A spritz of a new scent can lift one’s mood. And with worries about war, the economy and upcoming elections, it’s no surprise that the fine fragrance category is flush with novel new scent profiles.

“Consumers are turning to fragrances that spark joy, but at the same time are remaining value conscious,” noted Jacquelyn Wenskus, a fragrance category analyst at Circana, Port Washington, NY. “Fragrance is positioned as an affordable luxury, checking both boxes.”

While the perception of joy and the definition of value is very personal and depends on the individual, there are specific traits driving fragrance trends this spring, such as scents that uniquely influence a mood or emotion in a positive way.

“This is subjective and examples include scents that evoke nostalgia, fulfill a luxury aspiration, smell delicious or even scents that fit into a particular trending aesthetic or vibe,” added Wenskus.

Fragrance sales concluded last year on a high note, per Circana research. Check out the chart to learn more.

“The beauty industry is strong and the outlook remains positive for both the mass and prestige sides of the business in 2024,” said Larissa Jensen, global beauty industry advisor at Circana. “This performance is remarkable given the phenomenal growth it has experienced for the past two years, but the industry should not rest on its laurels.”

The top trend in fragrance now—and one that will continue to grow—is a full range of “intensities” with an emphasis on light scents for hair and body from mists to intense personal fragrances, said Linda G. Levy, president of The Fragrance Foundation, New York.

Sustainable Developments

With the midpoint of 2024 nearly here, Ecovia Intelligence offered its predictions for the year ahead for sustainable cosmetics. Expect to see more companies using carbon captured molecules to make cosmetic ingredients, packaging and finished products.

Last year, Coty launched the first widely distributed fragrance using alcohol from industrial carbon emissions. Its Gucci My Heart Beats eau de parfum contains alcohol made from carbon captured molecules.

Pacifica recently launched three plant-based fragrances, along with face and body mists. The neuroscience-backed, functional fragrances are a result of Founder and CEO Brook Harvey-Taylor reconnecting with her aromatherapy roots.

These functional fragrances work with the body’s own chemistry to add the user’s natural scent to help “wearers smell like themselves.”

The three new scents—Montana Sky, Beach Day and Passion Fruit—contain the brand’s coined “aromapower” with feelings of grounding, bliss and joy, respectively. The brand defines aromapower as invisible, powerful mood lifters that have a positive impact on mind and mood.

Montana Sky contains cedarwood, elderflower, sage and pepper in natural grain alcohol. Beach Day blends natural grain alcohol, salt, sandalwood, orange flower and smoke notes, and Passion Fruit is a blend of passion fruit, pineapple and vanilla in natural grain alcohol.

“Looking ahead, the perfume industry is going to keep pushing boundaries in 2024 and beyond,” Harvey-Taylor told Happi. “We will see brands continue to add more to their perfuming palettes with lab-grown and fermented ingredients, and I believe that the trend to connect scent to wellness will just get bigger and bigger.”

All About Florals

Floral notes still reign in warmer weather. Some brands are debuting their first floral scent while others are introducing variations based on previous fragrance success.

Six months after Millie Bobbie Brown’s Wildly Me fragrance garnered a waitlist of more than 13,000 people, the influencer’s debut perfume is hitting the shelves at Ulta Beauty, both in stores and online.

Wildly Me is said to encapsulate her journey of embracing individuality and fearlessly navigating an unconventional path, per marketers. The Florence by Mills fragrance emits an aroma of periwinkle florals combined with sandalwood and upcycled cedarwood. The multifaceted celebrity graces the cover of Happi this month!

Kylie Cosmetics, too, entered the fragrance business with a floral scent. Cosmic Kylie Jenner debuted last month, just ahead of the all-important Mother’s Day selling season.

Described as a “skin-inspired scent,” the sweet, warm floral opens with star jasmine and blood orange. Middle notes include golden amber and red peony. The base features vanilla musk and cedarwood. The amber floral is housed in a glass bottle.

Elizabeth Arden ushers in Spring 2024 with a modern floral musk flanker of its original White Tea eau de toilette. Featuring a blend of white tea, florals, musks and ambers, Elizabeth Arden’s White Tea Eau Florale captures the essence of fresh, feminine energy while carrying a gentle trail of elegance, according to the brand, which is owned by Revlon. 

