Unless you’re well-versed in all things scent-related or an actual professional nose, there’s only so much a list of notes and ingredients can tell you when you’re looking for a new fragrance to wear. The average consumer, for example, may not know at the top of their head what notes like vetiver or oud really means. So how does one convey abstract notes to the masses and gain a new loyal follower?
The answer may not be as complicated as one would think. When thinking about some of the most beloved brands on the market, many are approaching a vibes-first approach and capitalizing on a feeling before diving into the mixture of notes in the formula. Stephen Nilsen, vice president perfumer at Givaudan, tells Beautycon, that fragrances have always had the ability to spark an emotion upon initial whiff, whether it intended to or not.
“That is the moment when the first smell goes into the brain. And when this happens the first stop is the limbic system, which is the ‘feeling’ center of the brain,” he explains. “This is even before the smelling signal gets to the higher ‘thinking parts of the brain so you can recognize what the notes are. So it isn’t that a fragrance ‘should’ hook a consumer with feelings, it actually does hook consumers with feelings first.”
And that’s what makes today’s cult-favorites stand out from the rest: they’re the ones that lean a hundred percent into it. But, you still may be wondering, what else does it mean to pitch a new scent through vibes? The experts share their thoughts below.
Start With an Emotion
It’s a universal fragrance fact that everyone wants to feel good when they spritz on a scent. Nilsen says to capture that for consumers, brands need to meet them where they are. “That means understanding the positives and negatives in their lives and using that as an inspiration point,” he says. “So what music they like, what activities do they participate in, and what negative things do you want to distract them from. Taking this into account should help target Gen Z and anyone [else].”
Givaudan uses MoodScentz, a design platform that helps perfumers evoke specific moods by combining different note combinations, to create new fragrances. It uses more than 35 years of scientific research and focuses on three main mood categories—relax and unwind, invigorate and recharge, and happy and blissful—that consumers are known to be looking for when searching for a new signature scent. “Fragrances designed with these guidelines have a unique power to make us feel better,” says Nilsen. “From an invigorating shower gel that wakes us up to a scented candle that helps us to wind down.”
“I believe that connecting fragrances with soulless feelings and empty storytelling belongs to the past,” says Romy Kowalewski, creative director & founder of 27 87. “Deeper emotional holistic resonances are what consumers are looking for and feel most connected to.”
Kowalewski’s fragrance brand 27 87, is all about the abstract. Every scent she creates starts with a concept or emotion to better translate those hard-to-describe or unknown notes. “Translating contemporary ideas into scents entails creativity and an abstract state of mind related to the here and now,” she says. “Independence is key for creativity.”
For other perfumers and brand founders, the process of evoking certain emotions is an exercise of an active imagination. Whatever story they do create for their new scents, it all boils down to how they want consumers to feel. “The process for creating a new fragrance is always such a journey,” adds Carol Han Pyle, founder of fragrance brand Nette. “We think about what mood we want to focus on—joy, mindfulness, confidence—and then work backwards.”
“This approach not only makes the scent more relatable but also encourages consumers to enhance with the brand, leading to a loyal following,” agrees Kowalewski.
Hone in Nostalgia
There’s a reason why we are always referencing the cool vibes of the pre-internet ‘90s or the fun disco aesthetics of the ‘70s. We’re all nostalgic and longing for things that make us feel good, something that experts say is key for fragrance lovers—especially for Gen Z. “Give them all the feels,” says Jennifer G. Sullivan, beauty expert and co-host of beauty podcast “Fat Mascara.” “This is a generation that is not afraid of ugly crying on camera; they want to be acknowledged and valued by others, and they want a perfume that comforts them but also confirms that they are worthy and unique.”
Sullivan goes on to explain that fragrances have the ability for many to think back to their youth or romanticize eras that they resonate with, even if it’s a time they don’t remember or actually lived through. If a brand wants to make an impactful scent, she recommends making one that has the ability to smell different on different people. A musk like Phlur’s Missing Person, she says, is a perfect example of this. “The name is evocative,” she says. “Its softness is comforting, and even the color and contours of the bottle give you a sense of cocooning.”
Pyle also likes to draw from nostalgic references. While the main source of inspiration for its scents is the brand’s home, New York City, she credits ‘90s classic film Ghost for inspiring Nette’s latest fruity floral launch Pear Jam. “I loved the huge Soho loft that Demi Moore lived in and always wondered what it smelled like with all of her ceramics there and her favorite Japanese pears,” she says.
