Wilson is often on a quest for the perfect ‘sillage,’ the memorable trail of a fragrance after someone has walked by. [Photo by Duncan Garrett Photography]
research on their own, and transparency is the name of the game.”
who smells it and knows anything about the uber-niche fragrance movement might understand the structure of this fragrance, but that sillage was so difficult to get at the price point.” The price point in this case retails for $12.19 for 16 fluid ounces, but, as Wilson states, “it was crafted after something that’s typically $375.” That, too, is part of the trend in fragrances, what’s called “dupe” culture—taking high-end fragrances and making something similar but much more affordable. Another trend is fragrance layering—people wanting to own their own fragrance by wearing several fragrances at the same time. “To me, it started smelling like a soup, so I’m not a big fan of it.” Also popular among young fragrance enthusiasts is smelling peculiar—think latex, gunpowder, biscuits, even blood. A hashtag on TikTok, #Perfumetok, with 6.7 billion views, is popular with people looking for “bizarre, outlandish and even intentionally off-putting notes,” according to the New York Times . It’s not something Wilson has worked on, but she understands the concept— fragrance is an expression of individualism.
It takes a sillage One thing that has massively impacted the companies she works for is TikTok and social media influencers. Products she’s worked on can go viral instantaneously. “Influencers will pick up body washes of ours or fine fragrances of ours and make comments about how they last or how they smell or what they remind them of, and it can absolutely drive a brand and make it super-successful with nothing you’ve done except for the quality of the product,” she says. Coming up with a fragrance isn’t always easy. Sometimes it can take as little as six months. “That’s good,” she says with a laugh. It took three years to come up with a body wash scent for Cremo, a men’s grooming company, that launched at Target called “Golden Amber,” with notes of red currant, pineapple, ambergris and moss. “It was all about what we call the sillage, a word you use to describe a fine fragrance that when someone walks by it’s what’s left, the trail,” she says. “This particular fragrance we created is so complex and so iconic, anyone
June 2024
NorthBaybiz 45
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