Scents That Sparkle

Last month, Graff Diamonds announced a licensing agreement with Inter Parfums for a multi-scent fragrance line that will launch in 2019 in high-end department stores, upscale travel retail, and Graff jewelry stores. The deal is a reminder that luxury brands with roots in fine jewelry are a force on the prestige end of the fragrance market.

Other examples:

• Chopard, the Swiss jewelry house, paired in 2017 with Eco-Age, a consulting firm focusing on sustainability initiatives, for four eco-friendly scents, marking the luxury firm’s re-entry into the fragrance sector. Chopard is known for its luxury watches, as well as jewelry.
• LMVH-owned Bulgari, which began as a jeweler in Italy before expanding into extensions such as watches, handbags, and hotels, launched its first perfume in 1994 and now has 18 different fragrances on the market. The scents, which were once licensed to Procter & Gamble, are produced in-house in Switzerland.
• Tiffany, the Fifth Avenue jeweler with the famous blue box, has had its fragrance program with Coty since 2016. The scents for men and women are sold in Tiffany & Co. stores and in other luxury retail venues. The deal brought the brand back into fragrance after a 15-year hiatus; the previous licensee was Chanel.
• Van Cleef & Arpels, headquartered in Paris, licensed Inter Parfums for its fragrance collection in 2006 and the agreement remains in force today. Van Cleef was one of the first luxury jewelers to enter the premium fragrance space, back in 1976; prior to its agreement with Inter Parfums, its fragrance initiative was with YSL Beauté.
• Cartier launched its first perfume in 1981, and it controls its fragrance program in-house. It offers a range of scents through department stores, beauty chains, and other retailers.

Mass-market fragrances—including those licensed by celebrities—have seen their sales decline dramatically in recent years. But the prestige portion of the fragrance market has been strong. While high-end fashion labels dominate the licensed portion of the premium sector, this list shows that many luxury fine jewelry brands have successfully extended into this area as well. And some are among the bestselling prestige fragrances, year in and year out.