This year's FiFi Awards voting open to the public

(Gucci)

For the first time ever, the American fragrance foundation is inviting those who actually buy the perfumes to cast their vote for the industry's most prestigious awards.

In addition to the FiFis' traditional prizes for Fragrance of the Year, Packaging of the Year, and Hall of Fame - which this year will be given to French designer Jean Paul Gaultier - the new Consumers' Choice Award will recognize the public's favorite men's and women's perfumes from all sectors and distribution channels.

According to the foundation, the nominees, which include prestige perfumes such as Gucci Guilty as well as more accessible scents like Victoria's Secret's Bombshell or celebrity fragrances, are "a reflection of the wide breadth of perfume pleasures, artistry, and creativity that continually captivate our senses of smell, not to mention a nod to the sometimes difficult purchasing decisions we fragrance shoppers make at fragrance counters across the US..."

Voting is open to US residents only and will close on May 12. International editions of the awards, including in France and Germany, have already considered the public vote in past years.

http://www.fragrance.org