Clément Lesaffre edited by Solène Delinger 07:59 am, September 27, 2021

It is a sector that had been hit hard by the Covid and the confinements: perfumery.

Perfume sales plunged 15% last year but quickly picked up.

Maybe even a little too much, because the offer is struggling to keep up.

Result: there will be more and more out of stock. 

DECRYPTION

The advent of teleworking and health restrictions have put a strain on the perfume industry.

And yet, against all expectations, it rebounded very quickly from the first quarter of 2021. Perfumers were very surprised by this turnaround which they are delighted with.

The only downside: demand is so strong that supply is struggling to keep up. 

Demand has never been so strong

In most parts of the world, sales are currently higher than in 2019, which was already a great year.

We even reached records in the United States with + 30-40% compared to two years ago.

How to explain this rebound?

"The Americans understood during the confinement that the perfume was also for oneself and not only to be released", explains Philippe Benacin, CEO of Interparfums, one of the main French players.

The demand for perfumes has never been so strong in the world and all brands are taking advantage of Chanel and its timeless Number 5 to independent perfumers, but the supply is struggling to keep up. 

"No orders go out normally"

“Currently, there are stockouts everywhere,” says Philippe Benacin.

"No orders are going normally. The whole industry was surprised by the demand and has not picked up the pace. The glassmakers have not reopened all the ovens. We work 'just in time'. , which had never happened. We deliver according to the productions we can do over the month, "he explains.

These supply difficulties will have repercussions on the shelves… The prices of perfume bottles should increase by 3 to 4% from January