The Jakarta Post
The Jakarta Post
K. Basrie
Jakarta
Perfume
A matter of budget or trend?
Distributors of world-class brands cannot deny that sales
within this business, just like others, are still low in
Indonesia following the mid-1997 economic crisis, which seemingly
has still affected lovers of fragrance when it comes to spending
that little bit extra on perfume.
Contacted by The Jakarta Post separately, they admitted that
orders were significantly down and more selective.
"It's a setback. Before the crisis, regular customers usually
purchased all our, say 20, new lines, from our outlets. But now
they're very thrifty and more focused, picking up only the light
and long-lasting fragrances," said Timur Widayanti Suwito,
trainer executive at PT Intercos Prima, sole distributor for Yves
Saint Laurent and Escada fragrances.
Ating Osmala from PT Pulau Mahoni, in charge for Estee Lauder
products explained: "For years, we stopped ordering (highly
concentrated) perfumes because they were too expensive for the
local market."
But traders are always traders. They know pretty well what to
do and how to attract customers. Just visit their glittering
outlets and you will find not only the broadly smiling sales
promotion girls, but all the world's latest products on the
shelves, with their distinct fragrances, flavor formulations and
raw materials.
And perfume does dress people. Therefore world producers, with
the help of the world's great "nose", never stop launching new
products. Among the newest in the Indonesian market is Nu of Yves
Saint Laurent for women.
As it was with the legendary Yves Saint Laurent scents, Rive
Gauche, Opium and Yves Saint Laurent Paris, nu (from the word
nude) tries to define another new Saint Laurent woman:
mysterious, complex, and an enigmatic seductress.
With its strikingly unconventional bottle and packaging, the
eau de perfume fragrance -- a formula of wood, spice, wild orchid
and bergamot -- has a price tag of Rp 541,000 (30 milliliter)
and Rp 693,000 (50 ml).
Other brands already on the shelves include BLV Pour Homme
(Bvlgari), Coco Mademoiselle (Chanel), Classique C Dress (Jean-
Paul Gaultier), Presence for Man (Montblanc), Pi for Men
(Givenchy), Light Blue (Dolce & Gabbana) and Pour Homme (Escada).
Most of them come in eau de perfume (with concentrations of 10
percent to 20 percent) and eau de toilette (concentration from 4
percent to 8 percent) with prices ranging from Rp 250,000 to
around Rp 1 million for 30 ml, 50 ml, or 100 ml bottles.
In comparison, a 7 ml bottle of perfume fragrance, also called
the extract, with a concentration of between 18 percent and 30
percent, could already cost over Rp 1 million.
"Perfume fragrance is no longer popular in the market here as
people, who are already stressed by the current situation, want
something light, inexpensive but still long-lasting that could be
used on different occasions and at any time," said Widayanti.
"That's why many prefer eau de perfume or eau de toilette. And
that's also the trend for 2002."
Other suppliers estimate that the popular aroma for next year
will be fresh-floral for women and fresh-woody for men.
Like the brands, the fragrances already available here are
also rich in scent, color and bottle design -- all of which are
carefully formulated for different markets: from liberated men
and women, sports-lovers, to teenagers and those seeking
elegance.
Fragrances made from different species of flowers, plants and
fruit, like water lilies, irises, roses, lilies of the valley,
jasmine, cloves, pineapples, raspberries and peaches -- you name
them -- and many others that you might never have been taught
about in biology class, are available in many shopping centers
and plazas here.
Each formula -- blended with alcohol and water -- has a
different effect, such as cool, a sense of well-being, romantic,
sensual, and a sense of warmth. That's what the manufacturers and
distributors always claim.
But again, like traders, consumers have their own way to limit
spending. Some go to street traders in Melawai and other street
corners and pathways in Jakarta or other big cities to bargain
for cheap scent that illegally uses world-famous brand names.
When asked, distributors of imported perfumes all agreed that
traders of these abal-abal fragrances were not a big problem for
their business.
"They are not our real competitors because we have our own
customers, who do understand well the quality of the abal-abal
perfumes even though they are packed in the same bottles as ours.
It's a small thing," Widayanti said, referring to the fake
products, whose prices are about 10 percent to 20 percent of
those of the imported products.
"Our big problem and real competitors are the other imported
products."
Others consumers with tight a budget share their collection
with a partner.
"Due to a tight budget, my husband and I pick up perfumes that
we can share together. It's not bisex perfume, but certain men's
fragrances match my taste and mood. So, why not as long as the
fragrances are original?" commented a female executive of a firm.
Noted Italian Fashion designer Giorgio Armani once said: "A
perfume is nothing without skin, it is the encounter between the
two that is magical."
And the other "magic" thing that still happens here is that
any fragrance bearing a "Made in France" label still has
prestige.
Beauty is not just about prestige or looking good. It's about
feeling good as well, and feeling good about the fragrance you
use.
The sense of smell is also very individual. Scent can change
our mood and outlook, set us somewhere very different from where
we are, awake us, move us, remind us of all that's alive.
In many cases, it can be a very personal journey where we have
a golden opportunity to forget the rupiah's depreciation and our
limited budget.