IFF launches China Scent Exploration Program to change fragrance development

International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) has introduced the China Scent Exploration Program, an initiative designed to develop fragrances that are tailored for Chinese consumers. The program aims to meet the needs of this diverse and dynamic market by combining historical and cultural research, consumer insights and artificial intelligence (AI).

According to IFF, China’s fragrance market presents significant opportunities, with fine fragrances valued at US$2.15 billion, beauty and personal care at US$77.35 billion and home care at US$18 billion.

Personal Care Insights speaks to Arnaud Montet, VP of Human & Consumer Insights at IFF, about the consumer initiative. He says: “China Scent Exploration is a market and consumer learning program. It aims to unlock the potential of the Chinese scent market by deep diving into the core of fragrance usage in China: its fragrancing history, the ingredients and products that form the collective olfactive memory of Chinese consumers, market evolution and consumer trends.”

“With the help of our internal AI capabilities, we can translate consumer descriptions into scent creation rules, greatly empowering our artists to create scents with relevance, benefits and purpose.”

The initiative aims to understand the historical and cultural significance of traditional ingredients, analyze sensorial influences such as botanical references and traditional Chinese scents, gather insights from a survey of 10,000 consumers across various demographics and regions and finally use AI to turn these findings into practical fragrance design guidelines. IFF believes this approach will allow it to create authentic and relevant scents for Chinese consumers.

Trends to shape the industry

Emerging trends in the Chinese market have heavily influenced the program’s direction. Montet says the Chinese scent market has been highly active and innovative in recent years.

“One notable trend that emerged a few years ago and has now become integral to the Chinese scent market is ‘guochao,’ or ‘national wave.’ This refers to the rise of products that incorporate elements of traditional Chinese culture and style, refreshed with a modern twist,” explains Montet.

Notable ingredients for this trend include osmanthus and Chinese teas.

According to Montet, another “sensorial exploration” trend has elicited a “growing desire among Chinese consumers to indulge in more expressive, complex sensorial experiences with perfume dimensions.”

Montet says this has contributed to IFF’s cross-category vision, where one of the key objectives of China Scent Exploration is to track, decipher and create around Chinese market trends.

AI in personal care

Personal care companies are increasingly incorporating technology into their value chain. Innova Market Insights says AI is ushering in the personal care trend, with many brands creating AI skin assessment apps and tools to create personalized skin and hair care recommendations for consumers.

Revieve recently released its 2024 holiday trend report for beauty brands and retailers, showing a demand for personalized skin care. Revieve has collaborated with companies like CVS and No7 Beauty Company to create customized hair and skin experiences with AI.

Brenntag Specialties and biotechnology company Cambrium have also recently partnered to design active ingredients using AI and biology. The companies are introducing skin-identical vegan collagen to the beauty and personal care sector in the UK, Ireland, Iberia, France and Italy.