Creating an aromatic ambiance in the home is hitting the right notes with consumers, as well as freshening up the home fragrance market
The home fragrance market may still be a fledgling business compared to the might of other sectors in the C&T industry but it is certainly packing a perfumed punch. Only a few years ago, the concept of home fragrance consisted of clawing artificial aromas and unimaginative formats but today both mass and luxury manufacturers are driving sales with sophisticated scents and formats that have become more of an accessory than a necessity.
According to Euromonitor International the global home fragrance market was valued at $7bn in 2007, a growth of 9.1% between 2002 and 2007. Unsurprisingly, Western Europe and North America represented the largest markets – $2.4bn and $2.5bn respectively – but Asia Pacific, with its strong heritage in this sector, is becoming an increasingly lucrative market for manufacturers.
The role of home fragrance is shifting in the consumer psyche and increasingly consumers are seeing the sector as a lifestyle accessory, with products such as candles, reed diffusers and plug-ins being used to create a relaxing ambiance or a setting for entertaining. This is a marked move from simply being an extension to a bathing or relaxation ritual and manufacturers have begun to create different scents for different rooms and occasions. However, the popularity of spas and the subsequent adoption of these rituals at home still remains a popular reason for purchasing some home fragrance products, particularly candles.
“Scent personalises someone’s home and environment,” explains Maria Christofilis, founder of luxury home fragrance brand Anthousa. “It makes it different and is an extension of that person.”
According to Reckitt-Benkiser, manufacturer of the AirWick brand, the growth in popularity of home fragrances is also down to a shift in lifestyles. People are spending more time indoors and seeing their home as a refuge, prompting them to invest in ways of creating an atmosphere, according to the manufacturer. In addition the rise in the number of smaller homes and households means that odours spread more easily throughout the home, so consumers are looking for solutions to this.
“Life stage is a key determinant of attitudes towards scented fresheners, with those in the family life stage more motivated by using fragrances to make a house feel more homely,” adds Alexandra Richmond, senior analyst, beauty and personal care, Mintel. “A fifth of people in the UK think that scented fresheners make their houses more homely. However, nearly as many think they smell artificial rather than natural and prefer odour neutralisers to scented fresheners.”
SCENTS OF DIVERSITY
Although the home fragrance market is appealing more and more to a global audience, tastes, as with fine fragrance, vary from region to region. According to Mintel lavender and vanilla were the leading fragrances throughout the world in 2008, however in Europe and Latin America unfragranced air fresheners were amongst the leading fragrance claims. North America meanwhile, was the only region where cinnamon was in the top three fragrance tastes.
“Warm climates respond well to clean and citrus scents, while cold climates respond well to our warm spicy fragrances,” explains Christofilis. “For example our best selling fragrance in the US is Nectarine & Red Currant – a sweet fruity scent, while in the UK and Europe Fig Leaf & Bitter Almond has been our number one selling fragrance.”
Alongside floral and fruity notes, scents that are associated with cleanliness such as freshly laundered linen and water have become popular fragrance choices with consumers. The smoking ban that has come into force in many European countries has also helped boost the popularity of clean air scents outside the home, as many bars and clubs seek to neutralise odours that were once masked by the smell of cigarette and cigar smoke.
“Subtlety is an interesting trend in home fragrance. People want something that is not too overpowering – it’s just there neutralising smells, not masking anything so the room doesn’t smell of anything,” says Azzi Glasser, founder of candle specialist, Family Three, which has manufactured candles for luxury brands including Liberty, Agent Provocateur and Designers Guild.
The opportunity to expand on the clean air concept has been championed by mass brands Ambi Pur and AirWick who have both launched variants. AirWick’s Aqua Essences are inspired by water-based botanicals and include the scents Fresh Waters, Morning Rain and Sparkling Citrus. “The new collection responds to consumers’ desire for more natural, lighter scents,” says Reckitt Benckiser.
Similarly, Ambi Pur launched Puresse, a range of light scents designed to ‘care for the air in your home’ including cotton, bamboo, air and lotus formulated to minimise 26 known skin allergens. The range is dermatologically tested and has been given a seal of approval by Allergy UK.
BURNING ISSUES
With the green ticket still playing a decisive role in consumer purchasing decisions, many home fragrance manufacturers have adapted their products to cater for this lucrative market. From recycled packaging to clean-burning candles and organic ingredients, the claims mirror those made in other parts of the C&T industry. The trend has previously been the preserve of niche premium brands but increased interest in this trend has seen more mass brands launching products that comply with green and ethical thinking.
“Ethical and green issues are having a big impact on the household fresheners market, with claims such as recyclable or recycled packaging and non-animal tested popular,” says Richmond.
