This & That, Ceci et Cela

Thoughtus Profondis (hey, the dictionary can only do so much. Sometimes, I gotta make up terms as needed); The reason why celebrity fragrance sells:
Partly because they catch an audience inexperienced in scent. Inexperienced enough not to know/have tried that many fragrances, inexperienced enough not to realize that “star” X’s fragrance smells just like fragrance M which was probably made before that audience became perfume-wearing entities or even before they were born. Naturally, M, the original is no longer in production, therefore they’ve never smelt it, thus haven’t that frame of reference. I remember thinking Liz Taylor’s White Diamond, etc. perfumes were quite “on” when I was younger, only to realize they weren’t that original after I became more of a rabid scent hound that indulged in antique perfumes too.

Factors that boost the trend:
Population growth -> larger fan base for even the smallest product niche.
Ever improving communications technology -> makes it much faster for trends/fads to rise and explode.
Relatively younger “stars” -> younger fans -> more widespread tendency for them to find any product offering from their idol quite new (coincidentally happens a lot in music too). This is further enhanced in places where this group accounts for a substantial proportion or majority of the total population.
I mean, you gotta wonder just who is buying when you hear that J Lo’s scent sold US$18 million (€15M) in the first month. Hell, even Celine Dion’s perf sold US$11.7M in 2003!