Mass-Market Fragrance Segment Suffers Worst Sales Decline

While the prestige fragrance market has seen strong growth, sales of mass-market fragrances have slowed down significantly. For the 52-week period ending May 15, 2016, for example, sales of mass-market fragrances for women reached $766 million, compared with $1 billion the segment posted in 2008. During the 12-week period ending August 6, 2016, sales of women's fragrances through the drugstore channel dropped 7.3 percent to $36.7 million, while men's dropped 5.6 percent to $36.6 million. Coty Inc. and Elizabeth Arden Inc. built the mass fragrance category; however, Coty is focusing its attention on the premium end of the market.