NEW YORK — The men’s body spray business, which has been characterized by mass market players such as Axe, Tag, Old Spice and even Bod Man, soon will have an expanded presence in the specialty and department store arena.
That’s because one marketer, Anthony Logistics for Men, has created a range of four scents, called Anthony Body Sprays, that are to be launched at retail chains like Bath & Body Works, Sephora and selected Federated Department Stores units.
The scents, which mark the firm’s first foray into fragrance, feature a 7 percent concentration of essential oils. Names like Energy, Courage, Spirit and Strength give the products a “mystical, spiritual” bent, said Tony Sosnick, the company’s founder and president.
“It’s a way for a guy to get a nice fragrance all over without spending [anywhere from] $40 to $70,” he added, referring to more concentrated fragrances, like colognes and eaux de toilette. “We saw an opportunity in the market. No one is doing body sprays. There’s a huge segment that people are missing right now in the prestige arena.”
Anthony Body Sprays were blended by Azur Fragrances in Paris. Each aloe-infused formulation has a complex structure of top, middle and base notes, and Energy is based on cardamom, Courage on amber, Spirit on green tea and Strength on incense. Each 3.4-oz spray is priced at $18.
The bottles, which were custom made by Brosse, were designed with ergonomics in mind and given a swept-back shape that was designed to fit into the user’s hand.
Industry sources estimate the collection could generate wholesale sales volume of $1 million by the end of next year.
There are plans for Anthony Body Sprays, which began trickling into the brand’s distribution network earlier this month, eventually to be carried in as many as 1,200 doors in the U.S., including Nordstrom and C.O. Bigelow. Most stores are scheduled to receive the scents prior to Christmas, while the remainder is expected to get them after Jan. 1. The Anthony Logistics for Men brand is carried in about 1,800 doors in 25 countries.
Sosnick said the scents were inspired two years ago, after an executive at Unilever — which markets Axe in the U.S. and Lynx, its international iteration — spoke about how body sprays were one of the fastest-growing men’s categories in the mass market.