WHAT

Fragrance brands have an opportunity to utilize scent textures and formats to appeal to teens and young adults.

WHY

The global fragrance market has seen signs of stagnation during the past five years, but it has been revived by the introduction of new textures and formats. With a current market size of more than $32 billion, encouraging continued innovation has the potential to increase the growth of the category.

WHAT BRANDS CAN DO!

try transformative textures

The skincare market can provide a source of inspiration for fragrances. To make a functional category like fragrances more appealing to today’s younger, social media-savvy generation, visual effects such as glitter are gaining momentum.

There is also space for transformative perfumes, which can offer a visual effect or transformation when applied to the skin. For example, fragrances that transform from cream to powder or milk to oil present a new opportunity to boost excitement in usage.

Generation Z, dubbed the AVID consumer by Mintel, is looking for beauty products to be fun and exciting, with multisensory stimulus identified as a way beauty brands can stand out with younger consumers in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
 

broaden fragrance routines

The expansion of sensory experiences presents an opportunity to promote fragrance routines among teens, promoting different textures as for specific occasions, times or body parts. In 2018, Givaudan Active Beauty launched the “fragrance on the move” concept, a collection of four products sitting between cosmetics and fragrance that offer beauty benefits as well as scent. The collection is described as a sensory experience and includes the Sensation Leg Mist, which features a cooling sensation.

Fragrance routines can be encouraged with connecting packaging. For example, a main spray bottle packaged with a detachable, portable solid variant can encourage on-the-go touch-up application.
 

expand bedroom-centric design

Young adults are more likely to feel that fragrance has an impact on their mood, making them an important consumer group for home fragrances as well as personal scents. Young consumers in the U.S. show more interest than their older counterparts in using perfumed candles. This signifies a greater marketplace for innovative home perfumes among this age group.

The home fragrance market can be expanded by teen-centered innovation. The U.S. holds the biggest opportunity because it currently accounts for more than half of the global “aircare” market. Visual innovation can also be expanded to home fragrance products by using new and teen-centric design. Shifting the focus toward the bedroom and clothes will appeal to a young audience who do not necessarily have space for themselves.

Products that fragrance both the individual and the room, such as an attachment to emit fragrance from a hairdryer, will have a multifunctional appeal.