Jaime Pressly has yet to launch a line of fragrances, but the growing list–and sales–of celebrity smells should encourage her.
In 2000, celebrity fragrances represented 2 percent of the total market, said Maria Ianni, an account manager at NPD Beauty, a market information company.
Today, that share is 6 percent of a business with $2.8 billion in U.S. sales last year. More significant, 31 percent of the top 100 perfumes are named for a celebrity or promoted by one.
Jennifer Lopez’s fragrances alone have generated an estimated $250 million in sales.
Here’s a guide to just a few celebrity fragrances to help you test if they suit you or someone you know. There often are a half dozen or more “notes,” or scents, in a single fragrance. We’ve listed the most dominant or the most interesting.
These fragrances are available at major department stores or cosmetic/fragrance shops unless otherwise noted.
– Live by Jennifer Lopez: (right) Fruity, floral, with pineapple and orange. Eau de Parfum, 1.7 ounces, $40.
– Precious Jewel by Ashanti: Smells first of jasmine, next of light musks and finally of powder, sweet and strong. Cologne Spray, 3.5 ounces, $39. At Wal-Mart exclusively.
– Fantasy by Britney Spears: (right) Lycee, quince and kiwi, according to promotional material. Eau de Parfum spray, 1.7 ounces, $45.
– Spirit Antonio Banderas for Women: Promo material says it has freesia and peonies with base notes of sandalwood and incense, but we frankly had a hard time discerning any of that. Eau de Toilette Spray, 1.7 ounces, $30.
– Carlos Santana For Men: (right) Bergamot, maja soap, cypress and cedar wood. Eau de Toilette spray, 1.7 ounces, $40.