In your opinion, has the democratising impact of the internet on perfumery been a net-positive or a net-negative?

[Varanis Ridari]

That's a really TOUGH question to be honest.

I think it all depends on when and how someone found perfumery.

Time is a huge factor here.

If you came into knowledge and use of perfume prior to the internet's democratizing influence (and subsequent corporate averaging), you might say negative.

If on the other hand, you found out about perfume and started wearing it via engaging the online platforms you mention above, you might say positive.

Neutral I reckon will come from folks somewhere inbetween, discovering fragrance online before the overall decline of Western civilization (e.g. older Basenoters).

Just a small cross section of possibilities. For me, I think neutral. I'm not in the negative yet. I've learned and discovered a lot of beauty from the internet, but also seen a lot of tragedy and cynicism.

Seems to just about break even for me. I have a lot of perfume I don't need, but I'm not in a bad way or anything, and can (plus have) lightened my load some.

One area I've had a net loss in is bottles, and that's a good thing! I smell more, write more, buy less (or virtually nothing), and have more liquidity for other indulgences.

 

[chypre]

Naturally, this means not only creating scents that will appeal to the median nose but also designing products (bottle, price, marketing) to succeed in a market shaped by influencers and democratised critique. And what does that mean? Fragrances optimised for mass concerns.

I can agree with that. We see this in the "feminines" market, where the social media-perpetuated myth that "sweet means feminine" has seen the gourmand trend persist for decades with no sign of abating. Democratisation has imho been a net negative for the "feminines" market, which has not seen any interesting development for a while.

 

[PrinceRF]

For me, a positive, certainly. I wouldn't have discovered the hobby if it weren't for the internet, and Basenotes in particular.

 

[slpfrsly]

I certainly see some issues with Youtube influencers.

But all in all, I find this hobby one of the best and most innocent hobbies you can imagine.
We are basically performing aromatherapy on ourselves.
We are lifting our mood.

You have people who are addicted to alcohol, a lot of people who are addicted to cigarettes and nicotine.
I grab a drink in the weekend but I don't smoke.
I've read an article recently about a guy who is collecting vases, and he seemed to be spending a lot of money on it.
More than I do on fragrances.

As long as people are not blind buying 500 euro fragrances, I don't really see a problem with this hobby.
I don't think we should compare ourselves with people who are physically addicted to certain substances.
I would read your findings about it, but I'm not sure the negativity is warranted when I look at other hobbies or real addictions.

I see your point. I was thinking more in terms of having a separate thread about whether fragrance collecting - particularly as it has become a sort of virtual/online social/communal activity/hobby in the last 10 years or so with youtube, other websites etc - is something that appeals to people with histories of addictive tendencies, whether there's crossover etc. It could be an interesting discussion but, as mentioned, naturally quite sensitive as well.

 

[slpfrsly]

That's a really TOUGH question to be honest.

Yes, tbf I'm not expecting the answer haha. Just a discussion, thoughts etc. as people feel is appropriate.

I feel compelled to make the negative case; however there are of course many positives that I also agree with, some of which have been mentioned so far, others not.

I think the more interesting outcome is to think not so much about weighing up the question and trying to come to an answer, positive or negative, but to think about what that means, what are the positive effects, what are the negative effects, and how/to what extent are we aware of them, accustomed to them, annoyed by and/or value them.

 

[Andyjreid]

I'm totally sitting on the fence and saying I'm not sure.

I'll be 42 in a few months, I discovered niche fragrances through seeing a bottle of Creed, either GIT or Himalaya (the latter having just been released), being reviewed in a free fashion magazine that was handed to me on the streets. The article said something along the lines of "sold exclusively at Les Senteurs, Belgravia, London" and it came with a contact number for them. At this point you could not legitimately, at least in the UK, buy Creed online. This exclusivity piqued my interest so I called them to enquire about purchasing samples. I had a chat with a lovely gent on the phone, paid for 4 samples, and within a few days had an A4 sized jiffy bag with a copy of the Les Senteurs catalogue, my 4 samples and about 20-25 other smaller samples thrown in. This, for me, was how it all started.

