Fragrance is transforming from a simple indulgence into a powerful sensory tool with the potential to shape physical spaces of the future. Brands are getting creative with innovations that go beyond the product, using technology and storytelling to create more meaningful and emotional experiences.
Consumer expectations are also shifting, with the rise of PerfumeTok’s fragrance influencers and a growing demand for personalisation and sustainable luxury. These trends point to a future where scent plays an increasingly central role in stores.
Synaesthesia, the phenomenon where one sense triggers another, is becoming a new framework for reimagining how scent influences experience. Some brands are using this sensory fusion to create immersive environments where fragrance interacts with sound, light, and texture. Take Bleu Nour, a brand turning colours into scents, exploring the synergy between visual and olfactory senses.
Fragrance house Folie à Plusieurs takes this one step further with its Koh-do incense experience. Here, “listening” to incense involves burning a Japanese incense stick while streaming an accompanying album, merging sound and scent into a singular sensory moment.
The days of basic fragrance sampling are also numbered. In-store testing is becoming a playground for the senses. Scratch-and-sniff cards and perfume-releasing foot pumps are just the start.
Innovative perfumer Francis Kurkdijan is known for developing unique and surprising ways to experience fragrance – evident in his reinterpretation of Papier d’Armenie’s scented burning papers. His Maison also collaborated with the Trianon Estate to transform the gardens at the Palace of Versailles into a sensory destination called the ‘Perfumer’s Garden’.
The gardens featured hundreds of fragrant plants used in perfume-making—from traditional roses and jasmine to unexpected scents like chocolate and apple. The flowers mirrored the notes of Kurkdjian’s Trianon Palace Versailles fragrance, offering a unique and enduring way to experience the fragrance, one which evolves with the seasons and celebrates the area’s rich history of perfumery.
Launching its latest Paradoxe fragrance, Prada’s first augmented by artificial intelligence, the luxury house created an immersive pop-up flower lab during New York Fashion Week.
Guests were taken on a tech-infused, multi-sensory journey that blended timeless luxury with playful innovation. The experience included a customisation station, body-scanning photo moment, and mini flower bouquets reflecting the fragrance’s notes.
Visitors then exited through an olfactory discovery room where smoke-filled bubbles released the Paradoxe fragrance when popped – a new, novel way to experience scent.
These new technologies are reshaping how consumers interact with fragrances. From augmented and virtual reality to artificial intelligence, digital tools enhance the traditional perfume experience by adding layers of interaction and personalisation.
AI, for example, is now being used to analyse consumers’ physiological responses to scents, unlocking tailored fragrance profiles based on individual data. Wearable devices can track emotions, moods, and reactions to specific aromas, allowing users to discover scents uniquely suited to their preferences.
At the forefront of this innovation is EveryHuman’s Breda Scent Lab, which combines AI with traditional perfumery. Visitors can create a bespoke perfume using AI-driven tools that guide them to their perfect fragrance match. In this space, fragrance becomes more than a passive indulgence; it becomes an interactive, data-driven experience.
Yves Saint Laurent has brought this thinking into stores with Emotiv’s neuro-analysis devices, which help customers select their ideal perfume based on their neurological responses.
As consumers increasingly seek products with a layer of self-care, fragrance is being recognised as a powerful tool for enhancing wellbeing. No longer just a luxury, scent is being used to address emotional and physical needs—whether to relieve stress, promote sleep, or boost confidence. Brands are leveraging this shift by developing fragrances tailored to specific life stages, recognising scent’s important role in navigating transitions like adolescence or menopause.
Fragrance house Firmenich is tapping into this concept with a new range of functional scents designed to improve daily life, from easing anxiety to enhancing focus. Matteo Magnani, Chief Consumer & Innovation Officer at Firmenich, explains that fragrance is “evolving beyond romance and seduction into a holistic self-care tool.” This reflects a broader trend of aligning scent with mental and emotional health, and we may soon see fragrances explicitly developed for life phases such as ageing, motherhood, or even career changes.
Fragrance brands are increasingly aligning product releases with the natural cycles of the seasons too, creating limited-edition collections that reflect the availability of ingredients and the rhythms of nature. This approach taps into consumers’ desire for sustainability, but also adds an exclusive feeling of ‘when it’s gone, it’s gone’.
British perfumer Ffern and Argentina’s Fueguia release small, seasonal runs based on ingredient quality and availability. Fueguia’s collections, for example, depend on climate and botanical supply, making each fragrance a unique, fleeting experience.
In turn, Ffern’s store on Beak Street in London has become a cult destination – one where no product is sold. Instead, visitors learn about the process, meet with like-minded fragrance fanatics and sample up-and-coming releases.
The future of fragrance experiences is all about interaction, immersion, and personalisation. As brands experiment with technologies that blend scent with sound, colour, and touch, the in-store experience remains key. After all, as fragrance journalist Carla Seipp points out, “scent is a medium that simply cannot be replicated online.”
Get in touch to explore how your brand can leverage scent to create a more sensory-stimulating experience.
