Three popular fragrances I think are Overpriced…
3 minute read
Remember, this is still expensive…
When it comes to the pricing of fragrances, it is usually less to do with the scent itself and more with the perceived value that a brand is trying to display.
To me, a fragrance is overpriced when a brand relies too much on its name and not on the product itself to justify the price tag or when a brand struggles to solidify its’ identity (hence an expensive brand like Fragrance One doing discount bundles).
To me , these are three ‘popular’ (amongst our community at least) fragrances that, practically speaking, are asking too much…
1 - Creed Himalaya
Of course Creed was going to be on here…
I think 10 years ago, Creed was synonymous with being at the top of the niche fragrance game. However, nowadays, since their many reformulations of fragrances, notorious batch variations (not guaranteed to get a consistent product) and other niche offerings that now exist, I no longer think it holds that spot.
I would say most of their products are overpriced but today I will highlight Himalaya. First of all this is a great scent, I really like the opening of this fragrance and it is high quality but it is a simple scent profile of Citrus, sandalwood and musk that only lasts 4-6 hours!
I really wanted to love this, but the fact that it has a similar fragrance in Paco Rabanne’s XS and is lacking in performance (like several Creed fragrances) makes me judge the £245 price tag as a tad cheeky…
2 - Roja Parfums Elysium
Cool presentation though
Speaking of Creed, Roja Dove’s Elysium is one of the brand’s top sellers that is often compared to Aventus. This also has a ‘smoky’ citrus scent profile to but takes away the pineapple and focuses more on an earthy Vetiver note.
Again, the perfumery here is excellent and the ingredients are natural, I may have some of you disagree here, but I honestly expected more from a £225 fragrance.
My gripe is that I feel this has less character than a similarly priced Aventus and the performance here is average, with a longevity of 6 hours and a very soft projection. The weak projection and the fact a good clone of this in Alexandria Fragrance’s Zion exists, makes me think Roja may be asking too much…
3 - Paco Rabanne 1 Million
The price makes you think it’s real gold…
Sometimes even I forget, this fragrance is still expensive! 1 million was released in 2008 and is a citrus and woody bubblegum fragrance that ruled the clubs in that era.
The problem is that this also has the same synthetic molecules from that era. My opinion is that when a fragrance relies on synthetic materials for its formula (like Sauvage), they become more easily outdated once perfume labs discover new molecules!
I think the average layperson is what makes this a persistent top seller, I still enjoy wearing this occasionally but I wouldn’t say it’s chic. For a 2008 release you’d think that discounters would give you cheap prices on this, but its still competing with good 2019 releases in that department! Maybe this is real gold…
Finishing Thoughts
Do you guys agree with these listed fragrances? Of course there’s a lot more to choose from! What is the one fragrance that pops in to your mind when discussing overpriced products?
Until next time,
Omar
