Although nail polish has been cited as the current beauty must-have after market research company The NPD Group revealed sales increased by 59 per cent among US consumers in the first ten months of 2011, it is worth noting that the fragrance industry has been equally fruitful in 2011.
Limited edition fragrances and celebrity scents are two factors said to have influenced consumer interest in fragrance during 2011.
The publishers of the 28th annual edition of perfume tome Fragrances of the World by Michael Edwards revealed an average of three fragrances per day were launched in 2011.
"We have seen an explosion of launches in the past ten years, with a record high of 1200 new launches in 2011, compared with 372 launches in 2001 and just 76 in 1991," Edwards is quoted as saying by Basenotes.
The perfume expert remarked that while 2001 saw just nine celebrity fragrance releases, a total of 73 celebrity scents were launched in 2011, with pop singer Justin Bieber's Someday breaking records and earning $3-million in just three weeks at US department store Macy's. Launches by Madonna and Lady Gaga in spring 2012 will no doubt rival this record.
Edwards noted that there were 236 limited edition scents released in 2011, highlighting the increasing demand for improved or seasonal interpretations of perfumes consumers are already fans of.
Examples of this include Yves Saint Laurent's limited edition reinterpretation of the original Elle fragrance from 2007 earlier this year and Guerlain's re-releasing of its limited edition Muguet Eau de Toilette, which was originally created in 1906 and reworked by Jean-Paul Guerlain in 2006.
Meanwhile, more unusual niche fragrances have also been increasingly taking the spotlight, with Edwards remarking the development of Tom Ford Private Blend, which launched in 2007 at selected US retailers and is now available in international department stores, as a significant example of this.
The 2012 edition of Fragrances of the World is available now to order for international delivery in January 2012.
