WHEN beauty giant Luxasia first decided to open the niche perfumery Escentials in 2001, it was nothing short of a labour of love.

'At that time, the idea of niche perfumes hardly even had a presence in Singapore - consumers only knew the big and popular names out there,' recalls Luxasia's head of retail concepts Alwyn Chong of the concept that initially opened at Raffles Hotel and is now housed at Tangs. 'But we wanted a platform to offer Singaporeans something unique, and take the perfume industry to another level.'

The idea was to house a range of lesser-known (but no less exclusive) perfume brands including cult favourites the likes of Annick Goutal, Serge Lutens, Creed and L'Artisan under one roof. By offering a blind 'tasting' service where customers try out scents before finding out what they actually were, the shop allowed the scents to sell on their own merits.

'To be honest, it would be much easier to make money by selling the mass brands like Issey Miyake or Calvin Klein, but we wanted to create a place for Singaporeans where it was about the scents and not about who is the celebrity endorsing,' adds Mr Chong. 'It was not easy because we had to build even the most basic brand awareness but we decided to do it because we were passionate about scents.'

Eight years down the road, things have certainly taken a turn for the better. Singapore's niche perfume industry albeit small, is a growing one, evidenced by the entry of Jo Malone. The exclusive London perfumery's free-standing boutique will be opening next Friday in Ngee Ann City.

Though backed by beauty giant Estee Lauder, Jo Malone may not be the epitome of a small quaint perfumery in France as many of its 'peers' are, but to call it mass would be a fallacy, what with its hand and arm massage services combined with the ability to create customised scents.

ALCOHOL FREE: The strikingly unique smells of Christopher Brosius' scents have won many customers over. They cost $100 to $170 per 15 ml per bottle

But is there a market for niche perfumes in Singapore?

'Absolutely,' says Jo Malone's spokeswoman Debbie Wild. 'We think that the luxury lifestyle of Jo Malone would suit the Singaporean woman and shopper.'

True enough, according to industry players, uniqueness and individuality is on an upward trend amongst Singaporean perfume consumers.

Take Senteurs de Provence for example, a little shop in Millenia Walk that stocks Fragonard, a renowned perfumery based in Grasse, the Mecca of fragrances which is best known for sharing its knowledge at the famed Musee du Parfum in Paris. Since its inception four years ago, Senteurs de Provence has boasted year on year growth of four to 10 per cent.

'I'm definitely very encouraged by the success of Fragonard,' says the shop's managing director Elaine Seah of the range that costs between an affordable $18 and $210. 'I had personally used Fragonard since 1992 because I love their unusual scents, how long-lasting and how they are so natural it doesn't cause my eczema to flare up. I had expected only a few people to know about Fragonard but I often overhear people walking past our shop saying, 'Wow, there's Fragonard in Singapore'. Singaporeans are really well travelled these days.'

The well-travelled Singaporean has definitely been giving the niche perfumeries a boost in popularity.

Over at Asylum (Ann Siang Road), patrons have been pleasantly surprised that they stock Christopher Brosius' creations. His line, called I Hate Perfume, is a range of alcohol-free concoctions that have garnered cult status in America.

At $100 to $170 per 15 ml per bottle of Brosius' scents, they certainly do not come cheap but Asylum's spokeswoman Leila Char reveals that although most of the people that have bought the perfume are foreigners, the strikingly unique smells have won customers over.

'Many walk in and are shocked that they can find a brand as niche as Christopher Brosius in Singapore,' she says.

All this talk about unique scents begs the question as to what exactly makes these fragrances unique?

Mr Chong explains that the high quality of the ingredients chosen, the immense care taken to preserve the history of the brand and their subsequent meticulous production process are what make these perfumes a cut above the rest.

'It's hard to explain, but suffice to say that if you smell a niche perfume side by side with a mass produced perfume, you will be able to tell the difference,' he asserts.

He certainly didn't have to explain it to niche perfume advocate Olga Iserlis. The director of Twise, a luxury lifestyle events company, has been a loyal fan of Annick Goutal and Jo Malone for many years.

She explains: 'I would never buy a fragrance based on who is wearing or endorsing it. I'd rather go for a small house that does not do mass advertisement and focus instead on the quality of their products.'

Mr Chong admits though that not all niche perfumes manage to take off in Singapore. 'It really depends on the perfume houses themselves. Brands like Annick Goutal that already had a strong following or Serge Lutens that eventually grew in cult status are the ones with staying power,' he says.

Agrees Ms Heng who concludes: 'The niche perfume houses that don't succeed are those that rely too much on their past successes. Those that constantly look for ways to reinvent themselves and constantly come up with new scents are the ones that will manage to stay relevant.'

This article was first published in The Business Times.