Fragrances are gaining relevance among consumers experiencing anxiety and looking for emotional wellness. Fragrances, however, face many challenges, as they compete with aromatherapy and other sensory options. Fragrances are closely associated with emotions, but there is room for innovation in neuroscience-based fragrances. Beyond claims, fragrances’ role in emotional wellbeing is about the revival of memories, nostalgia and gourmand scents able to trigger positive emotions.
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Consumers are stressed by multiple factors, and are seeking out solutions and products that attempt to deal with stress in their lives, which has been exacerbated by the “Anxiety Economy”, which has worsened post-pandemic. Fragrances have always offered a sensory experience that connects the consumer with emotions, but have increasingly morphed into coping mechanisms/routines to handle stress.
The leading claims in fragrances addressing emotional needs are “stress relief” and “energy boosting”. Although “stress relief” remains a top claim, there is unmet need to manage consumers’ stress, since consumers are participating in fewer stress reduction activities.
The product innovation pipeline of fragrances has ample room to incorporate more science-backed evidence, neuroscience and AI to develop emotionally functional fragrances. Due to the higher cost of this approach, premium fragrance brands are most likely to enter this space.
Emotional wellness is a priority for most people worldwide, but few have either the time or money to address it, especially given the current inflationary pressures. The easiest way for mass fragrances to reach consumers is by emphasising emotional engagement. Olfactory memory associations are key to promoting positive emotions.
Post-pandemic, fragrances are no longer just about personal signature but have become a way to convey positive emotions. Consumers are craving more sophisticated results, and a transition is expected from more general “aromatherapy” benefits to “aromachology”, which is the study of how scents trigger a response in human behaviour and emotions.
This is the aggregation of baby and child-specific products, bath & shower, deodorants, hair care, colour cosmetics, men's grooming, oral hygiene, fragrances, skin care, depilatories and sun care. Black market sales and travel retail are excluded.
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