If you have ever shopped for cologne, you know that it can be quite costly.
With the prices of soaps and deodorants being relatively fair, it can be hard to understand why cologne is so expensive.
There are some significant reasons behind this expense.
Hopefully, after reading this through, you will understand why cologne is so expensive and what you can do to keep costs down.
Why Is Cologne So Expensive?
1. Rare Ingredients
Cologne is made with some rare ingredients.
The ingredients that are put into cologne are sometimes hard to source and can be quite costly.
When you add these ingredients to a product, it is going to increase the cost of the product quite significantly.
Some of the ingredients that are in cologne are sourced from animals or plants that can be hard to find.
You will also notice that a lot of colognes have some type of essential oil in them.
Essential oil is going to increase the costs as well.
These oils take a long time to produce, and they have a difficult and involved manufacturing process.
When processing just one drop of essential oil, you can sometimes use hundreds of plants.
Of course, this ends up adding to the overall cost of the cologne.
Some colognes are made with basic ingredients, and you will notice that these are the ones that have slightly more affordable prices.
However, most men who wear cologne will notice a distinct difference between the ones that use high-end ingredients and those that don’t.
If you want to choose a cologne that stands out and has a unique scent, it is going to be costly.
2. Marketing
Another major reason that cologne is so expensive is the high cost associated with marketing.
Unfortunately, marketing of any product is getting to be more and more expensive.
Not only does it cost quite a bit to feature products on social media and television, but there are additional hidden costs that people don’t see.
With the growing importance of marketing, companies need to hire marketing directors and assistants to help get their programs up and running.
These people are full-time employees with salaries.
The fact that they spend so much time working on the marketing means that there could be an entire marketing team to some degree.
Cologne companies have no choice but to advertise.
With the other suppliers on the market, it is nearly impossible to run a large company simply through word of mouth.
Marketing costs need to be covered when the customer purchases a product.
When all the costs have been covered and all people have made their fair share of the product, only then can the final pricing be determined.
As you can imagine, marketing will have a pretty high impact on the price of the cologne.
This is why many people tend to choose a smaller cologne company that does not spend quite as much on marketing.
They may feel that the costs they are paying for the products are not nearly as wrapped up in overhead costs.
You will see that the majority of the costs are in the ingredients and the quality of the product.
This makes things a bit easier for people to justify when making a purchasing decision.
If you saw an ad for some cologne and thought the ad was great, chances are you will pay a bit of money for this when you make your final purchase.
3. Exclusive Scents
The interesting thing about colognes is that some people will choose one scent and stick with it for the rest of their lives.
Others will change up the cologne that they wear quite often.
The bottom line is that most people don’t want to wear the same scent as someone else in their home or their workplace.
The scent that a cologne gives off is very unique.
These unique scents mean more manufacturing and sourcing of unique ingredients.
People don’t tend to mind paying a bit extra to have a smell that is unique and will allow them to stand out from other people.
If you want something that is unique and different from what other people are wearing, then the choice of cologne is quite important.
Choosing something that is basic or run of the mill will probably not stand out from others.
People won’t be able to distinguish what exactly it is you are wearing, and it won’t be regarded as being as exclusive.
If, however, you can wear something that is unique and interesting, it will undoubtedly bring more positive attention.
As with anything that is considered exclusive, the pricing tends to be quite a bit higher.
Luckily, most people will have the ability to make this choice for themselves as they decide which cologne is the right fit for their budget and their needs.
4. Luxury Item
Cologne is not a necessary item for people to purchase.
Even if you are a high-powered executive who needs to look and smell great for every meeting you walk into, cologne is still not required.
The fact that this is considered to be a luxury item is going to increase the price.
Since most of the people who are buying cologne are going to have higher income levels, they are targeted and essentially charged more.
When you look at any type of luxury item, from boats to high-end shoes to fancy cars, the pricing gets quite high.
This has everything to do with the potential customer whom this company is trying to sell to.
The customer has to have plenty of discretionary income to make sure that they can afford something like cologne.
If you want to save money on cologne, these companies assume you simply won’t buy it.
If you are a person who plans to buy cologne, it is assumed that you have plenty of extra money to spend.
5. Expensive Packaging
Most of the time, cologne is placed in expensive packaging.
Although the bottles may be quite small, they are usually made to be of very high quality.
There are a few reasons behind this.
One reason is that the higher-end bottles are going to give the product a more premium feel.
People are going to have an easier time paying $60 for a tiny glass bottle as opposed to something plastic that looks like a soap dispenser.
Another reason behind the packaging is the ability to keep the cologne in good condition.
The cologne needs to be properly stored so that it will maintain its effectiveness for years to come.
Finally, the packaging must be made durable as the cologne is something that is likely to last a person many years.
Most people don’t go through bottles of cologne all that quickly because such a small amount is used at a time.
It could take years to completely finish a bottle of cologne, and that is taken into account when the cologne is manufactured and packaged.
On top of all this, the packaging has to make the product look good.
There is lots of branding and advertising that goes into great packaging.
It’s likely that the logo is prominently displayed on the package for customers to see for years to come.
If this is a brand that also makes other products, they will want customers to be seeing their cologne each and every day.
The more times that a person sees a logo and is exposed to it, the more likely they are to recognize it and purchase that brand in a store.
How to Save Money on Cologne
We have now given you some really good reasons for cologne being so expensive.
These reasons help to explain the costs and make them a bit more justifiable for most consumers.
If you are still leery about spending too much money on cologne, you may want to look for some ways to save money on cologne.
Here are a few of the most common ways that you can save a bit of money.
1. Take Advantage of Holiday Sales
When we advise you to take advantage of holiday sales, we’re talking about looking at the after-holiday sales.
Manufacturers are known for making it look like they are offering a great deal for holiday sales when, in reality, they are not taking that big of a markdown.
They do this so that they can take advantage of making money at a time when people really need the products.
One way that you can make sure you get some great pricing is to start shopping when the holidays are complete.
If a retailer was not able to sell as much of their product as they wanted to, they may put some deep discounts in place.
2. Choose a Brand and Stick with It
Another great way to save money on cologne is to choose a brand and stick with it.
This will help to make sure that you get the best discounts for being a loyal customer.
Typically, if a company knows you have been a customer for many years, they will send loyalty or repeat customer discount coupons.
These coupons are typically quite a bit better than other coupons offered.
The reason behind this is that it is much cheaper for a company to retain a customer than to seek out a new one.
If you want to take advantage of loyalty coupons and discounts, you must buy directly from the manufacturer.
This way, you will be set up in their system and able to save the most money.
3. Purchase the Bigger Bottle
When you find a cologne that you like, you should purchase it in bulk.
The price that you pay per ounce will be considerably lower when you purchase in bulk as opposed to purchasing a small amount at a time.
The bigger bottle will cost more upfront, but you are getting a much better deal in the long run.
If you buy high-quality cologne, it will last a long time, and you won’t need to worry about it going bad.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand why cologne is so expensive.
Although you pay a lot of money for a bottle of cologne, you can rest assured that it is going to last you a long time.
Cologne is a nice gift to get a person because many people are not able to fit the price of cologne into their budget.
If you spend money on a good cologne, it will last a long time, and it will be different from something that others are wearing.
Take some time to do your research on cologne and make sure that you are not just paying for a label.
Choose one that fits your style and your reason for wearing it and combine that with the room you have in your budget.
