The fragrance market is over saturated and quite frankly consumers are getting bored because brands are lacking innovation and confidence. If the industry does not adapt, fragrance risks being left further behind. Nevertheless, perfume is still a luxury product and the global perfume market is projected to reach US$64.6 billion by 2023. there is an obvious demand towards prestige and niche fragrances , proving to be very successful in todays market. There are particular trends in the current fragrance market that are becoming more and more popular, being the reason large commercial fragrance lines are falling behind.
From secondary research, I have decided on three main trends that seem to be making a break through in the fragrance industry
1) Simplicity/ Purity
2) Green fragrance
3) Genderless scents
“Sales of prestige fragrance grew by 1.4% whilst celebrity fragrances fall by 22%”
The 1st trend I picked up on is simplicity-
A prominent trend in the current market is simplicity and the pure, organic aesthetic. Niche brands are releasing basic yet poignant scents that appeal to all. They are also using this in their marketing, creating minimalistic packaging that isn’t restricted to a single gender.
Byredo do this well, using the simplest high quality raw materials, they are able to focus solely on quality rather than appearance. Consumers are conscious of brands that are using organic and sustainable ingredients, and reflecting this in the product packaging also allows a consumer to use their imagination to make it their own- revealing a potential gap in the market whereby consumers need individuality.
The 2nd trend I picked up on is ‘Green’-
“33% of American women polled claimed that purchasing all-natural fragrances was important to them”
The green movement is sweeping across the fragrance category. Retailers and producers are also striving for product ingredient transparency in fragrances, including, animal welfare and sustainability. With veganism growing so rapidly, vegans are looking for perfumes without animal extracts/fixatives. Its important the beauty industry recognise this demand.
The 3rd trend I found was Genderless scent-
A huge trend that’s becoming increasingly popular is unisex fragrances. Gender is no longer the first question that customers ask about a fragrance. Today’s consumers are looking for a scent, an experience or an emotion, whatever is going to make it their own. Before ww2, perfumes were already unisex, so the trend is essentially being brought back to its roots. From primary research, I visited the brand Le Labo because I wanted to find out more about these unisex fragrances. ‘Being a unisex brand, there is no specific target audience, it appeals to everyone and that’s what I love about it’. I particularly liked the organic feel of the store, packaging is clean, simple and the aesthetic of the store was very monochromatic, reflecting the unisex choice well.
KIRSTY BROWN 