Regarding Ugly Perfume Bottles
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all. However, I want to share my opinions.
I also want to go on a rant and let off some steam. I dislike it when I’m being negative but sometimes you have to be. It’s called balance. The last time I gave you all my humble opinion (meaning I went on a rant) was about perfume commercials, so it’s been some time. It’s archived, by the way, so you can go back and read it if you fancy.
A disclaimer:
Before I start dishing out any of my views I need to state the obvious and say that this topic involving taste and what I find beautiful (or ugly) is very personal and there are no right or wrong ways of viewing beauty, as you all must know. I’m amused that I even thought of quoting Plato for this just now, regarding views on beauty, but I’ll spare you all and skip it this time. Is this what art school does to you? I’ll get to the point soon.
In short, who am I to judge what’s beautiful (or ugly)? As a photographer, one needs to have a good eye for the things surrounding them and, I must admit, I do have a good eye as well as pretty good taste, in general. I thank my mother for the latter. I do feel I am also influenced by simplistic Nordic design and aesthetics as I am half Finnish, so my style and taste could be described as classic, timeless, and minimal. For some that may mean boring, but I’ll take that rather than being over the top and crazy any day.
Having the guts to call out some ugly perfume bottles and discuss interesting (ugly) designs and branding over here stems from me being pretty confident that I could make something beautiful myself. This means the creation of overall concepts, product development ideas as well as visual storytelling, due to my background in marketing and having a genuine interest in good design. Also, stating this makes me someone who doesn’t just make a fuss and have a bad mouth and opinions for fun, as I’d love to contribute, and prove myself too, regarding this. Someday. Hopefully soon. Just wait and see.
The surprising bottle experience
What inspired me to dwell on this topic was when Kirsi (my very dear, fellow perfume enthusiast, who you all sort of know by now) and I were introduced to a niche perfume brand we both fell in love with at first sniff. This was when we were at Necessities here in Antwerp, some time back. We got to test Ambre Superfluide by Les EAUX Primordiales. I mentioned this before too and promised to get back. You can scroll and see the bottle and me mentioning it here. Next up, a small snippet from the brand’s website regarding the scent we loved -
"Evoking a long winter’s day spent by the fire. Imagine the aromas of apple and cinnamon pie and gingerbread wafting in from the oven. Amber notes of spices and honey introduce character and softness into this comforting moment. The harmony of rum and tobacco adds a sweet and intense touch to the enchanting elixir. As we wrap ourselves in this perfume as if snuggling into a velvet armchair, we wish for time to stand still."
The scent is heavenly and luscious. It transported us right into those snug velvet armchairs, until our imaginative bubbles were quickly popped, as we saw the perfume bottle on the counter. Kirsi first thought it was a bottle for gym supplements. “Is that the real bottle?” she asked the salesperson. “Oh, how I wish it would be prettier” she continued. We both looked sadly at the bottle. It was all black and had a surprising (and a bit ugly) gold typewriter font mixed with another more classic typeface. The design looked a bit mixed and matched, as if it wasn’t planned properly, or as if it was all executed in a bit of a rush.
Possibly both of us at that moment imagined versions of the bottle that would make it look a bit more beautiful and presentable. The moment was anticlimactic, as the scent was something we still obsess and gush over to this day.
Also, on top, the price of the bottle is 250€ for 100 ml. As a possible future customer (I’m interested in their Vanille Super Massive), I would appreciate a well-crafted bottle that evokes some emotion and a sense of quality and luxury, which I have to admit this bottle doesn’t. I did get Kirsi the sample of Ambre Superfluide as a gift later on. She said she might have to buy the big bottle soon because it’s that good. She’ll just have to store it in the cupboard and not anywhere visible. Which, by the way, is how perfumes should be stored, away from sunlight and any light in general.
If anyone from Les EAUX Primordiales happens to read this, I have to say, first, I am honored and, second, I want to underline that we truly adore the scent, however much we bashed the bottle. Kirsi and I also want to know what kind of dog the master perfumer has, as we heard about it while listening to the story of the perfume house at Necessities. We need to know.
Edit: Kirsi found out, it’s a chocolate labrador!
What makes a perfume bottle a beautiful ornament?
In a nutshell: Originality, Quality and Design. A beautiful perfume is something you want people to admire on your countertop or bedside table and you want it to be a part of your decor. It is rare for a commercial fragrance to have a truly beautifully designed bottle (Issey Miyake and Kenzo however, are exceptions. As well as the classics to an extent - for me.)
