Coty: Meet The Perfume Maison Disrupting The Luxe Scent Scene
Coty showcases how it has revolutionised the scent scene – and drops its next disruption
A disruptor of the fragrance industry – that’s the mantle that Coty carries. For the past 120 years, since its inception in 1904, it’s redefined how scent is worn, made and marketed. It literally created two of the six major fragrance genres: chypres and ambers. It was the first to launch evocative campaigns, making perfume a lifestyle choice – we all wanted to be part of the unisex cool CK One gang. It spearheaded new technologies. Coty’s contribution to perfumery cannot be underestimated.
And now it’s time to remind the world of that pioneering legacy. To trumpet the name behind the heroes (from Jovan’s Musk for Women to Burberry Goddess and Chloé Eau de Parfum) and reinforce its many ‘firsts’. That’s why the French brand curated a three-day multi-sensory, immersive exhibition in the heart of its native Paris, to showcase its illustrious history.
The storytelling started from the company’s inception – founder François Coty’s La Rose Jacqueminot was the first single flower fragrance based on the Centifolia rose, with regional favourite Ambre Antique following quickly in 1905. François’ method of blending synthetic molecules with natural ingredients was considered a shocking break from the norm at the time, as was his idea to store the elixir in covetable bottles designed by Barracat and Lalique. “It should be looked at as much as it is smelled. It is an object before it becomes a scent,” he said.
From an olfactory studio led by Stéphane Demaison who gave guests a glimpse of how trends are created, and tweaked for different houses – plus a sniff of upcoming drops featuring orange blossom, vanilla and aldehydes – to a scientific section explained by Dominique Vernaz which illustrated the importance of sustainability and innovation in the use of ethanol, the ground was laid for the big surprise.
The culmination of this 120-year history? A new chapter: Infiniment Coty Paris. This range of 14 new perfumes, named after the original company and not one of its luxury collaborative partners, looks back at its storied past but also forward to its next chapter. What’s unique? The use of Molecular Aura, a technology that controls the evaporation of molecules, which extends the scent by up to 30 hours. And the use of a patented EmoChar method which helps Coty scientifically document the positive emotions a fragrance induces. “Unlike other existing methods, this one goes beyond the ‘pleasure-displeasure’ axis by assessing several facets of positive emotions at the same time,” says neuropsychologist Arnaud Aubert.
Coty uses this tool to position its fragrances on a seven-dimensional map – stimulation, relaxation, pleasure, sensuality, tenderness, joy, and self-esteem thus being able to scientifically chart the experience. And with that big news, the showcase concluded. Yet as ever with Coty, the memories and fragrance continued to linger on…
From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s December 2024 Issue