10.18.22
Tesla's Founder and Twitter's new owner Elon Musk is in the news again. No, he's not planning another excursion on Space X, his rocket-building company that aims to make space travel more affordable for countries, companies and consumers. No, this time Musk is building something on a smaller scale. The entrepreneur launched a fragrance called Burnt Hair which, despite the concept, racked up $5 million in sales just days after its debut. The fragrance costs $100 and ships in Q1 2023.
On the product website, tongue-in-cheek proclamations include: "Just like leaning over a candle at the dinner table, but without all the hard work" and "Stand out in a crowd! Get noticed as you walk through the airport."
Since it's not available until early next year, there's not much info on Burnt Hair, but in a Twitter post, Musk urged readers to "Please buy my perfume so I can buy Twitter."
An expensive joke? Not when it comes to the world's richest man, whose fortune is estimated to be in excess of $200 billion. Perhaps Musk is expanding his empire by targeting the surging fine fragrance market. The prestige sector posted gains of 30% last year, according to NPD.
At least one fragrance industry expert is scratching her head over the debut of Burnt Hair.
"Every woman who has singed her hair with either hot rollers, curling irons, hair straighteners, or while lighting candles or a cigarette, and who accidentally burns her hair knows how awful the smell is," said Sue Phillips, founder and CEO, Scentarium and author of The Power of Perfume. "Who would EVER want to wear a perfume like that?"
But with a name like Musk, the billionaire joked it was inevitable that he would enter the fragrance business.
Phillips pointed out that only Elon Musk could have launched Burnt Hair, due to his notoriety as being the wealthiest man in the world and he's having fun with it. If an unknown person or company launched such a scent, it would neve see the light of day, she observed.
"The fragrance industry has always promoted positivity, sexuality, confidence and this is a direct swipe at the enormous sums of money marketers spend on advertising and promotion," she said.
So whatever its first-year sales, Phillips doesn't expect Burnt Hair to capture a FiFi, The Fragrance Foundation's awards for new scents and classics.
Still, the joke may be on all of us, said Phillips.
"Musk is laughing all the way to the bank!"
On the product website, tongue-in-cheek proclamations include: "Just like leaning over a candle at the dinner table, but without all the hard work" and "Stand out in a crowd! Get noticed as you walk through the airport."
Since it's not available until early next year, there's not much info on Burnt Hair, but in a Twitter post, Musk urged readers to "Please buy my perfume so I can buy Twitter."
An expensive joke? Not when it comes to the world's richest man, whose fortune is estimated to be in excess of $200 billion. Perhaps Musk is expanding his empire by targeting the surging fine fragrance market. The prestige sector posted gains of 30% last year, according to NPD.
At least one fragrance industry expert is scratching her head over the debut of Burnt Hair.
"Every woman who has singed her hair with either hot rollers, curling irons, hair straighteners, or while lighting candles or a cigarette, and who accidentally burns her hair knows how awful the smell is," said Sue Phillips, founder and CEO, Scentarium and author of The Power of Perfume. "Who would EVER want to wear a perfume like that?"
But with a name like Musk, the billionaire joked it was inevitable that he would enter the fragrance business.
Phillips pointed out that only Elon Musk could have launched Burnt Hair, due to his notoriety as being the wealthiest man in the world and he's having fun with it. If an unknown person or company launched such a scent, it would neve see the light of day, she observed.
"The fragrance industry has always promoted positivity, sexuality, confidence and this is a direct swipe at the enormous sums of money marketers spend on advertising and promotion," she said.
So whatever its first-year sales, Phillips doesn't expect Burnt Hair to capture a FiFi, The Fragrance Foundation's awards for new scents and classics.
Still, the joke may be on all of us, said Phillips.
"Musk is laughing all the way to the bank!"