Business Notes MARKETING

With Elizabeth Taylor, Cher and Liza Minnelli all cashing in on the profit potential of perfumes named after them, it was inevitable that male celebrities would be next. Among the stars for whom perfumers are developing scents: Mikhail Baryshnikov, Julio Iglesias and Muhammad Ali.

Probably the most ambitious perfume peddler is Herb Alpert, the trumpeter. He spent five years mixing his own curiosities in a lab at home before coming up with Listen, a floral scent for women. Muses Alpert: "A fragrance has an opening note, a treble, bass and midrange." His product, a sellout in California boutiques, may achieve volume as well.