6 Top Fragrance Trends (2024-2025)
The fragrance industry, currently valued at more than $50 billion, is constantly evolving.
With consumers becoming more cost-conscious, they’re looking for fragrances that will last longer than ever before. They also expect fragrance products to serve a specific purpose, like boosting concentration or banishing negative energy.
The industry is also trying to appeal to more wellness-focused consumers and incorporate environmentally-friendly practices.
Keep reading to see six important trends expected to impact the fragrance industry in the coming months.
1. Gourmands Blend Sweet with Sophisticated
Gourmand fragrances, those scented with edible notes, have long been popular with teens. But these perfumes are now getting a sophisticated makeover.
Search interest in “gourmand perfume” has climbed more than 400% in recent years.
Today’s gourmands are geared toward nostalgia and comfort.
They’re also more nuanced, often providing notes of musk and warm spice.
Vanilla is one gourmand scent that’s becoming more sophisticated.
Search volume for “vanilla perfume” has increased 400% since 2019.
For example, Edeniste’s Vanille Irresistible combines Madagascar vanilla with rum, frankincense, vetiver, and leather-like accents.
The vanilla fragrance includes woody and smoky notes that deepen the scent.
Other sophisticated gourmand perfumes carry notes of sweet or smoky cherry.
Tom Ford’s Private Blend collection contains three cherry fragrance blends.
The Cherry Smoke offering blends dark cherry with saffron and smoked wood.
Electric Cherry brings lighter notes by combining Morello cherries with ginger and a touch of musk.
And, with black cherry and almond, Lost Cherry offers a signature perfume that lands with a scent that’s milder than the other two options from Tom Ford.
Tom Ford’s lineup of fragrances features three cherry-based products.
The popularity of pistachio perfumes is also reaching an all-time high.
In January 2023, DS & Durga kicked off the trend with the limited release of their Pistachio fragrance. Just 100 bottles were released and sold out within a few hours.
The fragrance is now part of their regular offering.
DS & Durga’s Pistachio blends the flavor with cardamom and patchouli.
There’s also Kayali’s Yum Pistachio Gelato, which creates a much sweeter-smelling fragrance by bringing together pistachio with notes of cotton candy, whipped cream, and marshmallows.
Kayali’s pistachio fragrance combines several sweet notes.
2. Long-Lasting Fragrance Goes Into Beast Mode
It’s no surprise that beauty consumers want their perfumes to last throughout the day.
However, thanks to TikTok, long-lasting perfume has taken on a whole new meaning.
“Beast mode” perfumery are those fragrances that are ultra-long lasting with up to 24 hours of scent.
Videos about “beast mode perfume” have more than 181 million views on TikTok.
TikTok users are promoting fragrances that last up to 18 hours and longer.
This trend is most frequently associated with men’s fragrances that are intense and extreme.
One example is Dior’s Sauvage Elixir.
Search volume for “Sauvage Elixir” has climbed exponentially in the past few months.
It’s a concentrated fragrance that offers a blend of rich woods and earthy spices with a burst of grapefruit.
And the product is incredibly popular on TikTok.
Videos marked with #diorsauvage have more than 1.3 billion views.
Louis Vuitton’s Ombre Nomade is another beast-mode fragrance from the luxury market.
Ombre Nomade is a bold, long-lasting fragrance.
The main scent comes from oud wood. Benzoin and raspberry provide subtle sweet notes.
Some TikTok users say the scent lasts for weeks when misted on clothing.
3. Hair Perfume Protects Hair and Provides Fragrance
While some consumers may spray regular perfumes in their hair, many people say the alcohol in the perfume dries out their hair.
Enter hair perfumes.
Hair perfumes support hair health while providing a long-lasting fragrance.
These scented products are developed with ingredients specifically aimed at improving the health of hair. Plus, they have the same fragrance effects as perfumes that are sprayed on the skin or clothing.
Some beauty experts even say this kind of fragrance can also last longer because of hair’s porous nature.
Sales of hair perfume products are climbing quickly.
Maison Francis Kurkdjian offers a hair-specific mist featuring their popular Baccarat Rouge 540 fragrance.
Search volume for “Baccarat Rouge 540” has climbed more than 1,200% since 2019.
With notes of amber, jasmine, and cedar wood, the hair perfume is formulated with castor oil instead of alcohol.
In another example, Sachajuan offers what it calls a protective hair perfume.
The Bois Noir perfume offers a rich scent that’s appropriate for men or women.
This product is clearly hair-focused. It moisturizes, reduces frizz, and refreshes hair with anti-odor technology.
As for the fragrance, Sachajuan offers two options.
The first is a light scent with clean, fruity notes.
The second is a deeper scent with hints of honey, cardamom, and sandalwood.
4. Fragrances Take on Spiritual Meanings
Since 2021, debuting fragrances that use the word “spiritual” have increased by 58%. That’s according to Mintel’s report on fragrance industry trends.
Search interest in “spiritual perfume” has increased nearly 300% in the past five years.
Fragrances that reference themes related to spirits, zodiac, and astrology are all becoming more popular.
To note, though, this trend is directly linked to ancient ceremonies in which communities of people would use ceremonial scents to please their gods.
Today, there are many fragrance blogs detailing the best scents for individuals based on their zodiac signs.
