What does Flanker Fragrance mean? – Glam Radar

A whole family of little Dior Poisons, each fighting to adorn your dresser. Just over 2 decades and now there is a total of 5 Poisons (the original and 4 flankers), however by today’s flanker standard this is a very slow approach. Some Flankers are pushed out in rapid succession – barely allowing for the glow of the original release to die down.Take Britney Spears’ Fantasy fragrance (released in 2005)it’s flankers were released at 2 year intervals with Midnight Fantasy in 2007 and Hidden Fantasy in 2009.Even quicker still were the YSL Young Sexy Lovely perfumes with the original in 2006, Young Sexy Lovely Spring / Summer Collection in 2007 and Young Sexy Lovely Intense in 2008.

Why do companies make Flankers?
This, I’m sure, will vary from flanker to flanker…but, ultimately, the company wishes to capitalise on the success of the original. Flankers will generally be cheaper and quicker to produce being that they are simply tweaking an existing composition rather than developing a new one. Also there are often only minor changes in the bottle/packaging design meaning less cost and development in this area also. Plus the name of the original often holds weight in the market meaning the flanker wont have to work as hard to get noticed.

Does that mean flankers not as good as the originals?
This, of course, is very subjective. Some people have the mentality ‘if it’s not broke then don’t fix it’ towards flankers, where as others (such as myself) are more open minded. There are some flankers (such as Dior’s Hypnotic Poison) which I love so much more than the original and for which I am grateful for the flankers existence. Others, however, take the path of Cruel Intentions 2..straight to DVD.

Some people are passionately against flankers, believing that they degrade the fragrance market such as in this article here on blog ‘1000 Fragrances’ (a very interesting read although I cannot say that I share the views of the author to this extent.)

Flankers exist in a variety of ways and for a variety of reasons. Sometimes perfume houses release ‘summer’ editions of their perfumes as a light offering more appropriate for the hot weather eg. Lancome Miracle Summer. Others aim to capture a new market that the original may not have reached eg. Dior’s Miss Dior Cherie (as a flanker to the original Miss Dior.) Further still other fragrances are a take on their namesake and yet are as beautifully formulated and unique as the original eg. Chanel No5 Eau Premiere which is stunningly crafted in it’s own right.

I suggest that you take flankers for what they are…a variation on the original. It might be that you find a slight variation and a new way to wear a scent you already love or that a fragrance you’ve previously disliked is now presented in a more appealing light. However, if the original is perfection and you simply can’t bare to think that anything else will compare then that’s great too. In the mean time I will wear my Estee Lauder Youth Dew Amber Nude with pride and think fondly of the original as an icon that is unlikely to ever be spritzed on my wrists.

Here are a few more flankers (and by no means a complete list, as I think my fingers would give out before I could type them all) if you feel so inclined to check them out…

Original – Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely
Flanker/s – Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely Collection – Twilight, Dawn & Endless

Original – Bulgari Omnia
Flanker/s – Omnia Amethyste, Omnia Crystalline, Omnia Green Jade.

Original – Estee Lauder Pleasures
Flanker/s – Estee Lauder Pleasures Intense, Pleasures Delight, Pleasures Exotic, Pleasures Jasmine Violet Splash, Pleasures Sandalwood Amber Splash, Pleasures Summer Bouquet, Pleasures Summer Waters…

Original – Jennifer Lopez Glow
Flanker/s – Glow after Dark, Glow Shimmer,
Love at First Glow, Miami Glow, My Glow and Petite Glow.

Original – Marc Jacobs Blush
Flanker/s – Marc Jacobs Blush Intense

Original – Van Cleef & Arpels First
Flanker/s – First Jasmine de Chine, First Love, First pour l’Été, First Premiere Bouquet.

Original – Guerlain Mitsouko
Flanker/s – Mitsouko Fleur de Lotus

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