Aptar Beauty on how regulation and “skinification” shape alcohol-free perfumes

Aptar Beauty says the fragrance market is undergoing a profound transformation. The company believes that regulatory shifts to lower volatile organic compounds (VOC) content, including alcohol, to reduce emissions, are accelerating the move toward other types of formulas across beauty categories. 

Consumers are embracing gentle formulations with natural ingredients and added skin care benefits, pushing brands to rethink traditional approaches to perfumery. Aptar Beauty, which is the beauty division of AptarGroup, is a US company that specializes in dispensing systems, packaging, and application technologies for consumer products.

Personal Care Insights speaks to Thomas Clemence, scientific material and formulation manager at Aptar Beauty, who observes that three new territories for innovation are emerging on the fragrance market: alcohol‑free fragrances, microencapsulated fragrance, and hybrid perfume-skin care formulas.

Three new territories

Once more targeted to children, alcohol‑free perfumes are now gaining traction among all consumers seeking non‑irritating formula alternatives for sensitive skin or due to cultural traditions. 

These formulas require fragrance pumps specifically engineered to dispense higher‑viscosity or biphase liquids while still delivering the fine, elegant mist consumers expect from a perfume. 

Alcohol in formulas is the most neutral olfactive solvent and helps with fragrance preservation and instant evaporation, leaving a dry feeling on skin. Aqueous-based and/or alcohol-free formulas must rely on alternative stabilizers and volatiles, such as biphase or glycerin-enriched formulations, to maintain fragrance intensity and formula integrity.

The fragrance molecules encapsulated and suspended in the formula offer controlled fragrance release and new sensorial aesthetics. The molecules demand specialized dispensing systems that can spray both the gel formula and the microcapsules simultaneously, without clogging the pump. 

The biggest challenge with suspended fragrance capsules is that they must remain intact inside the bottle and pump. To preserve the formula’s freshness and integrity, the concentrated fragrance is released just before dispensing. 

With the “skinification” trend, skin care‑infused fragrances are blurring the boundaries between skin care and fragrance. 

Consumers increasingly expect perfumes to hydrate, soothe, or even protect. These enhanced formulations require high‑precision fragrance dispensing solutions that preserve formula integrity and elevate sensoriality. 

In fragrances, consumers are embracing more gentle formulations with natural ingredients and added skin care benefits.With hybrid fragrances, the pump plays a key role in achieving a premium and sensorial user experience. As formula viscosity and weight may vary, it is more difficult to achieve a fine and homogeneous spray, which does not feel too wet on the skin, and that prevents water droplets from spritzing during application.

Clemence tells us more about regulatory pressures, packaging and dispensing, and the future of fragrance formulations.

How are regulatory pressures around VOC reduction reshaping fragrance formulation strategies, and what impact is this having on packaging?

Clemence: Regulatory pressures on VOC reduction are accelerating the move from traditional alcohol-based fragrances toward other types of formulas. Aqueous-based, biphase, glycerin-enriched, or gel-like formulas are becoming more popular, but they behave differently from ethanol, with varying viscosity and weight. Fragrance pumps must now compensate for the reduction or absence of ethanol’s instant evaporation and dry feel in these formulas by delivering finer atomization, wider diffusion, and ensuring stable spray performance. Dispensing technologies are more critical than ever to deliver the level of sensorial experience expected from a premium fragrance.

What are the biggest technical trade-offs for alcohol-free fragrances, and how can dispensing systems help?

Clemence: Removing alcohol from fragrance formulations introduces potential challenges in stability, sensoriality, and spray quality. Aqueous-based or glycerin-enriched formulas can feel wetter on the skin, as they evaporate more slowly, or they can spray unevenly, due to their higher viscosity. Certain new-gen bases can also affect the interaction with components of the dispensing system and cause different material behaviors like swelling.

With the right pump/insert architecture, or even component optimization if needed, we can restore a fine mist and premium diffusion, even with more challenging bases.

How are dispensing systems becoming critical to formula performance, rather than just a delivery mechanism?

Clemence: For next-generation formulas, the pump is not just a delivery mechanism, but essential to deliver performance and sensoriality. The architecture of the dispensing system determines how the phases, ingredients, or capsules are preserved and released during dispensing. The pump and insert choice directly influences droplet size, spray angle, and quality, thus sensoriality. Pumps and formulas need to be co-engineered and designed together, not formula first and packaging after.

With the rise of hybrid perfume–skin care formats, how are expectations influencing the fragrance pump designs?

Clemence: The ‘skinification’ trend with hybrid fragrance formulas implies a very sensorial product experience, with a pump delivering a soft, enveloping cloud rather than a quick, sharp spray, and a dry, comfortable finish on skin. As a dispensing system manufacturer, this drives our attention toward reducing the actuation force for smoother use, as well as refining insert technology to achieve a high-quality spray.

Alcohol in formulas is the most neutral olfactive solvent and helps with fragrance preservation and instant evaporation, leaving a dry feeling on skin.What are the key technical hurdles in ensuring capsule integrity and consistent delivery — and how is Aptar addressing these?

Clemence: Microencapsulated fragrances introduce the challenge of preserving capsule integrity throughout the entire dispensing path while ensuring the delivery of a consistent ratio of capsules to liquid formula with each spray. Capsules must not rupture prematurely inside the bottle or the pump, nor should they clog the pump or nozzle. We anticipate these challenges through proactive co-development with fragrance encapsulation specialists to determine optimal pump/inserts combinations that allow capsules to pass our dispensing systems smoothly. Extensive in-house testing of our pumps with next-gen bulks ensures that the spray remains consistent and that the controlled-release technology performs flawlessly as intended from the first to the last use.

How important is early-stage collaboration between packaging suppliers, formulators, and fragrance houses in accelerating innovation for complex fragrance formats?

Clemence: Formula behavior/evolution and pump performance are interdependent. Aligning packaging and formula from the early stage avoids costly reformulations and development back-and-forth and ensures that sensorial and technical expectations are met. Our preventive collaborative strategy allows brands to shorten their development cycles and reduce compatibility risk thanks to our pre-engineered formula/pump combinations.

What innovations in dispensing technology will be most critical to unlocking the next wave of fragrance formats, and how are you preparing for this?

Clemence: The industry needs to not only follow formulation innovations but also anticipate them. Our forward-thinking approach ensures that our fragrance pumps remain fully adapted to the evolving landscape of fragrance formulations. We continue to identify new opportunities to develop products and solutions to expand our offer. With proactive and reliable support, we serve as a technical enabler for brands exploring the future of fragrance.