Janetta Mackay: Spoiled for choice

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Like a variation on the "I've got nothing to wear" refrain of women whose wardrobes are clogged with clothes, lately I find myself sighing: So many scents, but what to spray.

The malaise is partly seasonal - I've sniffed so many lately in the name of work - but it runs deeper. The modern fragrance industry, with its hundreds upon hundreds of launches every year, is debasing the value of its excessive output.

The so-called democratisation of luxury - essentially a marketing exercise whereby almost anyone can buy into a brand - is at its most obvious in the fragrance and cosmetics industries. You too can buy the logo, access a little of the supposed allure of glamour and wealth that a designer or heritage name brings. But when luxury is commoditised and packaged - albeit prettily and usually still expensively - how exclusive is the offering?

Fragrance fanatics will endlessly debate if their old favourites still smell the same, but what isn't in doubt is that "flanker" scents are clogging the air. That's the practice of launching variations of a fragrance, leveraging of its name and fame, with updates - some of which don't smell much like the original - rather than investing in developing something else truly original. Now there is nothing wrong with having a lighter or richer version of a successful scent to broaden its appeal in different markets or climates, but when whatever is the "in" ingredient is just tossed into the mix as an update I despair.

Right now it's one of a number of woody amber and green notes, following on from an excess of fruity florals, or sometimes they're all slap bang together. Traditional fragrance families are virtually unrecognisable in this stew.

You may as well buy on the look of the bottle, which clearly quite a few people do, judging by the efforts that go into their design at the expense of ingredients, so many of which smell like they came straight out of the air freshener factory.

I'm not being snobby, a few celebrity scents smell as good as some of the designer ones and some air fresheners damn near as good as both. A truly wonderful fragrance, however, will linger long in the memory. That's why so many of the tried-and-true classics remain, joined each year by a handful of contenders, some of which will date and others that will continue to delight.

The choice of perfume is intensely personal, which is why when I write about fragrance I tend to describe their notes rather than give a rating - unless it's godawful, in which case it is best ignored. What you like at age 16 is as valid as 30 years later, but it is unlikely to be the same. Generally you will be drawn to certain types of fragrance, although the intensity and complexity you enjoy will change over time. Educating yourself about fragrance by finding a few benchmarks you enjoy and by which you can describe and judge others is a good place to start.

I love interviewing fragrance makers, theirs is a fascinating craft, part science, part art, an alchemy of imagination and ingredients, that transforms both into something of enduring emotive value. This week in our print edition I talk to several perfumers and also about a way to visualise the sort of fragrance that may best suit you - read the story on Wednesday.

As fragrance buyers become more overwhelmed by choice and often less satisfied by the contents, we have seen the development of boutique, niche and natural brands. Some of these fragrance are original, arresting and authentic, others are just following the usual sales curve of growing the market.

Wading through the wafts, with gift season upon us and the stores full of perfumes, is heavy going. As with so much we buy, less is more.

- VIVA