Ah, there’s nothing like the sweet smell of success. That’s what this bastion of ostentatious wealth wants you to believe — quite literally.
The City of Beverly Hills is launching its own line of perfumes this week as the first products in a long-term quest to turn the city’s trademarked shield logo into a brand. You could call it, ahem, 9021-Eau.
“This is a center of fashion, sophistication, energy,” said Mayor Jimmy Delshad. “We decided this was the right product for us.”
The three-fragrance set, developed by Swiss perfumiers specifically for the city, will be the initial products in a Beverly Hills beauty line that will roll out over the next year.
Beverly Hills being all about living la vida luxurious, these items won’t come Costco cheap. The perfumes will retail in department stores for $120 each, starting in January. To be launched later next year, a men’s cologne will go for $75, while the hydration skin treatments will be priced from $50 to $100. Other cosmetics will follow.
The city, the local Chamber of Commerce and marketing firm Bradford Licensing will split royalty proceeds. While sales are anyone’s guess, the city hopes to reap $500,000 over five years, said Dan Walsh, chief executive of the Chamber. The cash will fund the city and chamber’s marketing budgets.
Branding consultants said they couldn’t recall another city with its own beauty products, but of course, not every city is Beverly Hills.
“When I think of Beverly Hills, I think of ground zero in conspicuous- consumption lifestyle,” said Pam Danziger, president of Unity Marketing, which studies the affluent consumer. “Every city has souvenirs, so for Beverly Hills, why not some perfume? It makes sense.”
With its palm-lined drives, mansion-dotted canyons and a shopping-chic business district that caters to the uber-rich, Beverly Hills has been prominently featured not only as the backdrop in countless TV shows and movies, but in the titles of several, from “Beverly Hillbillies” to “Beverly Hills Cops.”
