Pharrell Williams signs scent deal with Comme des Garcons
Most male celebs lend their handsome faces to fragrances - Robert Pattinson to Dior, Matthew McConaughey to Dolce & Gabbana, Eric Bana to . The global kings of their own signature fragrances are sports icons such as and US baseball great, Derek Jeter. But () ushered in a new trend of male pop icons appealing to their female fans with the launch of Someday two years ago.
Last year, first release - Our Moment - became Australia's biggest celebrity fragrance launch in 8 years and the Brit boy band is launching a follow-up limited edition called That Moment in April. A third scent is waiting in the wings for a pre-Christmas launch.
Pharrell Williams is the latest entertainment phenom to take advantage of the lucrative trend. He's just signed a deal with Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo's Comme des Garcons Parfums. The fragrance is to be called Girl, the same moniker as his latest album, but will be a unisex juice. Like One Direction's efforts, sales will be greatly helped by the music man's tour schedule. Although it remains to be seen whether Williams will follow strategy of giving away samples at concerts or making fragrance part of the tour merchandise a la the Mrs Carter World Tour spin-off. Girl will launch globally in September.
All tied up
The pussybow is back in fashion and so is its namesake as a prestige symbol for fragrances. The use of bows to decorate upmarket scents comes and goes and we are currently in the midst of a major wave. Bonbon, the new Viktor & Rolf fragrance launching in Australia in late April, comes in a bow-shaped bottle. () most recent hit, Modern Muse, was not only decorated with a gorgeous grosgrain bow, supermodel Arizona Muse wore fashions studded with bows in the ad campaign. And there's no doubt that Ferragamo's up-and-coming release - Signorina Eleganza - will sport an elegant bow, long a trademark of its famous flats.
Christian Dior fragrances have been tied with a bow since the 1940s and the latest release - Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet - continues the heritage trend with a silver ribbon. Plush bows have also become a hallmark look for Juicy Couture (Juicy Couture) perfumes. A dusty pink bow was the perfect accessory for the latest juice from - Roses de Chloé.
There's a proven shopping psychology at work, of course. Bows not only suggest femininity and elegance, they also evoke gift-giving - to others and to yourself. It's no accident that many of the latest bow-draped scents have been released in the lead-up to Christmas, Valentine's Day and Mother's Day. Victoria's Secret opened its 200th beauty and accessories boutique last week and centre-stage of the fragrance wall is Victoria by Victoria's Secret, boasting a metallised bow sculpted with an electronic stylus to look like fabric.
Dermal filler lumps could be caused by bacteria
Small lumps, especially around the eye and lips areas, are a common side effect of dermal filler injections. Most go away but others stubbornly refuse to budge and in rare cases develop into lesions. According to a new study from the University of Copenhagen, bacterial infection could be a cause even if the most stringent hygienic practices have been followed.
According to lead researcher, Morten Alhede: "Previously, most experts believed that the side effects were caused by an auto-immune or allergic reaction to the gel injected. Research involving tissue from patients and mouse models has now shown that disfiguring lesions are actually due to bacteria injected in connection with the cosmetic procedure.
"What is more, we have demonstrated that the fillers themselves act as incubators for infection, and all it takes is as few as 10 bacteria to create an ugly lesion and a tough film of bacterial material - biofilm - which is impossible to treat with antibiotics".
While the Danish researchers emphasise that most people are unlikely to have any problems undergoing treatment with dermal fillers, they do recommend a belt-and-braces approach of injecting antibiotics together with the filler during the cosmetic injection procedure.
Unlike Europe, Australia has adopted a much stricter policy to cosmetic injections. Since May last year, only medical doctors or registered nurses working under their supervision are able to perform cosmetic injections such as dermal fillers. They are classified as Schedule 4 medications that require a prescription. A legal requirement which is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
Selfies impact on plastic surgery for under-30s
Last week, Time magazine revealed that Manila was the selfie capital of the world. New York, Miami and LA clinched the next three places, followed by Petaling Jaya in Malaysia, Tel Aviv, Manchester, Milan, Cebu City (also in the Philippines) and George Town Malaysia. Auckland was the only city in Australasia to make the top 100 with a 39 ranking but Australia's capital cities enjoyed only middle-of-the-road global ratings.
A lack of narcissism that might be a good thing, according to a new survey from the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Resconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS). Fifty eight per cent of the surgeons surveyed reported an increase in cosmetic surgery and injectables among people aged 30 and under.
The doctors reported a 10% increase in the number of nose jobs in 2013 and a 6% hike in eyelid surgery, in contrast to the previous year. It's not just women who don't like what they see looking back at them. Hair transplant procedures increased by 6%, too. A hefty 13% of surgeons directly attributed the upsurge to the selfie phenomenon and photo-sharing.
Social platforms are solely image-based and force patients to be more critical than ever before says Edward Farrior, AARPS President. "These images are the first impressions young people put out to prospective friends, romantic interests and employers and they want to put their best face forward".
Snippets from the wires
- With the FIFA World Cup only three months away, German fragrance house Ars Parfum has released the four official fragrances of the tournament. For the older fans there's Classic Man and Classic Women. Younger enthusiasts have the option of Passion Man and Passion Woman.
- fragrances, distributed in Australia by Cosmax, have been on a roll for the past few years with major men's juice hits such as Legend and Legend Intense. In a double launch, the Swiss luxury pen brand is releasing Emblem and Emblem Intense for the European spring.
- According to the Global Airport Retailing Report by Verdict, the worldwide travel retail market will reach US$59.2 billion by . The Asia/Pacific region is poised to double its revenues, says the researcher, but profits will also increase in Europe and North America.
- US prestige skincare sales in the year to January rose 3% to US$3.6 billion, reports the NPD Group. Interestingly, sales of facial masks rose 60% to US$53 million.
- Professional and prescription skincare such as is trending strongly. In another buy-out, Histogen Aesthetics, a subsidiary of regenerative medicine company Histogen, has acquired CellCeuticals Biomedical Skin Treatments. The 11 product lineup uses cell-signaling technology and is sold on QVC, Dermstore.com and Nordstrom in the US.
- The Sydney and Melbourne real estate markets have been strongly impacted by the growth of China's super-wealthy. We may have seen nothing yet, reveals a report from Knight Frank. The number of Chinese who have more than US$30 million in assets, excluding the family home, is expected to grow by 80% over the next 10 years.
- The redoubtable fashion guru, Suzy Menkes, has decamped to Conde Nast from The International New York Times (formerly the International Herald Tribune). Her equally respected counterpart at The New York Times, Cathy Horyn, has also moved on for personal reasons. Vanessa Friedman, the long-serving fashion editor of The Financial Times, will take on the dual roles. In addition to playing a pivotal role in organising the NYT's highly profitable annual luxury conference.
10 March 2014 - Elisabeth King reports on Guerlain teaming up with Fiat, Elizabeth Arden targeting professional skincare market, Cotton On looking for Chinese partner, and Gwyneth Paltrow's skincare deal
3 March 2014 - Elisabeth King reports on Marc Jacobs Beauty latest signing, Gillette’s focus on the red carpet man, Butter London founder to launch new brand and American Crew predicts men's hair trends for 2014
24 February 2014 - Elisabeth King on Coty partnering with Vespa, the richest cities in China, woody orientals on the rise and the sun protection warnings that have the biggest impact