Selling Scent as Self-Care

As 50% of American women are interested in fragrances linked to physical or mental wellbeing (Circana, 2023), and ‘scent therapy’ counts 57 million TikTok views, promoting perfumes’ therapeutic potential is a smart move. ‘Well-scent’ strategies are skewing both spiritual and scientific, from the New Age leanings of Singaporean perfume bar Oo La Lab’s workshops to the resilience-rooted app of British ‘functional fragrance’ start-up Øthers.

Olfactory E-Comm: AI-Powered Discovery & Virtual Immersion

E-commerce represents a comparatively minor yet increasingly important proportion of global fragrance sales at 11.9% (Statista, 2024). Innovation hotspots include generative Al tools guiding consumers’ online scent selection (American Gen Zers now use online questionnaires more frequently than in-store consultations to find personalised beauty products – 49% versus 33%; Statista, 2024) and the virtual world’s potential for leisurely, shoppable storytelling.

Epicurean Connections

Drawing on luxury’s roots in sensory indulgence, other shrewd fragrance brands (both luxury and mainstream) are differentiating themselves by foregrounding mixology and gastronomy – aligning perfumes and fine wines to confer connoisseurly prestige or via smell-and-sip tasting events offering accessible discovery forums. Elsewhere, foodie collaborations are tapping into the megatrend of food-inspired gourmand scents (see Key Stats).

Intellectualising Aroma: Scent-Curious Retail Libraries

Other brands are restyling perfumeries as libraries for consumers seeking slower, learning-couched product discovery. Aside from providing edifying analogue urban sanctuaries, curated reading lists are signposting brand values (including a feminist focus) and expertise (in-house perfumers’ source texts). The bibliophilic perfumery trend is particularly prominent in China – the world’s fastest-growing fragrance market (see Key Stats).

Next-Gen Fragrance Fandoms: Onboarding Zalphas

Brands targeting the next wave of scent consumers are echoing the offbeat, vibes-led and candid discussions on scent happening on #PerfumeTok, which drives 66% of Gen Zers’ perfume purchases globally (Circana, 2024). Notable concepts include generation-appropriate spins on IRL (in real life) personalised perfume-blending and early-stage olfactory science lessons for budding Gen Alpha fragrance fans.