One blog cites Carole Taylor, an astrologer and author. She says Gemini should pick fresh scents that have an invigorating feel. Leo, on the other hand, should go for warm and spicy fragrances.
Viktor & Rolf’s Good Fortune fragrance is heavily inspired by astrology.
Good Fortune follows the spiritual fragrances trend.
Good Fortune’s scent is floral with strong notes of jasmine and vanilla.
Viktor and Rolf say the fragrance is “an olfactive manifesto for spirituality and self-potentialization, bringing you the power to create your own destiny.”
In another example, The Harmonist has brought several spiritual scents to the market in recent years.
The fragrance company aims to guide individuals to balance through the power of scent.
Sacred Water is one of their products.
Sacred Water is part of The Harmonist’s yang collection.
Its aroma is inspired by a tranquil sea. There are notes of minerals, citrus fruits, and ginger.
Pacifica also offers a collection of spiritual scents based on the moon.
The Moon Moods fragrances are inspired by the phases of the moon.
The Moon Moods collection features a dream moon, sunrise moon, silver moon, and others.
Each perfume is associated with a specific phase of the moon and the mood that it produces.
5. Mood-Altering Fragrances Promote Wellness
Recent scientific studies have pointed to the connection between scents and well-being.
In one study, participants who slept in a room with a diffuser with essential oils running posted a 226% improvement in learning and memory over six months.
Another study showed the scent of rose reduced the stress levels of hospital nurses.
Aromatherapy is nothing new, but today’s beauty companies are blending the concepts of perfume, aromatherapy, and wellness to create a whole new category of fragrances.
Wellness fragrances (also called functional fragrances) are formulated specifically to alter the wearer’s physiological or psychological responses.
This could be things typical of aromatherapy like relieving stress, but these fragrances also promise things like boosting energy or increasing focus.
For example, Neom Organics offers a Calming Pen.
The Calming Pen is meant to be carried in a purse and used to combat stressful moments on the go.
The rollerball tube contains lavender, Roman chamomile, and orange scents.
In a company-sponsored study, 77% of users felt relaxed after using the Calming Pen just once.
Vyrao is one fragrance company that’s been focused on functional fragrances since the company’s inception in 2021.
Search interest in “Vyrao” has been climbing since the company was first introduced in 2021.
Each product is designed to lift the wearer’s mood in a different way.
To that end, each 50 ml bottle contains a small Herkimer diamond.
Vyrao’s Georgette fragrance features Turkish rose oil to promote self-love and enlightenment. There are also notes of patchouli for grounding and guaiac wood to clear the wearer’s negative energy.
Vyrao offers its Georgette scent in a perfume and in a candle.
In another example, Scent & Fire is a wellness-focused perfume brand that offers scents formulated to boost confidence, sensuality, motivation, and balance.
The company says its Rooftop Views fragrance mist will bring wearers the confidence they need to feel like they’re on the top of a skyscraper.
The product also comes with a confidence-boosting playlist on Apple Music.
Scent & Fire enhances the mood-boosting effects of their fragrance with a playlist.
6. Plastic-Alternatives Increase Sustainability of Fragrances
Calls for increasing the sustainability of fragrances, their ingredients, and their production process have been heard for the past several months.
Perfumes are often created with ingredients that are neither ethically sourced nor sustainable.
In addition, bottles and packaging most often contain plastics. And, they’re not reusable.
Still, some companies are basing their entire business on the premise of creating sustainable fragrances.
Sustainability in the fragrance industry is measured in a variety of ways.
For example, Sana Jardin makes use of the 900 tons of orange blossom by-product that would be discarded in a landfill each year by partnering with local Moroccan women to up-cycle the waste into new products.
Sana Jardin has created a circular economy within their perfume supply chain.
The company is also using sustainable packaging.
Their boxes are made from recycled disposable coffee cups and their bottle caps are made from Vivomer, a biodegradable material.
More traditional fragrance companies are also turning toward sustainability.
In the summer of 2023, Burberry released their first refillable fragrance bottle: Burberry Goddess.
Burberry’s first refillable fragrance features hints of vanilla and lavender.
Dior, Armani, Hermes, and Prada also offer refillable fragrance bottles.
Ffern is a fragrance company taking a totally different approach.
Search interest in “Ffern” has jumped more than 1,000% in the past five years.
In an effort to reduce waste and environmental impact, Ffern collects names on a waiting list and produces one batch of perfume each season, allowing for just a single bottle of perfume to go to each individual on the waiting list.
In addition, the inner tray in the fragrance’s packaging is made from mycelium and can be reused at home to grow herbs and flowers.
Their bottles also feature a 100% recyclable cap made from kraft paper.
Ffern packages its fragrances with sustainably sourced materials.
Conclusion
That wraps up the top six trends expected to impact the fragrance industry in the coming months.
Many of these trends point to holistic fragrance experiences. With spiritual and wellness dimensions, consumers aren’t simply looking for scents. They want perfumes to connect their minds and bodies while fostering their self-care routines.
As in other industries, sustainability is becoming a key concern in the fragrance space. But there are numerous challenges associated with sourcing ingredients, decreasing emissions, and ensuring ethical testing. Watch for fragrance companies to develop more meaningful ESG metrics in the future and take responsibility for their entire supply chain.
