Fragrances - Whats in a Name ?
Posted by andrew sanderson on
Does the name of a fragrance oil matter ? Is it important? The answer is yes.
Fragrance oils are originally named by the manufacturer but may be renamed by a distributor or finished product manufacturer. Each fragrance oil manufacturer may have a fragrance oil with the same name eg. fresh linen, based on their interpretation of fresh laundry. These could be entirely different fragrances so it is important to look at the fragrance notes when choosing a fragrance oil. You can also look at the UFI, or Unique Formula Identifier, number on the SDS to see if they are the same number. If the oils are made by the same manufacturer, made to the exact same formula, they can have the same UFI number. It is possible for fragrance oils made to the same formula to have different UFI numbers but not the other way round. Some fragrance oils with the same names are just a coincidence or because they are popular names eg Christmas Wreath or Home for the Holidays. Our manufacturer has five different versions of library / antique book store / bibliotheque so it is important to check the fragrance notes and UFI number if you are looking for a particular fragrance.
Renaming a fragrance oil can help a fragrance fit with your brand and appeal to your target market. Different demographics will find different names appealing. It can work in reverse; if someone buys a fragrance which they think is new and exciting they can be disappointed if its just a renamed fragrance that is commonplace. We have had to rename some of our fragrance oils because it would be too confusing to sell two different fragrance oils with the same name.
Some name changes can be subtle - changing flowering vine to, say, bouquet whilst others will be a total change to fit with a brand. We have seen fragrance oil names changed to crystal / healing names, mystical names and medieval names. Fragrances like Evening Snow tends to sell better during winter although this is a fragrance oil that works well throughout the year so this name hinders the sale of the oil (and probably finished products) during spring and summer. The flip side of this is that you can rename a fragrance to work with the season. Renaming a fragrance to, say, Witches Cauldron would increase sales around Halloween
Do you buy or have avoided buying a fragrance oil by its name alone? We would love to hear your thoughts. Drop in to our Facebook group to chat.