Be Playful and Have Fun
Some of the best fragrances don’t have rhyme or reason to it. They could just be interesting notes that work together and have a fun story. “‘Storytelling’ notes have had a come up in fragrance recently. These are notes or accords that might not be a literal extraction of something like citrus, but bring to the mind the idea of something unexpected,” says Tynan Sinks, fragrance expert and co-host of the fragrance podcast “Smell Ya Later.” For example, Sinks points to D.S. & Durga’s Crush Balls, which is tennis-ball inspired. As one can assume, the notes, which are named funny descriptors like “yellow fuzz” or “sporty accord,” are not actually made of tennis ball material. But Sinks says they’re a clearer and more exciting way to describe a citrus scent. “It’s all marketing anyway, so why not get a little creative with it?” he says.
Sullivan agrees and says that she’s noticed more fragrance marketers are putting more effort into naming the accords and notes with something more enticing. It’s a trend she thinks needs to grow. “A brand could list base notes or a base accord of, for example, vanilla, oak, spice, and leather, or they could list something like ‘aged rum,’ which conveys a similar aroma experience with a much deeper connotation,” she says. “I think that moment to convey a feeling to the consumer is such an important one and shouldn’t be overlooked.”
“Fragrance is an artform like music or painting,” says David Moltz, co-founder of D.S. & Durga. “Kavi [Moltz] and I are world builders. We’re not discussing the emotions or moods that you might feel when you smell something that is supposed to evoke a burnt down barbershop. Telling someone how to feel or what to think is strange to me.”
“We all know the notes [marketers] pick to list are kind of B.S. anyway; they can basically say whatever they want,” adds Sullivan. “And they’re certainly not going to be listing out accurate aroma chemical names. So why not use that opportunity to be evocative?”
Be Authentic
Consumers are smart. All experts agree that no matter how brands choose to create scents, it needs to be a launch that makes sense for them and their audience. Sinks says the notion that a brand needs to do one certain thing to capture one specific demographic is an oversimplification of the process and that if every brand did the exact same thing to capture the Gen Z audience, the market would be oversaturated. “If Gen Z has taught us one thing over and over again, it’s that they’re the smartest and savviest consumers who demand a lot more from their brands,” he says. “They’re not an equation to be solved; they’re a generation of people with their own thoughts and opinions.”
“It’s essential to understand that today’s consumers look for fragrances that not only perform but resonate with their emotions and evoke deeper experiences,” agrees Kowalewski. “Be authentic to who you are as a brand,” adds Pyle. “Understand what makes you special and unique and stick to it.”
Brands Who Do It Right
If you’re looking for the blueprint, D.S. & Durga, Nette, and 27 87 are prime examples of brands that built their core fanbase by presenting notes to consumers in innovative and fun abstract ways. Other brands that do this well also include Bath & Body Works, which Nilsen says is one of the first to incorporate vibes into their positioning. “Just walking into a BBW fills you with great vibes,” he says. “They certainly use note composition in their storytelling, but when you think of fragrances like A Thousand Wishes and Sweater Weather, you think of feelings before you imagine a smell.”
Sullivan adds that consumers know to go to Sol de Janeiro to evoke a sense of fun party-all-day-(and night)-long-on-the-Brazilian-beach feel to all its scents while the Harlem Perfume Co. evokes a lush and jazzy feeling to their perfumes. She also loves Maison D’Etto, which was made for the old money horse girl whose sanctuary is the stables.
And don’t count out the fashion houses like Hermes and Chloé. “I think you just know an Hermes fragrance is going to be classic, sophisticated, luxurious but with this clean simplicity; they’re never too showy,” she says. “And the Chloé girl is totally the Chloé fragrance girl: bohemian, flowy, and always super feminine.”
Sinks loves Boy Smells for its editorial approach to their fragrance campaigns, which masterfully builds fully realized worlds for their scents to live in. “It’s an evocative ‘show, don’t tell’ approach that some consumers can get even more out of than simply seeing the scent next to what it’s formulated with,” he says. “Who needs to see another candle next to a stick of vanilla anyway?”
But above all else, the most important thing is to create a good product. “The best way to capture the [demographic], or any audience, is to create something really good,” he adds. “It doesn’t even have to be groundbreaking, just have its own unique perspective, bring something new to the table, and be transparent about how it got there.”
