Females find fragrances fascinating

KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
As ins and outs go, smelling good is in again.
That's the indication of a recent survey showing a 14 percent increase among women wearing fragrance and a 9 percent increase in men wearing cologne in the last year.
The study was done by Vertis, Baltimore-based marketing research consultants. "The popularity of wearing a scent waned in 2002, an indication of the general economic and emotional state of the American public a year ago," said Therese Mulvey, a company vice president.
Females are 11 percent to 13 percent more likely to buy a fragrance today than in 2002. The one exception is among senior women, who show a decline: 43 percent of these women plan to purchase fragrance this year, down from 51 percent last year.
The survey also shows that Hispanic women spent $40 more than the average woman on scents in the last 12 years. Women are most likely guided by smell when they select a brand. And men's taste may be a tad more volatile. They are 11 percent more likely than women to allow what others think of a fragrance to influence their purchase.
The fragrance industry will likely cheer the survey news. Despite a burst of new products, business is expected to be flat or down slightly for the remainder of the year, according to the trade journal Women's Wear Daily.