In perfume industry »a bottle is worth a thousand sniffs.«
Perfume bottle (Photo: Unsplash)
“The bottle attracts the consumers’ eye and sells the image – it is the door to the fragrance inside.”
It’s true that once you peel away the layers of mystery and artistry, perfume bottles serve a pretty basic function. Yes, they’re lovely to behold, their crystal necks and flower-bulb stoppers are like perfect glass gardens. But at the end of the day, they’re designed to hold and dispense fragrance, right?
Not entirely ture.
When it comes to perfume bottles, it is for example the attention to detail that speaks to luxury, and for the scent business, packaging really can add value. The bottle attracts the consumers’ eye and sells the image – it is the door to the fragrance inside. Not only can aesthetics lead to different aspirations, but also promote sales. The right perfume bottle design boosts the value of the scent, allowing luxury perfume houses to gain both more profits and a stronger market presence.
However, a perfume bottle is not only that. The bottle should be an »objet d’art« – it’s really what makes the statement.
Art object (Photo: Unsplash)
Perfume bottle design is also every brand’s opportunity to tell its story about a fragrance, and the brand itself. The bottle is the first form of communication with a customer and the first contact that people have with a scent. So, of course, it has to resonate.
Don’t believe us? Just consider: Chanel No. 5 rarely performs well in blind smell tests; our modern sensibilities are accustomed to lighter, airier compositions. But housed in its classic glass flacon, the fragrance is a global best seller.
People love the stories and what they stand for. And the story behind a perfume bottle is just as heady and complex as the fragrance inside. Think of how we grow to appreciate the little quirks and imperfections in the people we fall in love with.
“The bottle should tell a story about a fragrance and the brand, but also be and an »objet d’art«. It has to resonate as a wholesome image.”
Storytelling (Photo: Pexels)
The stronger our emotional connection, the more beauty we see. It is the same with a perfume. Even if the perfume is amazing, people won’t buy it if they don’t understand it. They need to feel a connection or it just doesn’t work.
The idea of working from a blank canvas may have its artistic appeal, but it doesn't necessarily translate into creative freedom for bottle designers. If anything, it requires them to be even more thoughtful and deliberate in their approach. "I can design you a beautiful bottle, but there are billions of beautiful bottles out there," says Baron. "That isn't the point. It's about matching the history and the values and the psyche of the brand to a cultural moment and then aligning all of those elements into one clear message... The story is the most important thing."
Without a cohesive story to translate the world of a fragrance, says Baron, the entire project falls apart at the seams. "Even if the perfume is amazing, people won't buy it if they don't understand it. They need to feel a connection or it just doesn't work."
It might not seem logical to think that a perfume's image is more important than its smell, but then again, the fragrance industry hasn't grown into a multibillion-dollar affair by selling us cold, hard facts. Just consider: Chanel No. 5 rarely performs well in blind smell tests; our modern sensibilities are accustomed to lighter, airier compositions. But housed in its classic glass flacon, the fragrance is a global best seller. "People love the story and what it stands for," says Baron of the full, iconic package. Psychologically (and maybe even biologically), this makes sense. Think of how we grow to appreciate the little quirks and imperfections in the people we fall in love with. The stronger our emotional connection, the more beauty we see.
That's why the art of perfume bottle design has acquired new weight in an era where consumers often go online to experience fragrance instead of walking up to a store counter. Without the benefit of touch, human interaction, and the alchemy of scent on skin, people need something else to engage their senses and ignite their interest. And more often than not, the perfume bottle is what fills that virtual space. "It's the first form of communication and the first form of contact that people have with the scent," says De Baschmakoff. "So of course it has to resonate."
The trick is to design a bottle that resonates across the board — no small feat. A perfume can mean anything to anyone. Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps reminds me of my mother; it reminds my mother of balmy summer nights in Austria. But the bottle itself is a fixed quantity. It feels the same in our hands, it looks the same on our shelf, and it releases the same nimbus cloud of scent. It connects us.
The story behind a perfume bottle is just as heady and complex as the fragrance inside. Below, we asked designers who have dreamed up some of our favorite bottles in recent years to distill their creative vision.
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