Smelling like a dog may soon be a compliment.
Italian fashion brand Dolce & Gabbana is catering to the well-heeled pampered pet crowd with a new “fragrance mist” designed exclusively for dogs.
At $100-a-bottle, Fefé, named for D&G cofounder Domenico Dolce’s own pooch, promises a “gentle and delicate” scent made to be gently worked into the fur to give your fragrant Fido “a moment of scented pampering.”
The alcohol-free mist comes in a spearmint-colored glass bottle adorned with a 24-carat gold-plated paw print featuring the Dolce & Gabbana logo.
The steep price tag is offset somewhat with the included D&G dog collar featuring the same 24K gold-plated doggie paw from the bottle.
According to D&G, the fragrance combines scents like musk, sandalwood and ylang-ylang for an “olfactory masterpiece” it claims appeals to dogs, though it does advise avoiding the nose area when applying the scent.
The 40-second ad for the new product shows a variety of well-groomed pups posed on a stool for a photoshoot, each juxtaposed with a descriptor like “delicate,” “authentic” and “enigmatic.”
There’s a wide variety of similar products on the market, including up-market choices in the $100-a-bottle range. But Fefé is the first to be released by an established purveyor of luxury goods for humans.
According to Forbes, the pet industry has surged in recent years, with 2023 spending reaching an eye-popping $303 billion, up 16% from 2022.
Although Fefé sounds like a fun whimsical product, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told The Guardian that buyers should consider their pup’s sensitive noses before slathering them in pricey canine cologne.
“Sometimes dogs can be anthropomorphized and the lines can become blurred between what dogs like and what we, as humans, think they’ll like,” RSPCA senior scientific officer Alice Potter told the outlet.
“Dogs rely on their sense of smell to communicate and interact with their environment as well as the people and other animals within it. Therefore we advise that strong-scented products such as perfumes or sprays are avoided, especially as some smells can be really unpleasant for dogs.”