I did some field research and asked my friends about their thoughts on this matter. After some good conversations and also a small Instagram poll, I have come to the conclusion that tastes differ. Surprise, surprise! Who could have guessed?
The trend for this very simple apothecary bottle type that Le Labo, Aesop and Replica have all mastered is nice and very popular right now, but not that special at the end of the day. The bottles complement a minimalistic decor and are distinctive, but I have to question if they ultimately are that beautiful. Compared to the delicate crystal bottles with soft separate pumps for perfume used before, the starkness of the perfume bottle designs today seem to have less personality and soul and feel. Would you agree or am I romanticizing this a bit too much?
The fairest of them all…
If I had to single out the most beautiful bottle out there on the market right now, I would have to say the prize and title go to Diptique. The French perfume house was created by a group of people from different creative backgrounds. The bottles also represent that, as the design is original and simple, yet beautiful. It is very French, which I like.
”Our founders – a painter, an interior architect and a theatre set designer in their parallel lives – embody their fragrances with images. Each of their compositions arises from an artistic approach. Each detail makes sense. Each image tells the story of a journey.”
The distinct oval shape of the glass is inspired by the Pretorian shield, which was found in one of the original Diptyque fabrics, the font is created by hand and there’s artwork on each fragrance by different artists. It's clever and elegant and beautiful. It doesn’t matter which way to store the bottle as it's pretty from every angle. In general, I admire handmade glass bottles that are heavy and feel smooth to the touch. To me, that feels luxurious and precious.
Some other pretty perfume bottles that come to mind (and which I have mentioned before) that deserve a shout-out are the Dries Van Noten perfume’s handmade ceramic and glass bottles and Stora Skuggan for their bottle cap’s uniqueness.
Poll results
A perfume bottle that I can’t really decide whether it is pretty or not is Jean Paul Gaultier’s corset and torso bottles. Distinctive to the brand, I salute the design for its originality and it being recognizable immediately. However, I keep feeling indecisive about it.
I have always thought of the bottles slightly too ”in your face” (ugly) until I saw my ex-boyfriend's mother’s bathroom countertop. Among her gorgeous jewelry, she had placed some of her perfume, which included a bottle of JPG Classique. I have to admit the layout looked amazing, and so did the bottle. She always had an eye for placing objects in a way that made them beautiful, possibly because she’s an architect and designer herself. It’s the eye for these things, people! I think that was the first time I saw the perfume as pretty and was open to changing my view on the torso bottle.
I own a small travel-size version of JPG La Belle which I’m happy is just a straight bottle that I can pop in my bag. I don’t think I’d ever buy the full-size bottle of it, because I couldn’t be bothered to create a pretty countertop shrine for the torso to be pretty.
Intrigued by my indecisiveness on the matter, I posted a questionnaire on my personal Instagram to figure out what my friends thought of the torso and if it was pretty or not. The ultimate results were 58% voting for ugly, including a lot of exclamations wishing the bottles were nicer and 42% voting the bottle pretty. This was out of an exciting 30 answers. Not too bad.
But, why?
To end this, rather soft, rant of mine, I want to throw some really ugly perfume bottles under the bus. If I’ve left something out, feel free to add to the list in the comments.
Moschino’s Fresh Eau de Toilette and all Lush’s body sprays are shaped like kitchen cleaning spray bottles. Why? Trying to be funny, but it’s not.
The Carolina Herrera Good Girl bottles, the ones that are shaped like single stilettos are awful. I’ll just state that.
Mugler’s Alien and Angel perfumes are both surprisingly popular but look cheap. Like toys. Why?
Don’t hate me - but Parfums De Marly bottles are also pretty ugly. As well as Xerjoff Casamorati. Why do they have to look like something that came with a Barbie doll?
Wrapping up my rant with this. Thanks for the votes on the poll, by the way. It was fun.
xx
Milja
The Carolina Herrera Good Girl bottles, the ones that are shaped like single stilettos are awful. I’ll just state that.
> I KNOW!!! But I think the scent is really nice. What a pity.
Mugler’s Alien and Angel perfumes are both surprisingly popular but look cheap. Like toys. Why?
> Haha. Yes, they do look cheap! But I think especially in Angel's case, it's kind of supposed to look a bit tacky.