Could anything better the smell of a freshly bathed baby? That delicious blend of talc, nappy cream and sweet milky breath is enough to turn most parents into nostalgic, cooing wrecks years after their babies have grown and left the nest.
Now, however, there is another smell to add to the blend: designer perfume. Not grandma’s favourite scent passed on during goodnight cuddles but perfumes blended specifically for babies.
Today, scent designed to be worn by infants is a must-have at baby showers, and teddy bear-shaped bottles containing scented water are de rigueur for tiny fashionistas.
Despite baby scents being rather more pricey than the usual infant lotions (one of the most popular is Bulgari’s Petits et Mamans Eau san Alcool — €45 for 100ml) perfume ranges for the under-twos are big business and demand is soaring.
‘Scent for babies has always existed but it used to be very niche and very expensive,’ says Lorna McKay, a former perfume buyer at Harrods and co-founder of The Perfume Society, which was launched in May 2014.
Tartine et Chocolat, the chi chi Mayfair children’s emporium, has long been doing brisk business in Ptisenbon, priced from €27, a baby perfume made by Givenchy. Meanwhile, Le Labo Ambrette 9 Baby ( €143 for 50ml, available at liberty.co.uk), with its top notes of apple and pear, is popular for super-rich babies of London and New York.
‘Now, everyone wants to dab scent on their child, as long as it is gentle on the skin and doesn’t contain any nasty chemicals,’ Lorna says.
Lorna believes the growing popularity of perfumes for infants is because we are becoming more international in our attitudes; the French, Spanish and Italians have been scenting their babies for decades.
‘Scent is a key part of French culture,’ she says. ‘Women are also prepared to be more experimental and try new things. It doesn’t have to be just talc and Vaseline any more.
Perfumes for babies are always made without alcohol and tend to be very dilute; barely there in some cases.’
But why would women want their baby smelling like every other mother’s pride and joy? After all, scent is a primal sense and said to be part of the bonding experience between mothers and their young.
Young mum Marie Louise Cullis, 36, loves splashing scent on her offspring: Sebastian, 18 months, Jaspar, four, and five-year-old Henry.
‘They smell so much sweeter,’ she says. ‘Lots of other mothers do it; drop-in centres and baby groups are much more fragrant nowadays, although it can be a little cloying when all the babies are wearing it.
‘I use some baby scents but only organic ranges and I am very conscious that baby skin is very delicate.’
She says she doesn’t splash out on expensive designer scents, instead preferring to buy at supermarkets. ‘If I’m going to spend €68 on a bottle of perfume, it’s going to be for me, not for Sebastian,’ she says.
If Lorna believes it is a cultural shift, chartered psychologist Sheila Keegan thinks that the trend towards baby scent ranges is more about our growing obsession with covering up the reality of our bodies. ‘We are sanitising babies just like so many other things in life,’ she says.
‘Let’s deny the fact that babies puke and poop. Instead, we’ll make them fragrant little people.’ Marketing men seem to have caught on to this, too. One popular brand is called Clean Baby Girl, by Clean Perfume. It is coyly described as being ‘for women’ but according to online mothers’ forums, lots are dabbing it on their under-fives as well.
Many mothers often don’t get a choice about whether or not to buy baby perfumes as they are given them as gifts at baby showers, long before baby is born.
Depending on whether you are a yummy mummy (Dr Hauschka Lavender Calming bath essence, €21), a young mum (Bonpoint eau de toilette, €53 for 50ml) or a would-be WAG (Burberry Baby Touch eau de toilette, €47.16 for 100ml) you are likely to get enough perfume product to last at least until weaning.
Although many perfumes (like Clean Baby Girl) state they are for adults, they seem to be marketed at mothers and their babies.
Others admit their target audience. Hello Kitty Baby perfume, which launched in 2008, claims it is ‘ideal’ for small children. Its fragrance is described as a mix of bittersweet red berries and fresh green hazelnut in top notes, strawberries and violet, and base notes of wood and musk.
Lots of new mothers love the idea of baby fragrances, as is clear from the rave reviews on scent website Fragrantica.com.
Burberry Baby Touch, developed for mother and baby, is particularly popular. ‘It takes me to a happy place,’ says one happy customer.
‘My mother-in-law bought this for my son when he was an infant. She said she wanted him to always smell good. I never even knew that Burberry made colognes/perfumes for babies.
‘I absolutely love this perfume. Whenever we go out, it is the biggest compliment he gets. Everyone loves the smell on him and so do I.’
Baby Tous by Tous is another popular choice; a floral, fruity fragrance launched in 2007.
‘Baby Tous has one of the most adorable bottles I have ever encountered,’ says one fan. ‘It’s the kind of fragrance that’s perfect for a kid as a way of introducing them to the world of fragrance but it is also perfect for the adult who wants a bit more cuteness in their life, and needs to provide a little pick-me-up for their inner child.’
Other mothers are a bit more wary. One wrote: ‘I find this sort of marketing unethical. What next? Baby make-up? Just because it’s on the market and advertised doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t think for themselves.’
Lorna McKay insists the trend is not the start of a slippery slope towards baby cosmetics, deodorant and lipstick. Instead, she hopes mothers will use scent to appeal to the senses at a key point in a baby’s life. Lavender, she points out, has long been used to help restful sleep and it smells delightful, too.
Lorna adds that if women don’t want to splash out on the pricey designer lines, they can always make their own: ‘Pop some fresh lavender in a little cloth and tie it up with a ribbon. Lay it on the baby’s pillow and let your little one drift into a lovely slumber. Alternatively, run a little cologne through your baby’s wet hair after bathtime and towel dry.’
Now style watchers are waiting for the inevitable launch of Kim Kardashian’s baby fragrance for her 20-month-old daughter North, and it is sure to be a big seller.
‘What do you give the toddler who has everything? A fragrance of their very own,’ says Lorna.
Expect some expensive top notes and a whiff of baby bling.
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