“This creation is all about the beauty of life, bringing beautiful flowers and rich ingredients for a unique experience,” said Natasha Cote-Mouzannar, senior perfumer at IFF, who worked on the launch.

Top notes are white tea, muguet and pink freesia; middle note are pink orris, blush honey suckle and amber tonic; and base notes are musk, trisamber and tonka bean. 

Ralph Lauren Fragrances is expanding with the new Ralph Lauren Fragrances Romance Intense eau de parfum. Romance Intense is a floral scent with key notes of bergamot heart, green mandarin and black currant accord, said the company. 

Dolce & Gabbana Beauty just added Devotion eau de parfum. The “seductive” floral scent includes key notes of candied citrus, orange blossom and vanilla. 

Givenchy Beauty’s newest scent is Irresistible Very Floral eau de parfum. This fragrance is the latest addition to the brand’s Irresistible collection and differentiates itself with solar, floral notes.

Irresistible Very Floral blends a duo of roses, a bouquet of white flowers, a splash of coconut water accord and cedarwood essence, said the company.

Coty-owned Marc Jacobs introduced a limited edition fragrance collection, Marc Jacobs Daisy Pop. The line is packaged in limited edition bottles that are inspired by textures and color-blocking as seen in Marc Jacobs’ fashion collections. The bottles are a matte pink version of the Daisy flacon with purple, red and green accents.

Daisy Pop contains three new scents, all inspired by the original Daisy scents: Daisy Marc Jacobs Pop, available in 50ml, features a citrus scent with notes of yuzu, grapefruit, kumquat, violet leaf and jasmine with a vanilla, musk and pamplewood (a Firmenich perfumery ingredient displaying both grapefruit and woody notes); Daisy Marc Jacobs Eau So Fresh Pop (75ml) has a floral-fruity scent, combining lemon, pear and lime with rose, violet and raspberry; and Daisy Marc Jacobs Love Pop (50ml) contains notes of raspberry, bergamot, pistachio, daisy tree petal and chantilly. 

Sweet Treats

“Perfume” is reportedly the No. 1 search term in North America on Claire’s website, and the brand is capitalizing on that finding. The beauty and accessory company announced the expansion of its C.Body collection with the introduction of layering perfumes. 

Available in five scents, the products can be worn individually or layered, inviting consumers to create their own unique scents. The scents include Strawberry Pistachio Crumble—Pistache Cerise and Sorbet Vanille and Lait de la Fraise; Strawberry Colada—Crème de Coco and Lait de la Fraise; Caramel Brulée—Latte a la Caramel and Crème de Coco; Toasted Coconut Macaron—Crème de Coco and Sorbet Vanille; and Caramel Pistachio Brittle—Latte a la Caramel and Pistache Cerise.

Claire’s Holdings LLC is opening store-within-store locations in more than 20 Macy’s locations nationwide, including Macy’s flagships within key markets including Herald Square and Roosevelt Field in New York City, South Coast Plaza in Los Angeles, Union Square in San Francisco and more. More recently, the company inked a deal with Walgreens.

Summer is still months away, but consumers are already clamoring for a boardwalk stroll. Less than a year after Starco Brands-owned clean fragrance brand Skylar launched Boardwalk Delight—which sold out at Sephora and on skylar.com within 10 days of launch—the brand is making it a hair and body mist.

According to Sara Miranda, Skylar’s marketing vice president, the fragrance, billed as a blend of cotton candy, raspberry sorbet, coconut milk and pure vanilla, captures the essence of boardwalk life.

“With the launch of Boardwalk Delight Hair & Body Mist, we are not only expanding our product line, but also tapping into the rapid growth of the global hair and body mist market. This new offering allows enthusiasts to carry their beloved scent wherever they go while staying true to Skylar’s core values of sustainability and well-being,” noted Ross Sklar, CEO of Starco Brands.

According to a recent report by Consegic Business Intelligence, the global hair and body mist market is experiencing “rapid growth” and will surpass $19 billion by 2030. 

Skylar entered the hair and body mist market in 2023 with the launch of Vanilla Sky, Coconut Cove and Peach. The 80ml travel-friendly bottle ($30) is made with 30% recycled materials.

No one knows better than Juicy Couture that bows are all the rage. Viva La Juicy Sucré encapsulates the very spirit of coquetry and grace for those who want to live in the moment, indulge fully and eat dessert first, according to the brand’s sell sheet. 