Now my point in that story was that I thought I generally got on quite well without the help of the Internet, however, it was not long after that point I discovered Basenotes and was opened up to an even bigger world. The rest is now history.

We now live in a different world. Because of my interest in fragrance I am bombarded, daily, with online ads for fragrances, retailers etc. tlThrough Basenotes I am recommended fragrances to try, based on forum chats and once upon a time this would have been great, however, given a certain "let's shoot ourselves in the foot" UK event in recent years, purchasing fragrances from abroad, even our closest neighbours, has become more difficult, if they'll even ship to us in the first place.

I love fragrances, I love trying new things but I do not like new things being forced upon me. You watch one YouTube fragrance review and you're recommend 500, the vast majority of which are trash. Fragrance companies pay people to tell us how great their fragrances are, the media type has changed since I first saw Creed in that magazine, but it's the same thing just in digital and on a global scale.

The worst part is that the Internet has ensured that the "attainable luxury" of brands like Creed, Tom Ford and other brands exclusive lines, has been seen by everyone and as such, these companies no longer need to advertise, the masses have become walking adverts for them.

I would probably say that the vast majority of Basenoters are not included in this and most of us, like myself, just love to find new things and can do so without much outside influence.

TL;DR In general I feel the Internet is both a positive and a negative thing. It's opened a world of knowledge up to everyone but not everyone has the wisdom to know what to do with said knowledge. The Internet has given everyone a platform but many people believe that having a platform means that others must listen and agree with what they say.

I've ranted enough 😂

 

[slpfrsly]

I'm totally sitting on the fence and saying I'm not sure.

I'll be 42 in a few months, I discovered niche fragrances through seeing a bottle of Creed, either GIT or Himalaya (the latter having just been released), being reviewed in a free fashion magazine that was handed to me on the streets. The article said something along the lines of "sold exclusively at Les Senteurs, Belgravia, London" and it came with a contact number for them. At this point you could not legitimately, at least in the UK, buy Creed online. This exclusivity piqued my interest so I called them to enquire about purchasing samples. I had a chat with a lovely gent on the phone, paid for 4 samples, and within a few days had an A4 sized jiffy bag with a copy of the Les Senteurs catalogue, my 4 samples and about 20-25 other smaller samples thrown in. This, for me, was how it all started.

Now my point in that story was that I thought I generally got on quite well without the help of the Internet, however, it was not long after that point I discovered Basenotes and was opened up to an even bigger world. The rest is now history.

We now live in a different world. Because of my interest in fragrance I am bombarded, daily, with online ads for fragrances, retailers etc. tlThrough Basenotes I am recommended fragrances to try, based on forum chats and once upon a time this would have been great, however, given a certain "let's shoot ourselves in the foot" UK event in recent years, purchasing fragrances from abroad, even our closest neighbours, has become more difficult, if they'll even ship to us in the first place.

I love fragrances, I love trying new things but I do not like new things being forced upon me. You watch one YouTube fragrance review and you're recommend 500, the vast majority of which are trash. Fragrance companies pay people to tell us how great their fragrances are, the media type has changed since I first saw Creed in that magazine, but it's the same thing just in digital and on a global scale.

The worst part is that the Internet has ensured that the "attainable luxury" of brands like Creed, Tom Ford and other brands exclusive lines, has been seen by everyone and as such, these companies no longer need to advertise, the masses have become walking adverts for them.

I would probably say that the vast majority of Basenoters are not included in this and most of us, like myself, just love to find new things and can do so without much outside influence.

TL;DR In general I feel the Internet is both a positive and a negative thing. It's opened a world of knowledge up to everyone but not everyone has the wisdom to know what to do with said knowledge. The Internet has given everyone a platform but many people believe that having a platform means that others must listen and agree with what they say.

I've ranted enough 😂

Thanks Andy. I enjoyed your post and agree with many of the points and thoughts you raise.