The State of Fragrance: What The Perfume Shoppers Really Want

HIGHSNOBIETY / ELIZABETH RENSTROM

Highsnobiety: Welcome to the state of fragrance. Highsnobiety’s new audience study sniffs out what discerning perfume shoppers really want — and what makes them turn their noses up. (Turns out, those celebrity endorsements aren't working.)

Enigmatic and ephemeral, fragrance has consumers under a smelly spell. Once sprayed, perfume is indiscernible to the eye, yet it has the power to evoke memory, emotion, personality, and fantasy. The magic of scent isn’t lost on today’s shoppers, who consider their olfactory choices much more than a means to smell good.

To understand how consumers are discovering, purchasing, and ultimately wearing fragrance, Highsnobiety conducted its first-ever “State of Fragrance” survey. In August, we asked 291 participants about their relationship to perfume, their buying habits, and their hottest takes on the state of the fragrance industry today.

Dividing the fragrance experience into four segments — intention, discovery, purchase, and excitement — we gleaned overarching consumer trends and preferences, as well as key differences between fragrance newbies and connoisseurs. Here’s what we discovered....

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