Emotional Wellbeing in Fragrances: Claims, Engagement and Future Outlook

Delivery

This report comes in PPT.

Key findings

Emotional wellbeing is a top priority, as a result of rising stress and anxiety levels among consumers

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.

All emotional wellbeing claims are growing in fragrances, except aromatherapy

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.

There is room in the industry for more neuroscience-based fragrances, which tend to be premium

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.

Beyond claims and science, mass brands bet on memories

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.

The next step for fragrances to further emotional wellbeing is through aromachology

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.