The popularity of home fragrances seems to have grown exponentially in recent years: from clothing stores to grocery stores, they are everywhere. In a relatively short period of time, we have gone from basic aerosols to the use of smart devices operated from our phones. Besides the great advances made in user-friendliness, another important aspect in the evolution of home fragrances is undoubtedly the products’ design, which has become almost as important as the scent.

“In recent years, home fragrances (or air care solutions) have become premium products,” says Sylvain Massé, Marketing Manager at Iberchem. “We are moving away from the strictly functional categorisation of this product (where people used home fragrances to make a room smell nice) towards an increasingly sophisticated approach. Air care solutions are now growing in parallel with the world of fine perfumery.”

This evolving trend has led products such as candles or reed diffusers to go from a “nice-smelling item” to essential decorative elements in our homes.

In addition to the products’ design, another change has been observed over the last few years with regard to the raw materials used by manufacturers, as well as the type of fragrances consumers are looking for.

Home Fragrances: Lifestyle and Innovations

The growing green/vegan audience is after products that match their lifestyle, not only in terms of food or fashion but also in cosmetics and fragrances. As for the types of scents, there is a growing demand for natural fragrances. “Consumers want fragrances that reproduce real scents found in nature, like those of the sea or a forest,” says Massé. “It’s no longer a question of wanting nature-inspired perfumes: people actually want scents that genuinely reproduce aromas of nature.”

The home fragrance sector has also joined the trend of multisensory marketing. In recent years, many brands have launched home fragrances which, in addition to scenting a room, offer something extra for the senses. These products provide an experience, such as the pairing of scented candles with food or beverages, for instance. Brands have even created specific fragrances to be enjoyed during a particular television show to create the perfect atmosphere for the viewer.

In this sense, always at the forefront of the latest trends, Iberchem presented the experience “The Art of Maridaje” at the 2019 PLMA in Amsterdam, linking the exclusive creations of its perfumers with original flavours developed by Scentium, the Group’s flavour division. Visitors were invited to sample drinks and snacks in conjunction with fragrances created exclusively for the occasion. This original experience was well received by the audience at the exposition and surprised more than one.

Home Fragrances: Eliminating Malodours

Alongside all these trends, there is still a significant demand for sprays and aerosols. However, those now often come with a more practical and technical focus, such as eliminating bad smells (in bathrooms or kitchens, for example). To meet this demand, new technologies have emerged on the market. Iberchem for instance has created the fragrance technology Neopure®, which eliminates malodours by targeting the odorous chemicals causing the bad smell and neutralising them. What is left is the fragrance, which you can fully enjoy without any contamination.

Overall, home fragrances are now trendier than ever. They come in a great variety of scents and in various formats such as nebulisers, candles, reed diffusers, aerosols, etc. Each of them has their own special features. This is why perfumers nowadays have to develop fragrances bearing in mind the type of application they will be used for. However, this is something we will talk about in more detail in our upcoming articles.