The well-being evolution of home care: Performance, fragrance and emotional comfort

Home care is transforming from basic cleaning to a holistic focus on health, well-being, and creating lasting positive sensory experiences. Consumers now demand more from home care fragrances, seeking innovative, long-lasting technologies and scents that contribute to their emotional comfort.

Personal Care Insights sits down with experts from Univar Solutions and Givaudan to discuss current trends and future predictions for the home care market in 2026.

“We will see enzyme-led cold-wash systems move into the mainstream, driven by energy-efficiency benefits and strengthened sustainability objectives,” Matt Anderson, global marketing manager for Home Care and Industrial Cleaning, Ingredients + Specialties from Univar Solutions, tells us.

“Consumers are increasingly expecting high-performance cleaning solutions that deliver effective results while aligning with sustainability requirements and offering strong value for consumer return on money spent.”

Anderson says sustainability will remain a primary market driver, supported by growing consumer awareness regarding product composition and environmental impact.

“Convenience is becoming an essential consideration. As daily routines intensify, the demand is rising for multifunctional products and formats that deliver enhanced ease of use,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Givaudan emphasizes how cleaning is evolving from a chore to a holistic aspect of well-being.

“The home is no longer just a physical space — it has become an emotional ecosystem, one that consumers curate to support their mood, focus, and sense of balance,” Anne-Sophie Poulard, category director of Home Care, Fragrance and Beauty at Givaudan, tells us.

Innova Market Insights data reports a 16% year-over-year growth in household product launches between October 2023 and September 2025. One third of global launches took place in Europe, with air fresheners being the top category, followed by cotton bud launches.

Cleaning evolution

Givaudan says fragrance will be at the heart of transforming cleaning from pure functionality into well-being.

Poulard explains that cleaning acts as an invisible design element that influences how consumers feel in their personal environments.

Givaudan says fragrance will be key to transforming cleaning from functionality into well-being.“The boundaries between categories will blur with smart scent multi-layering. A dish product may now evoke serenity through a spa-like aromatic blend. An air care format might adapt to the time of day and energy or hormonal levels. Surface cleaners with a fine-fragrance level signature will elevate a mundane task into a sensorial ritual.”

Fragrance technologies will continue to evolve toward intelligent sensoriality — systems that tune release or intensity in response to touch, climate, or motion — making every use uniquely responsive.

Givaudan notes that, in essence, home care will express a new form of sophistication that merges performance with sensorial delight. It will reflect the idea that cleanliness is not only about hygiene, but also about emotional care and connecting to living spaces.

Transforming fragrance

The category’s transformation extends beyond surface cleaning. Givaudan says fragrance and malodor innovations are driving shifts in laundry, dish care, and stain removal products.

Poulard exemplifies Bloomful, its data-driven platform that offers solutions for home, fabric, and personal care.

“The Bloomful platform positions Givaudan as an expert in bloom — the moment when a product, such as a home care item, meets water and releases an intense burst of fragrance that fills the room,” says Givaudan.

“This moment is crucial for consumers because it delivers the full sensory impact during key interactions like washing dishes or floors. The moment evokes emotional responses of cleanliness, freshness, and satisfaction, while building perceptions of product quality, value, and brand loyalty to encourage repeat purchases.”

In challenging home care formats such as machine dish pods or concentrated liquids, Bloomful combines perfumers’ knowledge with science.

Poulard further details the patent-pending Bloomful Sparkle for liquid hand and dishwashing, and Bloomful Last for unique blooming across all cleaning stages of wet surfaces.

“[The platform] is transforming everyday chores into aromatic adventures that elevate routines into emotionally rewarding moments.”

Prolonging scents

While the initial bloom aims to captivate users at first contact, consumers equally cherish fragrances that linger long after. According to Givaudan, its Scentaurus technology meets this demand.

Consumers look for long-lasting fragrances for their homes.“The Scentaurus family comprises low-odor molecules that release fragrant notes when triggered by natural elements, such as oxygen, light, or humidity in the air — reinventing fragrance architecture by delivering key notes at later stages.”

Born from intensive research, the palette blends and matches across categories, offering “endless, long-lasting possibilities” in laundry detergents, floor cleaners, toilet rim blocks, and more. Scentaurus is touted to be suitable for everyday products and to fulfill consumers’ demand for fragrances with enduring performance.

“Just as consumers value captivating fragrance and lasting freshness, effectively combating unpleasant household odors is essential for creating a clean, comfortable, and healthy living environment,” says Poulard.

Eliminating malodors enhances emotional well-being and supports perceptions of hygiene and overall satisfaction with home care.

Anderson from Univar Solutions adds: “Fragrance innovation will continue to shape consumer preference, with advances in encapsulation technologies and sensorial modifiers improving longevity and overall sensory experience.”

He predicts key fragrance trends to include long-lasting fragrance profiles, particularly those associated with well-being benefits, such as lavender for relaxation. He adds that green citrus and light herbal notes are growing in demand.

Givaudan further shares that this year, its reimagined Zap platform tackles malodor control holistically, centered on well-being.

Zap provides certified solutions for laundry, toilet care, air care, and kitchen cleaning. It integrates science, eco-friendly ingredients, AI-driven optimization, and tools like Zap Hero — a design aid that guides perfumers in selecting technologies and accords for specific odor challenges, ensuring effective control without harsh chemistries.

The industry continues to integrate AI into product development and formulation. Earlier this year, International Flavors & Fragrances launched its Science of Performance program, describing it as a comprehensive, science-driven suite designed to enhance the creation of fragrances. The program combines decades of measured data with proprietary AI capabilities, enabling formulators to manage scent intensity and control malodors in fragrances with greater precision.

Trend shifters

In home care, cleanliness has evolved beyond hygiene to express well-being, emotional comfort, and sensory pleasure, says Givaudan.

“Fragrance now conveys [the] identity of home and sophistication, with consumers seeking a balance between health, nature, and indulgence, favoring airy, natural, and transparent notes that evoke purity and calm, while concepts like ‘Healing Home’ and ‘Home as Sanctuary’ transform cleaning into restorative, mindful rituals.”

Poulard adds that hybrid lifestyles and urban living have intensified malodor challenges.Poulard adds that hybrid lifestyles and urban living have intensified malodor challenges, driving demand for performance-driven fragrances. They identify smaller spaces, pet ownership, increased cooking, and home workouts as examples.

Consumers associate freshness with well-being, expecting products that deliver both immediate scent impact and long-lasting reassurance.

“To meet these expectations and counter odor habituation, brands are adopting encapsulation systems, scent boosters, and smart-release biodegradable technologies that extend freshness sustainably,” Givaudan tells us.

Sensorial modifiers like caring foams and cooling textures, elevate the pleasure of cleaning, merging performance and indulgence — a trend known as “cleandulgence.”

The digital culture, illustrated by #Cleantok, redefines cleaning as a creative, multi-sensory experience, where fragrance, color, and texture spark emotional engagement or “cleantertainment,” explains Poulard.

“Emerging Gen Z consumers are beginning to manage their own homes. They are drawn to playful, gourmand, and fruity notes that add modern energy to the category.”

“At Givaudan, the focus lies in harmonizing innovation and emotion, creating fragrances that provide long-lasting freshness, sensorial delight, and responsible sustainability — enhancing everyday life while caring for people and the planet.”