Estee Lauder adds to life's 'pleasures'

Due to technical problems, there were a number of misprints in the article Estee Lauder adds spice to life's little 'pleasures' which appeared in the Sunday edition of July 21, 1996. We have therefore decided to rerun the story on this page. We apologize for any inconvenience caused. -- Editor

By Parvathi Nayar Narayan

JAKARTA (JP): From the creators of White Linen and Beautiful comes Estee Lauder's pleasures, the new offering that vies for one's olfactory attention in the fragrance market. It is certainly easy on the nose being an exceptionally light perfume, which assures a broad based appeal over a large age group. In fact, at Lauder, they hope to see it become the first fragrance that a girl buys. Appropriate, then, that Elizabeth Hurley's is the face launching the perfume, for she has made no secret of her dependency on makeup since a very young age.

"My sister and I were given an electric blue eyeshadow to share when we were about nine years old. I've never looked back," says Hurley. "People often complement me on how 'natural and fresh' I look. Little do they know that I've craftily applied all the right products to make me look so 'natural'," adds Hurley.

Light, airy and flowery Estee Lauder pleasures would seem to strike the right note for a young girl just beginning to experiment with femininity and allure.

Femininity -- now that's very important to the decision makers at Estee Lauder Companies, despite the current fragrance climate that is supportive of unisex perfumes. Estee Lauder products are aimed at highlighting and enhancing a woman's femininity, unisex is not their way. Thus Estee Lauder Companies keep as very distinct their products for men and new or experimental ventures, such as a recently acquired majority share in Mac the exclusive new line of professional make-up (named after the make-up artist who is its creator).

Estee Lauder pleasures was launched in Indonesia in June 1996 and is available from Estee Lauder counters. In terms of pricing, the eau de parfum (30 ml, 50 ml, 100 ml) is from Rp 93,000 to Rp 200,000. It was launched along with a matching body lotion (250 ml, Rp 96,000).

It seems one can't escape from "high-tech" these days, even in the sensual world of perfumes. In the creation of the pleasures fragrance, the extraction of the subtle essence of Baie Rose, one of its main ingredients, promised to be a tricky problem. Estee Lauder, however, came up with a revolutionary method of perfume extraction. Called "soft extraction" using Co2, it results in a purer, non-toxic extract.

Actually, Baie Rose is the first new, natural ingredient in perfume manufacturing in 25 years. It is a kind of berry from the island of Reunion. Other ingredients that go to make up the sheer floral feel of Estee Lauder pleasures include white lilies, violet leaves, black lilacs, karo karounde blossoms and Indian sandalwood. The air of lightness is carried to the almost minimalist design of the bottle, plain, elegantly shaped glass with an unadorned platinum colored cap.

The size and scope of the media blitz introducing the new perfume to the world has been quite staggering. For example, over 22 million scent strips were sent around the world, "...enough to reach all the way to the moon," adds Nim Ming Decloitre-Nguy, Estee Lauder's brand manager. At the recent 24th Annual Fragrance Foundation's International Awards, the perfume equivalent of the Oscars, Estee Lauder pleasures walked away with two prestigious awards.

"It took us three years to perfect it, but everywhere it has launched, it's been a winner," says Leonard A. Lauder, chairman and CEO of the Estee Lauder Companies, Inc.

Elizabeth Hurley is not just the model for their new perfume but the new face and spokeswoman for Estee Lauder Companies. No doubt she constantly seems to make the headlines whether as Hugh Grant's girlfriend or wearer of that dress held together with safety pins. However, she was chosen because it was felt that she epitomized the new 90s look, warm and friendly.

Estee Lauder pleasures has received a warm reception from women all over the world, but aims to do more. "A really successful perfume captures 1 percent of the perfume market but our target is to do even better and eventually capture 1.5 percent," says Decloitre-Nguy.