Naturality in fragrances: Functional ingredients, green beauty & gender-neutral scents spotlighted

24 Dec 2021 --- Fragrances have long been known to ignite emotive feelings, with sweet-smelling botanicals often featured prominently in new products. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have reevaluated their priorities, according to Symrise, with the company noting that natural and organic aromas are taking center stage, while fragrances with added benefits are rising to the top.

Meanwhile, gender-neutral fragrances are also gaining traction.

PersonalCareInsights takes a deep dive into the trends in the scent arena. 

Usha Vijay, vice president for global marketing and communication for consumer fragrance at Symrise, underscores a “huge focus on mental well-being.”

“Consumers are actively seeking fragrances to help them during stressful times – fragrances that are uplifting, fragrances that drive well-being and fragrances that enable relaxation. When we feel mentally relaxed, physical well-being is enhanced as well.”

Conscious perfumery rises
Earlier this month, global fragrance house Firmenich commissioned a multipurpose production unit for renewable ingredients in Castets, France. The plant will be operational in January and increase production capacity by 50% to serve perfumery customers and address the demand for sustainable products.

Consumers are increasingly demanding ingredient transparency in the fragrance arena.The move comes as key players continue to push naturality forward. According to Vijay at Symrise, there is a strong emergence of indie brands focusing on naturals, organics and fragrances with benefits. 

In general, Vijay believes that natural fragrances are growing, highlighting how fragrances that work well with sensitive skin are seeing a rise in demand. 

Consumers are also seeking hypoallergenic fragrances,” she comments. 

Gender-neutral fragrances
Additionally, Symrise is seeing a rising demand for gender-neutral fragrances, specifically demanded by Gen Z consumers.

“Gender-neutral fragrances are definitely growing,” notes Vijay.

Of course, in the space of aromas, offering gender-neutral scents can look different across categories. 

Inclusivity for male-oriented skin care and affordable beauty has been previously pegged as major future trends in this arena.

Last month, global pop singer Harry Styles, acclaimed for gender-fluid red carpet looks, unveiled his own beauty brand, Pleasing. 

Green beauty takes hold 
Consumers are increasingly demanding ingredient transparency, flags Vijay, adding how this comes from a health and safety standpoint – specifically when it comes to allergens.

She also describes how the green beauty trend has become “very important to consumers.” Firmenich also recently backed this notion.

“Consumers consider ethical sourcing as crucial to the green beauty space,” she notes, and “sourcing ingredients from farmers and contributing to the growth of farmers and communities. This refers to authenticity and acting transparently about the efforts so that consumers can make their judgments.”Symrise is tapping into the trend of gender-neutral fragrances, specifically demanded by Gen Z consumers.

“Besides these, from a preservation of environment standpoint, the trend of Green Chemistry and White Biotechnology that helps reduce the carbon footprint in sourcing some of the ingredients and leaving nature intact gains importance too.”

This allows for natural resources to be used for land preservation and food production, as appropriate, Vijay adds. 

Symrise has been actively responding to consumers’ emerging needs in line with these trends. 

“Sustainability forms a key foundational pillar for Symrise in general and in our Scent & Care segment in particular. We have installed a program called Act for Good with three key dimensions – Act for Me, Act for Others and Act for the Planet.”

Meanwhile, the company’s sustainability program builds on three key pillars – Naturals, Artisanal partnerships and Biotechnology. 

“This program includes developing a fragrance palette increasing the percentage of renewables, upcycled ingredients to develop natural fragrances, fragrances that are biodegradable, for example.”

Symrise has previously invested in Madagascar, the Amazon and most recently in Sulawesi to help support the local communities and, as part of its ethical sourcing program, sourcing materials from Jacksonville in Florida, the US, that come with high renewability and upcycling component to them. 

“These have positioned us to innovate in the sustainability and natural fragrances arena,” Vijay adds.

Functional attributes spotlighted
Meanwhile, fragrances with enhancing health benefits are also being spotlighted by Symrise, with Vijay noting a rise in demand for physical and emotional boosters. 

“While natural fragrances are driving growth, fruitier notes from the Tropics, such as mango and pineapple are continuing their momentum.”

Last month, Symrise entered a joint venture with Groupe Neroli to sustainably expand its capacity in naturals, increase production of backward integrated ingredients and create new and greater capabilities in flowers and Mediterranean materials.

Groupe Neroli is an independent fragrance manufacturer in Grasse, France, a region known for its fragrant flowers.

Keeping with the theme of functional ingredients, cannabis wellness brand Wellfounded Botanicals recently launched a CBD Eau de Parfum in partnership with Scent Beauty. Wellfounded Eau de Parfum features 90 mg of CBD with botanicals designed to “soothe, delight, inspire and sustain.”

Ramping up hygiene 
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, global consumers have been more concerned with hygiene, and this has become more apparent, even in the fragrance arena. 

“Consumers are taking a cautious approach toward hygiene,” asserts Symrise’s Vijay. 

“Based on synergies with our cosmetic ingredients division, we have developed fragrances with added benefits, called Fractives. These form part of our ScentCare+ program,” she notes. 

Consumers actively seek fragrances to help them during stressful times, says Symrise.“Our global Hygiesym Symrise program uses inputs from consumers. We are developing a collection of unique and innovative fragrances to provide hygiene benefits across categories.”

“Within Actimood, our global Symrise program, we are developing scientifically proven fragrances with well-being benefits. Developing global fragrances that are on-trend and in line with the preferences of Gen Z consumers represent a key for us to stay ahead of the game,” Vijay explains. 

Digital tech on the fragrance scene
As digitization in the fragrances arena takes hold, Givaudan recently unveiled the Z-biome Platform, hailed as “the first microbiome-centered fragrance technologies in the industry.” 

The launch comes amid the rising consumer belief that well-being is connected to the skin’s health.

Givaudan believes that healthy skin starts at what it describes as the “invisible level.” This refers to the epidermal microbiome, which is unique, just like a fingerprint.

In October, the company also launched DigiPulse to decode consumers’ online spontaneous comments about fine fragrances. The AI-powered technology is marketed as the first olfactive social listening tool. 

By Elizabeth Green