Estée Lauder makes another move in Chinese market; how does Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle impress "Niche Perfume" aficionados?

As Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, known for its highly personalized craftsmanship, enters the Chinese market, can its disruptive exceptional quality of luxury perfume impress Chinese consumers?

Estee Lauder created another great “check-in” place for Chinese consumers during the Dragon Boat Festival this year.

A few days earlier, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, a famed niche fragrance brand under Estée Lauder, officially entered the Chinese market successively settling in Shanghai IFC Mall and SKP Beijing.

 As a pioneer of niche perfume, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle does not blindly cater to market trends, so it attracts a group of discerning fragrance aficionados.

01

Help great perfumers create the "classics of tomorrow"

Frédéric Malle was born into a French family of artists. His uncle, Louis Malle, was a celebrated French director, screenwriter and producer. Louis Malle together with his films and scripts has earned five Oscar nominations. Frédéric's grandfather was a childhood friend and partner of Christian Dior, the founder of Dior.

There are rumors that Frédéric's grandfather once said to Mr. Dior, "Not all women can afford your clothes, so I will let them afford your perfume at least!"

Later, Frédéric's grandfather became the founder of Parfums Christian Dior, and since then Dior added a profitable perfume department. Frédéric's mother was also engaged in perfume-related business and presided over this department for the duration of her career. Frédéric himself represents the third generation of perfume specialists in his family. Living up to expectations, he made his own brand an authority on perfume making.

Frédéric grew up in Paris. His childhood family home was full of perfume, classic literature and movies, so he regards perfume as the ultimate luxury and his lifelong companion. As the art director of Parfums Christian Dior, his mother’s love for perfume, interest in creating, and her persona of calmness and elegance also has had an influence on him.

Frédéric went to study Art History and Economics at New York University at age 20. While living in Manhattan, he mixed American modernity, architectural design and contemporary art with the French legacy of elegance to develop a unique personal taste.

After a brief career in advertising, he joined the prestigious perfume laboratory Roure Bertrand Dupont in 1988, where he befriended the leading perfumers of the industry. He worked with them for more than 25 years, acquiring an extensive knowledge of perfumery and fragrances. The combination of Frédéric's own artistic accomplishment, aesthetics and olfactory memory laid the foundation for his overall vision. 

Frédéric once said: "My goal is to explore the unknown olfactory territory, release outstanding perfumes, and make every perfume stand the test of time. In other words, I hope to help the greatest perfumers create the ‘classics of tomorrow’.” Later, he incorporated this vision into the fragrance brand Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle founded in 2000. 

02

The relationships with the perfumer are like those between "an editor and a writer"

Not only is Frédéric Malle an excellent businessman, he also is one of the few people who can command the resources of the perfume industry as a whole. He has a deep understanding of all aspects of perfume, from creation, manufacturing, packaging design to shop design and business communication.

At a time when most cosmetic companies were focusing more on brand image, packaging and celebrity representation, Frédéric decided to draw attention back to the product itself.

When he founded Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle in 2000, he predicted a return of luxury niche perfume to the mainstream market because people would no longer be satisfied the conventional mass produced scents.

The inspiration for the brand was born from a desire to give total creative freedom back to perfumers. Frédéric thinks beyond style, time, budget, or market preferences, and fully gives perfumers " creative license".

It is this unique and disruptive business model that allows Frédéric to recruit top perfumers in the industry to build a production team full of personality and creativity to create distinct perfume products.

"For over 30 years, I have been working with the greatest perfumers in the world. The relationships between us are like those between an editor and a writer. We share the same language, namely formulas and raw materials, which allows us to communicate in a simple, straightforward way,” said Frédéric.

The perfumers of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle have two basic creative thought processes: Either they revisit and reinterpret classic perfume structure through the lens of modern-day perfumery, or they seek to break new olfactory ground, which has higher requirements for the perfumer’s creativity.

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle places great value on perfumers. Not only does Frédéric allow perfumers to put their own names on the fragrances they create, he also introduces this group of “heroes behind the scenes” to consumers every time the brand is exhibited.

POTRAIT OF A LADY and CARNAL FLOWER, two of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle’s best sellers, are the result of an exceptional collaboration with the legendary perfumer Dominique Ropion. Frederic graciously praised Dominique Ropion for his broad knowledge, saying that he is the most experienced perfumer who can successfully revive the neoclassical literary concept from contemporary olfactory art.

Frédéric also welcomes perfumers to bring their own pre-existing formulas to Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle. Such as the late modern perfume master Edmond Roudnitska, who apprenticed under Ernest Beaux- the "father of Chanel No. 5", and his "Parfumde Thérèse", and such as Maurice Roucel, who once made perfumes for leading brands such as Serge Lutens, Guerlain, Hermes, and Gucci with his legendary "Musc Ravageur". 

Frédéric and his perfume designers desire the same things: creative freedom, high-quality raw materials, and breaking the constraints of the market.

They cooperate like a writer and editors, constantly refining "works" to perfection, and are always committed to creating the "classics of tomorrow". Frédéric is always embracing to talented people for the purpose of creating quality perfumes that stand the test of time.

Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle is also the only perfume brand in the industry to showcase the skill of its perfumers and the exceptional raw materials they use, as their major selling points and source of pride. The confluence of these two factors produced an extraordinary result – a perfume brand of uncompromising quality and celebrated creativity. The industry regards Frédéric as "the defender of the artistic value of perfume."

03

Estée Lauder introduction to the Chinese market to advance brand globalization

The distinctive brand concept of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle not only enjoys the respect from the entire perfume industry, but also wins the favor of skincare giants.

At the end of 2014, Estée Lauder announced the acquisition of Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, with the transaction completed in January 2015. Through cooperation with Estée Lauder, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle can be brought Into a broader global market, continuing to promote its specialization and accelerating the brand's development in the luxury market.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the brand this June, Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle officially entered the Chinese market. 

With reference to its first boutique in Paris, the brand opened the first independent fragrance boutique in China like a "literature publishing house" in Shanghai IFC Mall. Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle also brought to Shanghai a new upgraded version of Smelling Columns designed by Frédéric himself and developed specifically for the Chinese region. While maintaining the original sealing and vacuum function, the new version is more compact in size and convenient to operate. Customers can try the fragrance on their own under the guidance of the fragrance consultant.

Moreover, the "Scent Interactive Compass", which was put into use for the first time globally, is also an intelligent guide specially developed for customers looking for customized fragrance. Under the guidance of a fragrance consultant, customers can get customized results simply by answering three fragrance-related questions. This brings an unprecedented experience of French fragrance to Chinese consumers.