The latest news in niche fragrance is the surprise acquisition by Kering Beauté of the uber successful brand Creed in a cash deal that came from nowhere. This represents a real coup for Kering’s new beauty division which was only announced earlier this year and has yet to flex its muscles.

The rumors had been circulating for months, and at last the deal is done. With private equity fund Advent International taking a majority sharehold, the brands will be able to fuel – and accelerate - global expansion.

The art of perfumery can still benefit from technological breakthroughs such as Artificial Intelligence without sacrificing any part of the craft. How can it make the perfumer’s life easier? Let’s start with formulation and reformulation before we delve into the fabulous concept of scent teleportation.

Korean retailer Shinsegae is adding to its niche fragrance portfolio as it looks to create “the next Diptyque” in this growing market. Consumers continue to appreciate the point of difference offered by niche brands while showing little or no price resistance.

Capitalizing on the return of Chinese travellers to London, Penhaligon’s teamed up with a leading influencer during a livestream from the airport to promote the brand over a two month period. Aired on Chinese travel app Ctrip which has 400m active users, the broadcast centered around the topics of travel, fragrance and London.

Florence’s iconic 800 year old brand has just launched a new collection of three scents that highlight botanical ingredients found in the gardens of Medici family villas dating back to the 15th and 17th centuries, emphasizing the link between the brand and the former Florentine ruling family.

As local brands in China are on the rise there is still space for a leader to emerge. As such, the time is ripe for the country to develop its fine fragrance culture. In anticipation of this movement, Symrise has recently opened a fragrance creation hub, the Little Red House, in Shanghai, where it will tap into local tastes, memories and pride.

It’s a delicate task to modernize a 19th century heritage brand, to respect the past while becoming relevant for today. New owner and CEO Amélie Hunyh talks about storytelling, the importance of having a brick & mortar presence and the value of not compromising on quality.

We bring this article to our audience to alert them to the rise in clones and imitators since this segment is taking an ever increasing portion of fragrance sales globally and it is resonating with younger customers. The minimal packaging, reduced overhead and consumer-centric strategy are behind the appeal of this brand. Perhaps there are some lessons that can be learned?