This article was originally published in the Cosmetics Business Fragrance Trend Report. Receive your copy here.
Mood-boosting fragrances continue to take a place in the spotlight, and nostalgic, comforting scents have reached peak popularity, but perfumery is not just a fair-weather friend.
A counter-movement is being increasingly explored within artistic niche perfumery in which fragrance navigates difficult or suppressed emotions, or even triggers or unlocks feelings of discomfort.
Aroma has been scientifically proven to elicit an emotional response, nevertheless when it prompts an unexpected reaction, the effect can be astonishing.
Phlur’s Missing Person went viral and sold out three times for making people cry: posts by content creators spoke about how the scent reminded them of someone they love and miss, or have lost.
It is a reaction that perfume brand Filigree & Shadow has also elicited with its fragrances.
James Elliott, the perfumer behind the brand, says: “I had a studio visitor not two weeks ago who was new to my fragrances and wanted to smell everything.
“She sprayed My Most Meaningful Relationships which has notes of petrichor, rosewood, and vetiver.
“Immediately she told me a story about growing up in Kansas, and how her mom would always tell her that the rain was ‘God holding us a little tighter’. And then she began to cry.”
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