Products claiming not to be tested on animals include Tesco Naturally Citrus room spray and the Etamine du Lys deodoriser range, while Ecover entered the home fragrance market for the first time with a line of natural room fragrances, said to be an alternative to using aerosols, and have a formula made from renewable resources such as plant-based alcohol and essential oils.
At a more premium level, True Grace has reformulated its candles, which now feature a unique beeswax and soy wax blend. The wax is supplied by a manufacturer with a strong ethical, environmental and sustainability policy on the production of its raw materials, according to the brand. It also says that the blend creates a clean burn, which reduces carbon emissions, while the wick is manufactured in the UK from sustainable cotton. New scents include Log Fire, with smoky, woody nuances; Tudor Pomander, with notes of orange and clove; Library, a blend of cedar, sandalwood, birch tar amber and moss; and Wild Mint, a blend of sweet mint and basil.
Aveda takes environmental concerns a step further with its Light the Way candle, a limited edition soy wax candle launched to coincide with Aveda’s annual Earth Month initiative. The 2009 candle features a calming blend of lavender, lavandin and clary sage, which Aveda says are certified organic by Ecocert. The glass jar is made from 95% post-consumer recycled (PCR) glass, while the 55% PCR outer carton is printed with soy ink. In addition, all proceeds from the product support Aveda’s Earth Month partner, Global Greengrants Fund, which provides grants for community-based water projects around the world.
In a similar vein, beauty and lifestyle brand Cowshed has partnered with the charity Hope and Homes for Children to raise funds for orphaned and abandoned children in Africa and Central and Eastern Europe. Ten percent of the profit from the whimsically named Udderly Loved candle will be donated to the charity. In addition the brand has launched three new plant-based candles that are said to contain naturally derived ingredients. The formulas are free from parabens, petrochemicals, sulphates and artificial colours and fragrances, as well as containing no animal ingredients except for organic beeswax and wildflower honey.
The line-up includes Wild Cow, a fresh green blend of lemongrass, ginger and rosemary essential oils; Moody Cow, a floral mix of rose geranium, linden blossom and frankincense essential oils; and Horny Cow, a classic blend of rose absolute, patchouli and cinnamon essential oils.
The popularity of botanical and plant-based scents has also encouraged Clarins to make the jump from beauty to home fragrance. The new Clarins Home range, which draws on the brand’s plant heritage, comprises a candle, room spray and diffuser and features a new Eau d’Ambience aroma featuring notes of basil, patchouli, lemon, geranium and sage, which is said to be inspired by the Clarins’ Eau Dynamisante and Tonic Body Oil products.
FRAGRANT FORMATS
While scenting a room has traditionally been restricted to burning or diffusing a fragrance, recent innovations in formats have seen new ways to use home fragrance, enabling manufacturers to broaden the sector’s appeal, with products to suit every lifestyle and purse. The mass sector in particular has benefited from new formats, and new launches have been positioned with more of an aspirational than functional slant.
The latest batch of new products include motion sensors and time release technology, which manufacturers say closely mirrors the modern consumer’s demands for fragrancing their homes. And it is an area that is building value. According to Mintel electrical plug-ins and time release products accounted for 46% of all total value sales in 2008.
“Continuous innovation is central to maintaining and increasing market share, with new premium, more technologically advanced products driving value sales,” explains Richmond. “Growth in the household fresheners market is being driven by the move towards more high-tech household freshener solutions such as electrical plug-ins and time-release products rather than more basic products such as slow-release gels. Plug-ins and time release formats are popular because they are a better fit for today’s high tech homes.”
Phil Thomas, marketing director, household and personal care, Reckitt Benckiser UK agrees: “Constant innovation is at the heart of air care category growth and autosprays have been a driving force for some time.”
AirWick’s new Freshmatic i-motion is claimed to build on the popularity of time-release technology and promises to deliver a continuous fragrance, while its motion sensor automatically delivers a burst of fragrance when it is triggered by movement. The scents include freesia & jasmine and lavender & camomile, as well as a number of other fragrances available as a refill.
Similarly, Glade has developed Sense & Spray, which features a motion sensor that releases a puff of fragrance when it is triggered and continues to do so every 30 minutes, while motion is sensed. Glade claims this technology reduces waste, as the product does not spray when it does not detect motion – at night or when the consumer is out for instance. In addition, the product features a boost button for an extra fragrance burst.
Reed diffusers are another area where mass brands are looking to build value. Previously the domain of the prestige few, reed diffusers have been steadily filtering down to the mass market with brands such as AirWick launching a variant. This new generation of diffusers are being positioned more as an object to create ambiance than merely a functional air freshener, and this is hoped to expand their appeal in the mass market.
