweet Koliva

Trick or Treat? Autumn Fragrances for Every Mood

Lancome Magie Noire fragrance review: the perfect Halloween scent

Happy Halloween with ambience scents

Black Widow fragrance review

Autumn's Small Indulgences

Have a very happy Halloween!!!

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Hermes Twilly d'Hermes: fragrance review

Perfumer Christine Nagel's style could be likened to an Italian sunset. Probably has to do with her paternal Italian side. The bleeding of the colors into the sky and the transformation of dusk into darkness could be compared with her inimitable mastery at blending luminous and bright notes into chords which resonate deeper and darker as the scent develops throughout time. You're never on a simple path with her perfumes, such as the stupendous Maboussin, the balsamic wonder of Les Larmes Sacrees de Thèbes among her limited edition perfume trio for Baccarat, or the intricately sweet Si fragrance by Giorgio Armani, and of course the stupendous Theorema by Fendi, a case study in how to make a non threatening oriental fragrance.
and there's always something to discover in the process.
I find this quality quite enjoyable in her latest creation, Twilly by Hermès, the house Nagel now acts as in-house perfumer for.

double exposure photography artwork by Antonio Mora via

Although Twilly d'Hermès possesses that optimistic flair (via its fresh citrusy opening) that people find more summery than wintery, I find that the composition veers into another direction very, very quickly thanks to the brilliant combination of fresh ginger and a floralcy which is hard to pinpoint (official sources say tuberose, but it's a totally unexpected kind of tuberose). A kaleidoscope of green, floral, and even earthy and woody nuances pass before your nostrils in quick succession, as if buoyed by the golden light of a glorious afternoon full of grace when everything seems to happily melt unto itself.

Twilly d'Hermès doesn't remind me of any other fragrance I know (which is remarkable in itself) and it's playful enough and light enough to appeal to younger women without appearing condescending in the least. Nevertheless, its very memorability lies in the delicate and rather sophisticated interweaving of fresh spiciness and carnal sensuality without recalling any particular genre: is it spicy floral? is it a citrusy woody? is it floral woody musky? It's a puzzle, but a good one.

Her last two fragrances for Hermes showcase the treatment of light and delicate juxtaposition.
Eau de Rhubarbe Ecarlate is a study in this duality, whereupon the succulent yet fresh rhubard note is envelopped in high-tech musks to give a persistent buzz like a bubblebee around nectarous blossoms. And Galop, for all its deluxe price, does not smell like it's trying too hard; a bet lost by many of the luxury segment brands nowadays, who, intent on presenting something posh, lose the golden measure and load the perfume with insurmountable heaviness. Galop, on the contrary, breathes!

Twilly increases its appeal with repeated wearings, so I suggest you give it some thorough testing before pronouncing a definitive assessment. It's young and probably not too serious in intent, but we all have our heavyweights for the days we want to immerse ourselves in existential ennui I suppose.