Vet slams Dolce & Gabbana after it releases designer fragrance for DOGS

A vet has criticised a new €99 perfume for dogs – saying that the product could cause some issues for the animals and describing the extravagance as ‘frustrating’ amid many people struggling with the cost of living.

According to the Times, the scent released by Dolce & Gabbana is named Fefé, after Domenico Dolce’s poodle, and was created by master perfumer Emilie Coppermann, who has previously developed fragrances for Balmain and Paco Rabane.

D&G describes the perfume on its website as ‘an olfactory masterpiece featuring the cocooning and warm notes of Ylang , the clean and enveloping touch of Musk, and the woody creamy undertones of Sandalwood’.

A video promoting the scent features a number of dogs sitting on a stool, alongside close-up shots of the perfume, which D&G says is ‘housed in a sleek green lacquered glass bottle, adorned with a vibrant red metal cap and a precious 24-carat gold-plated paw’.

Over the footage there is a voiceover, saying: ‘I am delicate, authentic, charismatic, sensitive, enigmatic, rebel, fresh, irresistible, clean.’

Dolce & Gabbana’s new dog perfume Fefé has been criticised by some experts who say it could cause some issues for the animals

The release of Fefé marks a major fashion house’s first foray into dog fragrance.

According to the product description on D&G’s website, the scent is vet approved, safety tested in vitro, and certified by Safe Pet Cosmetics.

This is an Italian company which aims to ‘ensure the safety of pet care products, comparable to the safety of human care products’.

Furthermore, in a consumer test, 100 per cent of participants who tested the fragrance on their dogs said the scent was ‘delicate’ and ‘well accepted’ by their animals.

Almost all (90 per cent) said the scent lasted all day. 

However, the product has come in for criticism from an expert, who said it could cause a number of problems. 

Fabian Rivers, a welfare ambassador for the RSPCA and specialist small animal vet, told the Times that people may use the fragrance to mask unpleasant odours coming from their dog – instead of seeking veterinary advice about possible skin conditions causing the smell.

The perfume (pictured) which was created by master perfumer Emilie Coppermann, costs €99 for a 100ml bottle

He also noted that dogs might find the scent ‘distracting or unpleasurable’, though he added that dogs have such sophisticated noses, the perfume shouldn’t stop them from being able to smell each other without becoming confused.

Describing most dog toiletries as ‘lowbrow’, with price points (normally below £15), Fabian also discussed the high price of Fefé.

He said: ‘The fact that they’re coming into this market at such a high price is an interesting way of having people spend their money on things that have very little merit. But it’s your choice on how to spend your money.’

Fabian added that he found it ‘frustrating’ that the wealthier demographic buying this type of product are ‘finding new ways to spend their money’ while many others are financially struggling. 

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana (pictured at their Fall/Winter 2024 show during Milan Fashion Week in February) are the first major fashion designers to release a dog perfume

The idea to create the perfume was born some four years ago, after Stefano Gabbana adopted his miniature poodle Fefé.

However, the puppy did not get along with his cat, so Stefano gave Fefé to his business partner Domenico Dolce.

In an interview published by Italian newspaper the Corriere della Sera on Sunday, Domenico said he and his partner Guilherme Siqueira experienced love at first sight when they took in the dog, adding that they were ‘immediately bewitched’ by him.

The dog’s name is a diminutive of Raffaele, which Domenico said ‘means gift from God…And I, as a good Catholic, considered that this dog really was a gift from God’.

Fefé (the scent) should be applied to people’s hands or a brush, before being applied to their dog’s fur, according to the brand, which added that it can be also be directly applied to dogs, but the nose area should be avoided.