According to the Germany-based company Bell Flavors & Fragrances EMEA, the upcoming years will provide a wide range of fragrances reflecting people’s desire for authenticity and regional products. This trend, coming from the food industry, is now developing in fragrances.
The nativeness of Northern European landscapes delights consumers. They hold countless fragrance treasures such as wildflowers, seabuckthorn and cloudberries, and will inspire fragrance interpretations in both personal and household care products.
Another key theme that also reflects the demand for nature-inspired scents is tea. The traditional beverage which promises well-being and balance is expected to get another push in the context of the detox trend. Also, citric notes make up interesting fragrance directions in combination with tea.
Despite consumers’ quest for authenticity and tradition, another trend is the yearning for the exotic. Examples for fragrances following this attitude are new citric notes. These trends, along with ultra violet as the colour of the year, will shape personal care and household care products until 2020.
New fragrance usages
Corentin Le Men, Co-founder of Mimesis Parfums sees that after the Oud trend which had its origin in the niche market and has cascaded down to the prestige market, new ingredients such as tiaré flower and sunny notes will be more dominant in the next few years. While these notes have been under-represented for a long time, several houses are now launching or working on launches with them. Le Men is convinced that the “gourmande” or “sugary” trend which was very much en vogue in the past few years is evolving into sugary/spicy notes. Indeed, many launches now are downplaying the round notes to spice them up and electrify them, such as Twiggy from Hermès.
Mimesis Parfums’ core concept is to innovate in the fragrance field by offering new uses and routines. The company developed a holistic olfactory ritual that brings together fragrance and hair care. The raw materials of this fragrant ritual serve as hair care actives. Corentin Le Men’s vision for the future is: “There is a need for a more holistic approach for fragrancing, not only in body fragrance but also home fragrance, olfactive signatures in public spaces and new fragrance tools such as concretes, milks and alcohol free fragrances.”
Superfoods and naturals inspire perfumery universes
Carla Romagosa, Marketing Manager from Cosmo Fragances, is convinced that personal care brands are driving towards a “premiumisation”, especially in segments with lower growth rates. Hair care and body care are focusing on new packaging, targets and segments (men, organic, specific treatments). According to Romagosa, new active ingredients around superfoods and natural organic approaches inspire most of the latest perfumery universes.
Healing aromatic herbs notes, detoxifying citrus with a hint of sparkling spicy ginger, fresh airy fruits for colourful fragrances, green watery coconut notes or ayurvedic plants are currently some of the main fragrance trends in personal care products.
Natural fragrances for the removal of pollution odours
Bhuvana Nageshwaran, Director F & F from Ultra International, believes that the most recent trend in the field of fine fragrance is a unisex line inspired by oriental notes. The company’s latest development has been vegan fragrances. Nageshwaran is convinced that the perfumes and fragrances of the future will be developed to remove dangerous odours created by pollution.
The importance of influencers in product development
Mireille Wick, Marketing Manager of Azur Fragrances, thinks that the biggest trend in personal care is natural beauty care, largely fuelled by the Millenials and their quest for transparency in the brands they adhere to. Mainstream brands, and just not Indie brands, are going natural.
The second trend, perhaps even craze, is the role of beauty-vloggers in product development, as seen with FA Shower Secrets, the Impulse deodorant and shower line, the growing success of EcoLab or again Zoella Beauty. Because consumers are actively looking for other people’s opinions about products, the beauty-vloggers take on a status of influencer, and the products are seen as more credible when recommended by another user, the beauty-vlogger.
Fine fragrance continues to be influenced by the fashion world. Couture brands go back to Gabrielle Chanel’s famous words “Fashion changes but style endures”. The industry has become more subdued in packaging and bottle design with a return to what counts: the fragrance inside. This is influenced by Indie brands who view fragrance as the most important aspect of the product, hence their use of one bottle design for their entire range of fragrances. Floral fruity fragrances were popular in 2017, however oriental fragrances continue to feature on the top of the pops of sales. Interestingly, women’s fragrances are woodier than before.
Ingredient stories inspired by Australia and the Amazon
Selena Thomas, Marketing Manager UK from CPL Aromas says that product personalisation has been a big trend in fragrances. There is a strong trend for products that enhance well-being, and fragrance can play a vital role in these products by utilising aromas to help trigger an emotion. On-trend destinations also influence the latest fragrance trends, for example Australia and the Amazon are inspiring interesting ingredient stories.
www.cplaromas.com
The tuberose shakes off its image of an outdated flower
Ulrich Jensch, Managing Director Germany & CEE Markets, Robertet Group, is convinced that consumers’ highly digitalised and often stressful lifestyles make focusing on the essential ‘less is more’ a key trend. This minimalistic trend is reflected by element-inspired fragrances: water (aquatic or fresh), air (marine accords or clean musks), fire (aldehydic or woody ambery) and earth (woody).
Fine fragrances currently represent the image of a confident, powerful woman with florals such as tuberose or edible notes. For many years, little attention was paid to the tuberose as a key fragrance ingredient. Recent launches, however, highlight its noble multi-faceted character, in contrast to its former image of an outdated, heady flower. As the tuberose offers a refined and sophisticated accord, perfumers now take advantage of its softness. Most importantly, the recognisably enchanting scent of the tuberose remains a symbol of sensuality.
www.azur-fragrances.com, www.belle-europe.com, www.cosmo-fragrances.com, www.cplaromas.com, www.mimesisparfums.com, www.robertet.com, www.ultrainternational.com