Hot Fragrance Trends in 2023

If you’re a soap maker in the bath and body business, you know how important scent is for your customers. Personal preferences play a big role, but demand for certain fragrances is also influenced by cultural shifts and world events. Analysts can use that information to make predictions about which fragrances are going to be particularly popular in the coming year.

These are some projections made by experts in the fragrance industry. 

Sustainability matters

A big trend among consumers is only going to continue to increase in the coming years; sustainability. Consumers are looking for products that evoke sustainability, and they’re more knowledgeable about and driven by ingredients in their home and body care products. They’re also interested in more sustainable packaging. They want to reduce plastic and increase recyclable and compostable packaging.

Minimalism

In a world that only sees ever increasing choices, people are looking for a break from all that stimulation and all those decisions. The trend toward minimalism that’s swept through lifestyles and homes in recent years extends to home and bath products. Consumers are looking for not just simpler aromas, but also stripped down aesthetics and packaging. Kathy LaVanier of the National Candle Association asserts that a “less is more” packaging trend will last well into 2023.

Unisex fragrances

The demand for unisex scents is on the rise. What does that mean for fragrances? It means that consumers are moving away from heavily floral smells as well as stodgy woody smells, and toward foods, spices, and resins. Think fragrances that would be just as at home on a woman as on a man. Sometimes this means pulling base notes from either side of that spectrum and blending them with other unexpected scents.

Cardamom and Cedar Fragrance Oil takes the sweet spice of cardamom and combines it with warm wood and fresh eucalyptus.

Yearning for the good old days

There’s a desire for nostalgia among consumers and this extends to the fragrance market. This trend means adding modern twists to old classic scents like vanilla and rose. “Modern updates to classic scents like vanilla is one of the fastest growing scent camps, especially with younger generations,” according to Procter & Gamble’s Morgan Eberhard. This may mean pairing up stuffy and heavy florals with fresh scents to lighten them up, or adding bright smells to blends that incorporate woods, smoke, and leather. People want to be reminded of the past but not mired in its mistakes. Take the good from historic fragrance preferences and give them a trendier sheen by balancing them out.

This Rosehip Jasmine Fragrance Oil combines the light floral scent of jasmine with the sweetness of ripe rosehip.

Feel-good scents

Coming out of the global pandemic, people are eager to look forward to better times ahead, rather than at the anxious days behind. Because of this, consumers will gravitate toward scents that are energizing and inspire joy and happiness. That means a lot of bright citruses, light florals, and summer fruit. Paired with fresh scents like cotton and watery smells will broaden the horizons of the future and invoke the feeling of freedom and limitless possibilities.

Our Grapefruit Glow Fragrance Oil brings the brightness of grapefruit and lemon, backed with warm amber and contrasted with light florals. 

Soft, cozy fragrances

Similarly, consumers are also interested in comfort, coziness, and the warmth of home. These are smells that help us feel safe, warm, and cared for. When we think cozy, we’re thinking of smells that are gentle, simple, and not too challenging. Things like wool blankets, light hints of leather and wood, and baked goods inspire cozy feelings. According to Bath & Body Works’ Noelle Marois, home fragrance trends are gravitating toward warm, sweet flavors like brown sugar. According to a blog post from Bell Fragrances and Flavors, “Soft and warm fragrance profiles embody this trend, complementing the calm and relaxed feeling many consumers are looking for.”

Our Cashmere Fragrance Oil is a warm, cozy fragrance that is balanced with fresh and floral notes.

Scents from nature

As people recover from the stress of the pandemic and from being cooped up at home under lockdown, they’re taking an increased interest in nature. Being outside was a luxury for many, and we’re taking advantage of it now. Scents that inspire thoughts of nature and the outdoors satisfy this need. We’re talking about lush, green smells and fresh smells.

Light woods are also great, especially evergreens. Water and petrichor are also going to be great smells to take advantage of this return to the outdoors.

This Natural Cedar and Oakmoss Fragrance Oil brings cedar and moss, backed with warm amber and tobacco and complemented with fresh herbal notes.

So there you have it, a quick review of some upcoming fragrance trends and the emotional benefits that consumers are seeking. Whether you’re creating bath and home products to sell, or simply want to be on-trend with your own crafting projects, you can use these predictions to satisfy the wants and needs of today. There’s a lot of solid ground to start from with the urge toward nostalgia, but also a lot of room to experiment. As always, the real inspiration comes from you.