OFF BEAT: Bieber scent stinks up cosmetic firm's fragrance sales

A cosmetic company’s plans to hitch its financial wagon to pint-sized pop star Justin Bieber has come back to haunt it.

Elizabeth Arden Inc. said this week that its net sales for the fiscal year ended June 30 were $1.164 billion, a decrease of 13.4% from the prior year. The company pinned its financial flop squarely on the tiny shoulders of Mr. Bieber, whose collection of perfumes failed to meet sales targets.

“The decline in sales of celebrity fragrances, particularly the Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift fragrances, was steeper than anticipated,” the company said in a statement.

Given Mr. Bieber’s propensity for petulant behavior, maybe Elizabeth Arden should have smelled trouble.