The Fragrance Industry: Then & Now

During Ancient Egyptian times, fragrances were used as a form of communication to talk to their Gods. In current times, this can actually compare to the use of incense in places of worship. Therefore, we can see that fragrance has maintained its significance. The original ‘art of perfumery’ only belonged – very exclusively - to priests. The only people who had access to it were the Gods, the royals and aristocracy.

Fragrances as we know them today, saw their largest development during the 19th century. This was when “chemists discovered new distillation processes and different complex molecules to create new scents for men and women.” This was a huge leap as the older perfume processes usually involved crushing around 300,000 rose petals to make only 1 kg of rose-scented perfume. Understanding the difference in perfume notes became vital to the new creation of scents for men and women to each enjoy. This distillation process affects how long perfume lasts and is how perfume is made for a commercial market.

The global perfume market size was valued at $31.4 billion in 2018, and it is expected to expand at 3.9% from 2019 to 2025. The growth in the market is down to an ever-increasing trend of personal grooming, paired with rising demand for luxury / exotic fragrances. Also, increasing consumer spending on luxury fragrances (because of high income level), along with improving living standards, is what is driving the global market.

Over recent years, perfume has developed to become considered as an essential product which is primarily driven by the growing trend of personal grooming, for increased personal confidence. By 2025, the global market size is believed to reach $91 billion.

“Some companies holding licenses for luxury designer fragrances should collaborate more with fashion retailers in order to introduce more fun and attractive ways to come into the stores to try out the fragrances. This is a way to attract consumers into physical shops without feeling intimidated by entering a high luxury store.” - EUROMONITOR INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH ANALYST, CLOTILDE DRAPÉ

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