Scent appeal

How are home fragrance sales performing?

I believe there’s been an increase in interest since the pandemic. It’s not been constant, as we could see a decline once people started going out more. But I can confidently say that home fragrance is a staple in homes more so than ever.

What are the benefits to retailers of stocking home fragrance?

Home fragrance products are great gifts. They last longer than flowers, usually come in beautiful packaging, and can transform the feeling of a space.

How can a retailer create an exceptional home fragrance experience in-store?

Categorise products based on their scent profile versus brand if possible, starting with the lightest scent and working up to the stronger woods and resins. If a person likes the smell of more floral scents, it makes it easier for them to smell and compare these this way than smelling by brand. the wax which is not visually appealing. What features do customers look for when selecting home fragrance?

Also, highlight the fragrance notes. Although they may be written on the packaging, highlighting them on a display will make it easier for people to read and emotionally connect with the fragrance.

A beautiful aesthetic and a not too intrusive scent. However, I think this is changing: as people are looking for more individual fragrances to wear on their bodies, this will also transfer to the home fragrance category. And it’s easier to change the scent of your living room than to change the curtains!

What fragrances do you predict will be big news in 2023?

Furthermore, the products should be easily smellable. I highly recommend using a glass dome to cover the candles, making it easy for people to lift the dome to smell the candle or the scented air in the dome. This keeps dust from settling directly on

Future of Smell is a scent innovation agency which helps companies envision future scent products and experiences, merging human needs with cutting edge research. It offers scent and experience development for environments, products, and ecommerce.

A new tool developed by Olivia is ScentGenie: a text-to-scent recommendation engine powered by AI (www.scentgenie.ai). It can be connected to a website and help customers find fragrances on that site based on descriptions like ‘a floral dress on a romantic summer evening’. Basically any description around a mood, time of day, feeling, or even a list of ingredients can be decoded and ScentGenie recommends a fragrance on the site that best matches the description.

Email: info@futureofsmell.com

Visit: futureofsmell.com; @futureofsmell

Sensual warm fragrances that are cosy like a second skin and envelopingespecially for the younger generation. Gen Zs (anyone born between 1997 and 2012) have been through a lot in the past couple of years. We can see their fascination with vanilla and ultra-edible fragrances - away from the ‘clean’ pandemic. They are also seeking more playful fragrances with a focus on cherry. I think this has to do with the bold colour red and a kind of nostalgia for a simpler time.

There’s also a move to bold scents. People want to use fragrances to feel alive, empowered, and to express themselves and accentuate elements on a particular day or during a new vibe phase. So fragrances like bold woods, or where notes that seem so different in isolation create something really unique and different when combined.

Green in general will be huge. From plant leaves, freshly cut herbs, mosses, and even vegetables such as asparagus, there is a desire to be more connected to the earth.

Has there been a rise in demand in line with the wellness trend, with consumers making home fragrance part of their selfcare routine?

Yes, this is huge. Home fragrance is very much connected to wellness. It can easily enhance the ‘feel good’ element in a home and act as a sensory anchor for a ritual. For example, if every Sunday when you take a bath, you smell a specific home fragrance, and you smell it every Sunday in a specific mental state, in the future this can really help you get into that state. Also, there are now fragrances that are backed by research to help support different mental states, and this will increase. Consumers expect that a fragrance can do more than just smell good.