The new fragrance features a creamy vanilla caramel and amber fruity scent with notes of orange flower petals, peach nectar and whipped cream.

Per Pantone, the beauty trends for 2024 are just peachy, hence its Color of the Year, Peach Fuzz. With the year’s hottest color trend in mind, Ellis Brooklyn recently introduced Peaches Fragrance Body Mist. While keeping with the current times, the scent is also eliciting a dose of ’90s nostalgia ripe with gummy peach rings, daydreams, shopping malls and a little of the era’s dominant musical genre – grunge – but with a modern twist.

Top notes include peach, pink pepper and waterlily. Middle notes are rosebud, orange flower, laurel leaf and orris; and dry notes are sandalwood, ambrette, upcycled Virginia cedarwood and sugared musk.

Future Deals

A fragrance trend that will continue into 2025 is related to food ingredients, in classifications such as sweet, spicy, fruity or citrus, according to Levy of The Fragrance Foundation. Some of the scent profiles will include:

• Sweet—vanilla, coconut, chocolate
• Spicy—ginger, pepper
• Fruity—pear, mango, raspberry, cherry
• Citrus—orange, lemon, bergamot

“All of these trends are present or debuting in varied fragrance applications from personal fragrances to candles to room sprays and in self-care soaps and lotions,” explained Levy.

The crossover of fashion into beauty is also growing in the fragrance marketplace.

Coty and Marni, the Italian luxury fashion brand, inked a licensing agreement to develop, produce and distribute a line of fragrances and beauty products beyond 2040. The first offering under this licensing agreement is expected to launch in 2026. The collection will focus on translating Marni’s creative and fashion-forward identity into the realm of beauty, according to Coty.

“We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Marni, a brand known for its innovation, creativity and unique youthful approach to luxury. Marni is highly recognized in the fashion industry, with particular brand strength in Asia, and Europe,” said Coty CEO Sue Nabi. “This licensing agreement aligns with Coty’s highly successful strategic direction of focusing on fashion-driven licenses with multi-category potential that resonate across key markets. We are excited to start working with Marni to develop premium beauty offerings that bring the Fashion House’s visual style and values in beauty to life.”

According to Barbara Calò, Marni’s CEO, the alliance with Coty in the beauty industry marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of the brand, one that is in line with its commitment to offer a holistic brand experience.

“Through the introduction of fragrances and beauty products, that will seamlessly integrate into our brand universe, we’re redefining the brand’s boundaries, opening up new opportunities of affirmation for Marni,” said Calò.

Marni was founded in 1994. Its creative director is Francesco Risso.

Coty says the accord with Marni strengthens its partnership with OTB Group, following the recent successful license renewal with Jil Sander. OTB is Marni’s parent company.

Coty has renewed license agreements with Bruno Banani and Mexx, brands that it initially signed accords with in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

“Since winning the license in 2015, Coty has cemented Bruno Banani’s position as Germany’s leading fragrance brand with the iconic Man and Woman,” noted Nabi. “With the introduction of further blockbuster fragrance innovations, such as Loyal Man and Magnetic Woman, as well as other highly successful body care lines, Coty built Bruno Banani into one of the leading consumer beauty brands in Germany, Benelux and Eastern Europe.”

Pistachio & Arabian Perfumes Lead Spate Search Studies When it comes to the mainstream, right now the top-growing fragrance trends in US search are Arabian perfume and pistachio perfume, according to Spate. Arabian perfume has an average of 25.1K monthly searches and +173.9% YoY growth with high competition, yet one clear market leader: Arabian Oud. Search queries for the trend include Arabian perfumes, Swiss Arabian perfume, Arabian perfume oil, Arabian oud perfume and Arabian perfume store near me. And while oud isn’t new by any means, the idea of Arabian perfume as a term has taken off on TikTok—Arabian perfumes receive an average of 9.2M views a week on TikTok, which is a very high score. Meanwhile, pistachio perfume is a “foodie fragrance” trend that received 2.7K average monthly searches, +139.6% YoY growth, and medium competition with one market leader, that one being Kayali. Some of the top searches include Pistachio brulee perfume, Kayali pistachio perfume, Pistachio and salted caramel perfume, Kayali pistachio gelato perfume, Kayali perfume pistachio, and Kayali yum pistachio gelato perfume. Gourmand fragrances are also up +58.3% YoY in searches, according to Spate.