“Reeds started as a very niche prestige proposition but they have become very popular in the mass market,” says Glasser. “There is a real expectation that they will take share from the candle market. They are a popular way of scenting a room and they do not pose the same hazard as candles for instance.”
Crabtree & Evelyn has also traded up, this time in the masstige market, with the launch of a new candle and diffuser in its India Hicks Island Night line. The range draws on Hicks’ life in the Caribbean and the diffuser is said to be inspired by the limbs of a tree, while the candle is wrapped in a silver bracelet that is said to resemble coral from the island.
CANDLES COME FIRST
Although efforts to expand the home fragrance category through new formats have been effective, candles still remain the most popular method to fragrance a home.
According to Mintel candles appeal to consumers interested in more natural products and the growing number of one and two person households who do not need to worry about children knocking them over. They are also popular at the premium end to give as a gift and this is reflected in the ornate and intricate packaging that many brands have invested in.
“What’s brought candles to their height is the premium market – before this there really wasn’t anything out there,” explains Glasser. “A home is very special to people and they want to cocoon. They don’t necessarily want mass smells although there is a market for that. The luxury market was the perfect place for candles to evolve.”
Christofilis adds: “A candle and a diffuser create an ambiance where as a spray does not. Candles have a certain integrity about them – the look of a candle can become part of the design of a house and the gorgeous scent can conjure up a unique atmosphere.”
Luxury candles unsurprisingly carry a premium price tag and it is not uncommon to see prices upwards of £40 or £50 for each candle, perhaps bringing a new meaning to the phrase ‘money to burn’. Manufacturers dispute however that the quality of the ingredients used increases burn time and therefore provides better overall value for money.
Creating a candle for a fragrance or bath line is also becoming increasingly popular and many manufacturers have launched scented variants. Jo Malone’s latest fragrances, White Jasmine & Mint and Sweet Lime & Cedar are now available as scented candles, and the brand also expanded its Tea home fragrance collection to include three limited edition candles - Eau de Cologne Tea, Parma Violets Tea and Sweet Almond Macaroon Tea.
Similarly, Space.NK created a scented candle for each of its new fine fragrances. The Champaca, Santalrosa, Jasamber and Tuberoli candles are designed to add another dimension to the fragrance line, which also includes bath and body products. The retailer has also launched a scented candle for its iconic Laughter fragrance.
Glasser however believes that many consumers want a clear difference between their home scent and their personal scent. “What you wear on your skin should be different to how your home smells,” she says. “But I can see how people would want a connection”
Penhaligon’s is keeping the concepts separate with its new Thank Goodness for Tea candles, which strike at distinct contrast to its personal fragrances both on-shelf and in use.
Candles are also seeing resurgence on the mass market, with manufacturers positioning their offers with odour neutralising and freshening benefits, as opposed to a luxury offer.
Febreeze’s Light & Refresh candles build on the brand’s odour neutralising heritage and are claimed to release powerful odour eliminators as they burn, as well as releasing a fresh scent. The candles are available in four scents including Morning Dew, Cotton Fresh and Vanilla Cream.
Glade and AirWick have taken the candle concept to a new level, developing flameless candles, which both brands claim provide the soothing light of a real candle combined with a relaxing fragrance. Glade’s battery operated Wisp candle even flickers to give the appearance of a candle and automatically releases a puff of fragrance all day.
A FRAGRANT FUTURE
As more countries succumb to the pressures of recession, it could be argued that the non-essential items that make up the home fragrance sector, such as candles and diffusers might suffer. However, Richmond believes the market may in fact flourish, as consumers find more cost-cutting ways to spend their free time. She predicts that the market will grow by 5% in the next three years.
“The market is expected to weather the current economic crisis,” she explains. “If people stay at home more instead of going out, they are more likely to want to make their homes smell nice both before and after guests visit. In addition, they may want to create a more cosy ambience to make the home more welcoming.”
And what about the future for products themselves? Glasser believes the market will segment further with greater separation between premium and mass offers.
At the very top end more consumers will demand a couture home fragrance, which is unique to them and their home. “Not everyone is going to be poor and a signature home scent is a good idea,” she says.
The practise is already in place with many celebrities and luxury hotels and bars sporting bespoke scents.
For the majority however, smart formats will be a more tangible option and Glasser tells SPC she is in the process of developing an innovative concept for fragrancing the home. “The future lies in finding new ways of fragrancing the home – some way of controlling the scent around you so it’s just there doing its job,” she says.