Making scents of/for teens. (fragrance products)

European fragrance marketers are tapping into the teen market, cashing in on adolescent buying power at the same time they convert consumers of the future to their brand religion. Juniors have money to spend and it might as well be on scent, reason the companies: one estimate circulating in the industry says that 18-20 year olds spend an average of $850 (4,500 f) per year on themselves. And the French "Generation Y," aged 14-23, is over eight million strong, or approximately 14 percent of today's population of 57 million.

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Teens in France, perhaps bored of using their parents' fragrances and ready for their own, appreciate creative launches. Thierry Mugler's Angel, Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey, and Jean-Paul Gaultier's signature scent, all ground-breaking fragrances presented in extremely unusual bottles, do booming business with the younger generation. Yves Desfontaines, marketing director of Star Fragrance International, which distributes Un Monde Nouveau, a collection of six women's scents aimed at 15-25 year olds, observes: "Young women are avid consumers of change. They look for constant innovation, and products that feed dreams and fantasy."

Selective distribution teen fragrance price-points are generally about half as expensive as the adult ranges. This is the case for Givenchy's Fleur d'lnterdit and Gianni Versace's Blue Jeans (for men) and Red Jeans (for women). Other lines, like L'Oreal subsidiary Selective …