The power of perfume

Whether it be the homely aroma of freshly baked apple pie, or the sharp scent of freshly cut grass, certain smells have the ability to spirit you back to a time and place in an instant. It’s a powerful property that the House of Amouage has been tapping into for more than 40 years, transporting those that breathe in its ultra-luxury fragrances to its birthplace of Oman.

It’s a mission that dates back to 1983, when the late Majesty Sultan Qaboos dreamed up the idea of a fragrance that could encapsulate the country’s essence, making it accessible to the rest of the world. What started out as gifts for royalty and dignitaries soon evolved into a luxury brand.

“We see our role very closely connected to Oman, where we act to a certain extent as an ambassador for the country,” CEO Marco Parsiegla tells The CEO Magazine. “It is our legacy, and we often say Amouage is Oman, and Oman is Amouage.

“There is a very strong bond between the brand and the country and we see our role, as well, to be an ambassador for the country and the world. So we make sure, through our brand, that we open the eyes for people around the world to see the beauty of the country.”

Amouage’s Ashore fragrance, for example, was inspired by the gateway port of Sur, infusing fragrance notes drawn from other countries such as India. It embodies the international nature of Oman, which Parsiegla explains has long seen itself as a connector of different cultures.

A fresh approach

This is a large part of the reason Parsiegla has found the transition from his homeland of Switzerland to Muscat, Oman’s capital, so smooth.

Appointed to the CEO role in 2019, he brought with him more than 20 years of experience working with some of the biggest names in the beauty sector at Procter & Gamble, where he ascended to the position of General Manager & Vice President Global Prestige before gaining valuable media experience working as Executive Vice President Luxury at Havas Group.

It was this vault of experience that made him a standout choice to oversee Amouage’s next chapter.

“The idea for me coming on board was to take this legacy and bring it to more ambitious heights,” he says.

First on his agenda was to build on the house’s transparency and authenticity, followed by introducing it to a new, younger demographic.

“In fact, 80 percent of our consumers are actually younger than 45, so we did a very successful transformation on that throughout the last five years,” he says.

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These strategic shifts are already showing results. Parsiegla proudly reveals that Amouage has doubled its retail sales over the past three years. “We are actually on a strong growth trajectory,” he says.

The next stage of his plan is to build ‘key strongholds’ around the world.

“One of our strongholds we’re building, and where we are seeing good growth but where there is much more potential, is actually the United States,” he says. “The second one for us is China and the third one is actually the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Foundations of success

It’s an international expansion that is underpinned by the superlative quality of Amouage’s products, with Parsiegla highlighting its pedigree as a ‘house of craft’, which places great emphasis on quality and craftsmanship.

“In our industry, an eau de parfum could have any kind of percentage from maybe 10-to-20 percent; the majority would have 15 percent. Our average is actually 25 percent oil concentration,” he says.

“And we are going even higher. Some of our eau de parfums have 35 percent and in the category of the exceptional extraits, you would find oil concentrations of up to 56 percent. So it’s clearly about the quality in the product, which is coming from the natural ingredients.

“It’s working with the best master perfumers around the world, and then actually expressing that in a very generous product.”

Amouage is further bolstered by a resilient supply chain, reinforced during the turmoil of the pandemic; strong partnerships with industry leaders, such as Givaudan, and an agile operating model, Parsiegla explains, adding that Amouage currently has a ‘best-in-class’ fulfillment rate of around 93 percent.

A fresh focus on content is also driving the company forward. “That’s basically about building the right community, generating the right content and then of course, diffusing the content in a very organic way in order to reach our clients around the world,” he says.

With all this in place, the potential is immense, particularly with the outlook for the ultra-luxury segment so bright.

“It’s a segment that is actually enjoying very strong growth at the moment – it’s about 12 or 13 percent on an annual growth base and we are far exceeding that,” Parsiegla says. “So we are really at the forefront.”