At London's Ham Yard Hotel, 100s of the world's finest perfumers, marketers and brand leaders joined together for a scintillating (... scentillating?) day of insights and analysis of the fragrance industry.
Selling scent digitally is of course inherently difficult, by the very nature of the product - but through trends like “smellmaxxing”, the enormous growth of the TikTok Shop, and influencers personal recommendations (“you’ll smell EDIBLE!” “you’ll get ENDLESS COMPLIMENTS!”), more and more perfume is retailing online.
It’s generally great news all around for perfumers, as volume sales are increasing. Gen Z (or “Zalpha” if you will…) - are going mad for what’s been coined fragrance wardrobes; having multiple scents for different occasions.
Your work colleagues know you as fresh and citrussy, your date nights are dark and moody. Ta-da. Out with signature scents, in with a personal fragrance portfolio to fit every mood. Or to make it even more unique and personal? Layer them up. Consider yourself smell-maxxed!
Digital leaders like TikTok and Google illuminated this growth, and beauty experts highlighted the shift in marketing language in the fragrance world; moving from descriptors (e.g. “woody”) to emotional identity levers - (e.g. “dark academia meets cottage core”).
This shift is hardly surprising, given we’re more and more buying into idealised lifestyles, not just products.
