Prestige fragrance sales are up, but it’s not perfume consumers are after — it’s candles, up 18 percent in dollar sales for the 12 months ending April, and reed diffusers, up 36 percent. Sales increases in the $49.9 million home-scents segment are driving the most significant growth in fragrance, according to an NPD Group study. Beauty executives at Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom named established players Diptyque, Nest and Jo Malone as top sellers. But more designer and niche perfume houses are entering the mix — By Kilian was an early adopter, and this fall Armani Privé will introduce candles. NPD’s Karen Grant said perception of scent in the social media age is shifting from personal proclivity to shared sensory experience.
