Driving Change in the Era of Social Media with The Niche Sampler
Valerie, better known on social medias as The Niche Sampler, is a PhD student and a fragrance aficionado who turned her passion and exquisitely elegant olfactory taste into one of the most followed virtual realities reviewing perfumes and presenting critical analysis of the perfumery idustry.
We chat about past and upcoming trends, creating meaningful and engaged virtual following, the value of PR transaprency in perfumery marketing, and the challenges the industry has to face to keep up to date with our evolving world.
You have built a huge following on your incredible Tik Tok platform, emphasising the importance of a fragrance wardrobe. What makes the concept so important for your understanding of fragrance consumption?
Thank you for asking about the fragrance wardrobe ideology, I think it's really important. Online consumer culture can be quite obsessive. I find many people want to be "on trend" whether it's the latest fashion, holiday destination, or obscure iteration of charcuterie board. I fear that the same thing happens with fragrance, which to me, should be a personal expression of self.
Practically speaking there's only so much fragrance one can wear, it's a perishable consumable. So having a few bottles of scents you really love makes far more sense than hundreds of bottles that you'll barely get through. Perfume is a luxury item, and I think it can be easy to forget that, and some people get addicted to acquiring the latest releases rather than enjoying their fragrances.
With the way industry is set up, we're living in a time where it's better to consume as consciously and as sustainably as possible, for the Earth, and for your wallet. If the past three years are anything to go by, it's better to have saved for a rainy day than have overindulged to keep up with the Joneses.
What are your dos and don'ts for a successful fragrance wardrobe?
Do: Take your time. There are hundreds of fragrances out there, and I guarantee that some will sing to your soul where others won't make much of an impression.
Do: Tailor it to your lifestyle. My basic recommendation is a five piece wardrobe: something for everyday wear (officefriendly,inoffensive),andascent for each season (in the fashion cycle sense, so one for fall/winter and one for spring/summer) which you use to switch up your everyday scent or wear to after hours events. Everyone likes having something extra special for special occasions, so I think a formal scent is a great addition to the wardrobe. The fifth element is free parking, a wild card, something that makes sense for your lifestyle or adds a little luxury, personally, I wear fragrance to bed.
Do: Sample before you buy! Sometimes scents will change on your skin as compared to a blotter so you want to makesureyou'regettingthescent experience you want.
Don't: Pay too much attention to what's on trend or super popular. These scents smell great, but you're looking for something that smells like you, so sniff widely, be open.
Don’t: Forget to store your scents appropriately,outofdirectsunlight,and in a cool place dark place. Fragrance expires but proper storage can extend the shelf life.
Don't: Worry too much about perfume lingo like notes, olfactive pyramid etc. they're handy and fun to know, but you really just need your nose and discernment.
Tik Tok has become one of the most important social media platforms where perfumery consumption is dictated by trends and influential reviews. How does one successfully build a community on the platform? And what are perhaps some of the challenges of creating olfactory content on such a visual social media application?
I've found that the most successful creators in the fragrance niche engage their audience as much as possible. The success of Tik Tok to a large degree, is allowing connection and relatability in short form content.
Some people have the strength of having large collections already, and they can use them to be more demonstrative for queries, like @FunmiMonet for example, who can appeal to budgets great and small.
Other creators find success in translating Tik Tok trends to the fragrance niche, which adds an element of entertainment.
Some pages are purely visual, where the creator remains anonymous but can associates scent with mood or aesthetic. Many roads lead to Rome.
The challenge we all face is effectively describing scents. Some use visual aids in the form of clips or images that paint specific scenes, that are matched or evoked by a particular scent. Many promise a specific result, whether it be smelling expensive, seductive or powerful. Others, take a more poetic approach referencing mythology or science fiction. We've all had to expand our language, realising that listing off notes and olfactive pyramids is rarely useful to the average consumer. Tracy Wan of @invisiblestories is a great voice in the arena of the language of scent.
How do you think brands have shifted their relations and understanding of the role of fragrance influencer / content creator?
What are some of the aspects that still require improvement by brands in approaching social media creatives?
In the earlier days of social media, where Youtube was the most popular platform for fragrance content, fragrance retailers were really the first to clue in on the power of social media. In the past few years, especially with the power of Tik Tok virality, brands have realised the value of influencers. I've had many friends sell out fragrances, so influencer marketing clearly generates sales.
For a large part, fragrance retailers are still leading the charge in engaging influencers, and big brands tend to reach out via PR companies. This presents an interesting phenomenon where creators are all speaking about the same scents using the same language within the same timeframe, such that they saturated feeds. Moreover, as creators we do a lot of the leg work to reach out to brands to work together, but if we don't know who the PR firm is, or whether they operate in our region, many get left out of the conversation, even if we have a valuable voice in the arena.
Despite that, I think now brands identify content creators as a valuable marketing avenue and potential contractors. I have to say that smaller indie/niche brands lead the wave, creating an engaged social media presence, but also adding us to PR lists so it's not all on us to dig into our wallets to experience and share their brand. I think what could be improved upon the most is brands not having a super clear agenda when engaging influencers. Influencer marketing has proven itself enough such that sending out bottles as PR to creators should have the exact same intention as doing so to celebrities, in that there should be no expectation of content in exchange. If there is an expectation to post, there needs to be compensation, that's how it works with every other niche.
To be fair, nine times out of ten, if your scent is good, it will be featured anyhow.
I also think brands should keep diversity in mind when they look at who they're partnering with, leaving groups out is missing out on potential customers.
What are some of your fragrance trends predictions for 2023?
2021 was the year of fig and pear.
2022 has been the year of cherry and saffron.
Some are hinting that 2023 will be the year of the "your skin but better" scent. Clean soapy scents, soft musks and molecular
fragrances that enhance one's own natural smell. This past year, scents like Glossier's "You" and Phlur's "Missing Person" performed really well, so I wouldn't be surprised if other brands jump on the bandwagon for 2023 (Maison Francis Kurkdjian has already put their hat in the ring with their latest release 724). All that being said, I hope for something more exciting.
I think apricot could be explored more, it's a fruit, so we stay on theme,
mass appealing enough to succeed, but can also be used in interesting ways. What I'd really love to see would be mainstream brands using more oud accords in their creations, I think the western world is ready for it, and there are decent enough synthetic accords to make it more affordable.