<\/p>\n
In the \u201990s and 2000s, it felt like everyone had a signature scent. My mom\u2019s DKNY Be Delicious, my mema\u2019s musk she could only find at the flea market, my best friend\u2019s magical lavender concoction from the drugstore that no longer exists. Each scent would overwhelm my senses, and I knew its wearer was near before I saw her. Now that same best friend has an extensive fragrance wardrobe with dozens of notes and bottles from a handful of brands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a clear evolution from the idea of a single \u2018signature scent\u2019 to what I would call a more fluid fragrance wardrobe. Consumers are selecting fragrance based on how they want to feel in a particular moment, whether that\u2019s energized, comforted, confident or relaxed,\u201d says Olivia Jan, senior perfumer for Givaudan. Ahead of his time, as always, perfumer and artistic director of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, Francis Kurkdjian, tells me he\u2019s never believed in a single signature fragrance. \u201cPeople cannot be summed up in one scent, as everyone\u2019s personality evolves throughout life,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A fragrance wardrobe is a collection of scents that can be mixed, matched and worn depending on your mood or routine. \u201cThink of it like a clothing wardrobe, where you choose different scents depending on how you want to feel or express yourself that day,\u201d says Erwan Raguenes, a perfumer for dsm-firmenich.<\/p>\n
Walter Johnsen, vice president of product development for Interparfums, says, \u201cYou probably wouldn\u2019t wear the same outfit to the gym, a wedding, the office and a beach vacation. Fragrance is becoming much the same: Someone might have one scent for work, another for evenings, one for summer, one for winter and another simply because it matches their mood that day.\u201d However, a fragrance wardrobe doesn\u2019t need to be large to feel well-rounded, says Nina Blazevski, fragrance development manager at Maesa and Being Frenshe. \u201cThe goal isn\u2019t to collect the most fragrances. It\u2019s to curate a few scents that feel authentic to you and fit naturally into your life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jan notes that while the shift initially gained momentum with Gen Z shoppers who tend to view fragrance as a form of daily self-expression rather than a fixed identity, it\u2019s no longer generational, with consumers of all ages building out fragrance wardrobes that serve different occasions, moods, seasons and even times of day. \u201cIt\u2019s a combination of generational, cultural and industry influences,\u201d says Blazevski. \u201cSocial media has also made fragrance more accessible and given consumers a stronger understanding of notes, families and layering.\u201d Jan agrees that social media has undoubtedly played a role, \u201cencouraging discovery, experimentation and conversations about fragrance that weren\u2019t happening at the same scale a decade ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Johnsen doesn\u2019t think the signature scent is fully defunct. Rather than a shift, he thinks we\u2019re experiencing an expansion. \u201cFor decades, fragrance was often about finding the scent that became part of your identity,\u201d he says. \u201cToday, consumers\u2014particularly younger ones\u2014are far more comfortable expressing different versions of themselves. Fragrance has become another form of self-expression, much like fashion. That said, I don\u2019t think signature scents disappear. Most people still have one fragrance they instinctively reach for\u2014the one that feels like home. The difference is that today, it shares shelf space with several others rather than standing alone. So, I see it as a combination of cultural shifts, generational attitudes and industry innovation. None of those factors exist in isolation; they\u2019ve reinforced one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally, fragrance layering referred to using multiple products from the same fragrance collection to build and extend the scent experience, like matching your shower gel, body cream and perfume, says Johnsen. \u201cMore recently, the term has evolved. Many consumers now use fragrance layering to describe wearing different perfumes together to create a unique scent,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
\u201cLayering is one of the biggest trends we\u2019re seeing today, as consumers increasingly incorporate fragrance throughout their daily routines, from the shower and body care to hair fragrance and fine fragrance,\u201d says Jan, noting that layering allows the wearer to adjust intensity, longevity and expression while creating a scent that feels uniquely their own. \u201cIt reflects a broader desire for personalization and allows people to tailor their scent experience in the same way they curate the rest of their beauty and wellness rituals.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Kurkdjian believes that his fragrances are designed to stand on their own, he understands that fragrance is personal. \u201cIt\u2019s not up to me to judge how people should wear them; it\u2019s about everyone\u2019s freedom to experiment with scents. If layering helps someone create a scent that feels uniquely theirs, I fully respect that freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n
A person\u2019s signature scent used to be part of their identity, but that connection has evolved. \u201cToday we express our personalities differently than we did 10 or more years ago,\u201d says Kurkdjian. \u201cPerfume still expresses our identity, but we are now comfortable showing different facets of the same identity.\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019re also seeing fragrance become more integrated into wellness and self-care. \u201cPeople aren\u2019t just choosing scents based on how they want to smell; they\u2019re choosing them based on how they want to feel,\u201d Jan says. \u201cAs a perfumer, that\u2019s really exciting because it expands fragrance beyond personal style and into emotional expression. Rather than being attached to a single fragrance, consumers are building deeper relationships with multiple scents that serve different moods, occasions and moments in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day, consumers don\u2019t buy trends\u2014they buy emotions. They buy memories, confidence, aspiration, comfort and joy,\u201d says Johnsen. \u201cThose motivations haven\u2019t changed. The ways consumers discover and wear fragrance may continue to evolve, but the emotional reason people wear fragrance is remarkably consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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