The Appeal of Celebrity Perfumes

Regardless of where you go to buy perfumes – online, the drug store, department stores – you’ll notice that many celebrity fragrances are available. In fact, some celebrities have multiple fragrances attached to their names. Celebrity fragrances are nothing new, as even actors from the ‘60s and ‘70s like Alain Delon and ‘80s pop stars like Debbie Gibson have fragrances to their names. In the case of Delon and Gibson their body of work – movie Samurai and song “Electric Youth,” respectively – inspired the fragrances, but what can you say about Paris Hilton’s line of perfumes? Often, a well-known name attached to a fragrance appears to make the brand sell better. Although fragrance company Coty is more often responsible for these perfumes, the celebrity’s name often helps with marketing.

Although Coty is the maker behind Kate Moss and Shania Twain perfume brands, as well as Adidas perfumes, the celebrity brands sell the perfumes themselves. So, what is the appeal? Aside from marketing, the brief appeal of celebrity perfumes is being able to smell like a celebrity. Although celebrity perfumes generally aren’t found at drug stores – Usher and Antonio Banderas perfumes are an exception – the scent of each celebrity perfume is designed to, supposedly, smell like that celebrity. And, if you wear it, in theory, you could smell like that celebrity, too.

But, how logical is this? One of Britney Spears’ perfumes smells mostly of magnolia and Instinct, the David Beckham perfume, smells of amber, patchouli and bergamot. Does Britney Spears remind you of magnolias or David Beckham of amber, patchouli, and a citrus scent? Quite honestly, given their careers and lifestyles, both celebrities appear that they would smell of a combination of sweat and cigarettes. Unless, of course, Britney Spears covers up the sweaty smell from performing and clubbing with a magnolia-scented perfume but, ultimately, that still equates magnolia-scented sweat.