Art and Fashion: FROM LIMITED EDITIONS TO FRAGRANCES WITH THE COLOUR DU JOUR, A MULTITUDE OF TRENDSETTING LAUNCHES WERE SEEN AT THE RECENTLY-CONCLUDED TFWA WORLD EXHIBITION. TIME ’N STYLE BEAUTY REPORTS

FROM LIMITED EDITIONS TO FRAGRANCES WITH THE COLOUR DU JOUR, A MULTITUDE OF TRENDSETTING LAUNCHES WERE SEEN AT THE RECENTLY-CONCLUDED TFWA WORLD EXHIBITION. TIME ’N STYLE BEAUTY REPORTS

The perfume trail

FROM LIMITED EDITIONS TO FRAGRANCES WITH THE COLOUR DU JOUR, A MULTITUDE OF TRENDSETTING LAUNCHES WERE SEEN AT THE RECENTLY-CONCLUDED TFWA WORLD EXHIBITION. TIME ’N STYLE BEAUTY REPORTS

among the many iconic events hosted at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, the annual TFWA World Exhibition is one that is eagerly awaited each year. It’s an affair that sees the world’s luxury brands converge along the beautiful French Riviera, to showcase their latest launches for the coming year. In addition to providing a platform for brands and travel retailers to interact, it’s also a harbinger of beauty trends. We track some of the major trends that were seen at the 28th edition of the exhibition and conference.

    Into the blue From innovatively-designed flacons to rare ingredients, the range of fragrances presented at the event was extensive. But a number of fragrances reflected a seemingly common thread — the colour blue. Clean and crisp, a blue-coloured fragrance is associated with freshness. InfiniteBlue, the new offering by Bugatti was in keeping with the trend. Exhibiting an infinite movement, the gears in a car form the backbone of the idea; and so, the name InfiniteBlue. Shedding light on the choice of colour, Fanny Allexandre Aimetti, Fragrance Marketing Manager, Groupe Jacques Bogart shares, “Blue is the emblematic colour of Bugatti. We wanted the fragrance to have a link with the automobile history of the brand. The idea was to go back to the roots and keep the link with automobiles. For the first time, in the visuals as well, we’ve used the Bugatti Veyron — the fastest and most expensive car in the world.”
    Other fragrances in this ocean of blue included London Spirit by Lee Cooper, Fairy Blue Juice by Naf Naf and Eros by Versace, among others.
    Makeup collections too echoed a similar trend. While reflecting on this new colour for the season, Anna Blasco Salvat, Vice President Marketing, Art Deco remarked, “The colour for spring-summer is definitely blue. It’s very strong in makeup. It gives a very fresh look — smoky eyes done with shades of blue will look great this season.”

    The exclusive club Bearing the hallmark of exclusivity were a number of limited edition launches that were showcased this year. Apart from exclusivity, they also lend novelty value to a product. Taking this trend forward are brands like Cartier which is all set to launch some limited edition fragrances in 2013. “Niche and exclusive are golden words for perfumes these days,” says Mazen Baki, Eyewear and Perfume Commercial Director, Cartier Middle East. In fact, today, exclusivity is also important from the point of view of retailers. “Often, a particular store chain will have a line available only at their store. This trend is not so big in India, but it’s big in other countries. The store, in turn, gives more prominence and visibility to the product.” Similarly, brands like Boucheron and S.T. Dupont are also planning limited edition fragrances for 2013. Imparting exclusivity to fragrances were also precious and rare woods like oud and cedar, which are used as ingredients.

    A symphony of fragrant notes In bold defiance of traditional perfumery codes, perfumers today are pushing the boundaries of innovation when it comes to new fragrances. There was a time when floral elements in a men’s fragrance were unheard of, but today, floral notes form the base of many a masculine fragrance. Ingredients like jasmine, vanilla and iris are finding their way into men’s fragrances.
    Often, olfactive trends are also driven by specific regions. Boris Barboni, Marketing and Product Development Director, Ferragamo Parfums S.P.A, explains that Asia has two blocks — the first is Japan and the second comprises countries like India, Korea, China, and Malaysia. “It’s hard to please all consumers,” he says, “Japan is very specific. Oriental notes like vanilla, spicy notes like pepper and cardamom don’t work. They like light, fresh and fruity fragrances.” However, in the second block that also includes India, consumers are open to most fragrance families. Oriental notes like wood and cashmeran continue to remain popular as do citrusy notes that have a refreshing effect, ideal in a climate such as ours.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FRAGRANCE WITH THESE TIPS BY THE EXPERTS AT CANNES Always layer the fragrance with products from its bath and body line.
Rubbing your wrists after spraying the fragrance should be avoided as it destroys the molecules of the perfume.
Avoid applying the fragrance on your chest as the top notes immediately become very sharp and the fragrance does not get a chance to evolve. However, it can be used on the neck.