“I love fragrance, so I want to work with it!” “I am thinking about changing jobs within the fragrance industry, but I do not know where to look…” For anyone feeling that way, I have gathered a variety of job listings.
Working as a Perfume Sales Associate
Like other industries, the perfume industry has a range of positions, including sales and marketing as well as perfume sales associates on the shop floor. But the most frequently advertised and most prominent role is that of perfume sales associate. If a brand sells in stores, its office staff should listen to its sales associates. Whatever difficulties they face, it is the sales associates who enthusiastically introduce the company’s products in stores, stand at the front line of its branding, and hear the most from customers.
As mentioned above, perfume sales associates work closest to customers and have the greatest opportunity to experience the joy of the job. You do not need specialist knowledge: if you have a love of perfume and good customer-service skills, customers will keep coming to you. On the other hand, there are disadvantages, such as having to learn the rules of the department store or building where the shop is located, standing all day, and salaries that are not particularly high.
In the following job information, I would like to introduce vacancies and companies covering both perfume sales associates and office positions.
Job Information (Updated July 2023)
Note: I have linked to the websites where each company had recruitment information. Please be aware that there may no longer be any vacancies, or that a brand may have changed the recruitment website it uses.
Bluebell Japan
A foreign-owned company that operates L’Atelier des Parfums in department stores and malls throughout Japan. In Japan it handles dozens of well-known fashion-fragrance and perfume-house brands, as well as brands such as Manolo Blahnik. Its strength in offering a variety of perfumes has become even more impressive with the recent addition of Frédéric Malle, Kilian, and Maison Crivelli. You could potentially gain a considerable amount of knowledge in just one year of working there.
My impression is that many long-serving staff have been leaving recently, so the possibility of reaching a chief-level position within a few years is not zero. The recent increase in male staff is interesting, too. However, sales associates’ pay and time off fall short of those at other major cosmetics companies.
The Estée Lauder Companies
Operating under the official company name ELC Japan Co., Ltd., the Estée Lauder group has a portfolio of many different brands. A notable feature is the largest amount of department-store floor space, occupied by brands such as Estée Lauder, Jo Malone, Tom Ford, MAC, Clinique, Le Labo, La Mer, and Aveda. Above all, as at Bluebell Japan, the employee discount applies to all brands, making this an irresistible company for cosmetics and perfume lovers.
FITS Corporation
Founded in 1990, FITS is a Japanese company whose main businesses are importing and selling products and manufacturing and selling cosmetics. It handles fragrances from Abercrombie & Fitch, Ariana Grande, Cristiano Ronaldo, and others. I think many of its perfume brands are mainly available at drugstores or can be bought for around ¥5,000.
Intermode Kawabe
Alongside Bluebell Japan, Kawabe Fragrance has long operated perfume counters on department-store cosmetics floors. Like Bluebell, it imports not only perfumes but also fashion accessories. Its perfume range includes perfume-house brands such as Miller Harris and Hermetica, as well as fashion fragrances such as Ferragamo and Versace.
Nose Shop
In terms of the number of perfumes it carries alone, Nose Shop surpasses even Bluebell Japan, and it has been the hottest name in perfume retail over the past few years. As well as established niche-fragrance players such as Nicolai (in Japanese) and Histoires de Parfums, it was quick to stock brands that have been attracting attention, such as BDK Parfums and Tauer Perfumes. Its recent achievement of bringing Amouage to Japan for the first time is surely something only Nose Shop could have accomplished.
I have nothing but admiration for Nose Shop as it takes on one new challenge after another: sales associates introducing products on social media, fragrance radio, expansion into department stores, creating its own brand (KO-GU), and perfume capsule-toy machines. Nose Shop is recruiting both sales associates and office staff, and there is no doubt that, if you want to, you can take on a variety of challenges during this early growth phase. However, perhaps because the returns from importing and selling are low, salaries are somewhat low.
Coloria
As of 2023, Coloria is probably the company with the most momentum in the perfume industry. It deserves credit for achieving the greatest social-media success in the industry, establishing its position in subscriptions, and striving to lead the way by hiring many systems engineers in an industry that is not especially IT-savvy.
What concerns me, however, is that despite having hired many systems engineers for some time and increased its workforce, there have been no particularly major changes in the business itself, and it continues to rely on controversial influencer marketing. It is still a young company, so those who agree with its marketing and direction may be able to grow along with it.
Celes
Alongside Coloria, Celes is one of the two leading players in perfume subscriptions. Compared with Coloria’s image as a venture company for people intent on aggressively building their careers, Celes gives me the impression of a small, select team steadily winning repeat customers. If you would prefer a more relaxed atmosphere than Coloria’s, this might be a better choice. What they share is that they are companies with their futures ahead of them, where you can contribute your own ideas and grow together.
Edit(h)
Although it does not advertise vacancies on its official website, it seems to recruit occasionally through its representative’s Instagram account. If you are interested, you might want to follow the account or send a direct message. To find out what kind of brand Edit(h) is, see this article (in Japanese).
