The Cosmopolitan Awards 2009: First Edition: Best, Sexiest, Freshest Perfumes {Fragrance News}

I have to confess that I have not been following the perfume awards this year very assiduously as each time I glanced over the list of winners I started feeling a sense of unspeakable dullness and near-narcolepsy overcome me and could not get to type in the results. I thought that the selections this year were particularly stilted or it may just be the natural feeling of cynicism I experience in my fourth year as a perfume blogger. Maybe it's the recession effect. Maybe I ought to elaborate a bit more and perhaps I will.

For now, I happened on the inaugural Cosmopolitan Awards for 2009. The reason why I am posting about their selection is not because I think the list is more groundbreaking but because I noticed two things. The first one is that they use less standard categories of appreciation like "sexiest perfume of the year" or "freshest perfume of the year"...

The second one is that they provide a two-tiered experts vs. public prizes and what struck me was how much more conservative the public was than the more au courant experts. Looking at the parallel selections, you come to realize that the public is at least two years behind the experts as if their tastes took much more longer to feel the beat of the new. I think this is interesting because it illustrates the type of findings from the research I did in the past on popular culture in other areas. Another more common example seen in the beauty blogosphere is the span of time for haute couture ideas to get accepted by the public. It takes a little while.

So here we go:

Freshest for Women: Chanel Eau Première

Freshest for Men: Dior Homme Sport

Sexiest for Women: Esteé Lauder Sensuous

Sexiest for Men: Guerlain Homme

Most Romantic for Women: Gucci Flora

Most Original for Men: Lalique White Pour Homme

Best Classic for Women: Clinique Aromatics Elixir

Best Classic for Men: YSL Kouros

Most Deliciously Fragranced Bath & Body Line: Thierry Mugler Angel Body Line.

Best Celebrity for Women: Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers G

Best Celebrity for Men: Usher UR

Best Fragrance Packaging Women: Narciso Rodriguez Essence

Best Fragrance Packaging for Men: Givenchy Play

Readers' Awards:

Freshest for Women: DKNY Be Delicious

Freshest for Men: Davidoff Cool Water

Sexiest Women: Dior J'adore

Sexiest Men: Hugo Boss Boss

Best Celeb Scent for Women: Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely

Best Celeb Scent for Men: Intimately Beckham for Him

Best Bottle for Women: Burberry The Beat

Best Bottle for Men: Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle

Via Cosmetics Business