The Fragrance Foundation Awards Celebrate the Category’s Myriad Drivers
The Fragrance Foundation unveiled its 2024 award winners on Wednesday during its annual Lincoln Center bash — but there were hardly any losers.
The turnout of more than 1,000, which spanned retailers, fragrance houses, brand founders, beauty executives and perfumers, all cited growing consumer demand. According to Circana data from the first quarter, fragrance was the fastest-growing category in prestige beauty, posting 13 percent gains.
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Among the big winners were Fragrance Hall of Fame inductee and Givaudan chief executive officer Gilles Andrier, as well as Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, Louis Vuitton and Bulgari’s master perfumer, who nabbed the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer award.
“It is a truly fantastic moment for fragrance in America,” said Jerry Vittoria, chairman of The Fragrance Foundation, during his opening remarks. “Consumers are embracing a wardrobe of fragrances to scent their homes, hotels, cars and the city streets.”
That was echoed by Fragrance Foundation president Linda G. Levy, who noted that Cavallier-Belletrud had developed a scent specifically for the awards inspired by his home in Grasse. “That is the power of fragrance, and that is why we are here to celebrate the fragrances and the people who captivate our imaginations and transport us to another place,” Levy said.
Cavallier-Belletrud referred to himself as the the freest perfumer in the world, given creative liberties to expand both Louis Vuitton and Bulgari’s portfolios. “This is not just connected to business and industry,” he said of the awards, “but we have the pleasure of being together, and that means something.”
Andrier’s emotionality mirrored that during his acceptance speech. “I feel overwhelmed, but as everyone in this room knows, fragrance is about a feeling, and I feel so grateful to this — it’s such an emotional business,” he said.
The mood of the evening overall was buoyant, as perfumers, founders, executives and retailers reflected on the key drivers of growth.
One element fueling fragrance sales is the cohort of younger consumers exploring the category in more experiential ways.
“Young consumers are coming into the category in droves, and they’re not buying one fragrance — they’re wearing multiple fragrances, which is super interesting; this idea of wardrobing,” said Agnes Landau, chief marketing officer for U.S. brands at Shiseido. “They’re also buying [fragrance] for themselves, which is a big change — it’s not necessarily about seduction although that may still be part of it, but it’s ‘who do I want to be today?’”
Matthieu Befve, head of fine fragrance, North America, at Givaudan echoed the sentiment.
“Post-COVID has been incredible — from Gen Z to Gen Alpha, there is a huge appetite for fragrance,” he said. “There isn’t just more investment in the quality of fragrances, but new formats — hair mists, body care — we see that the category is exploding, so I can’t wait to see what happens next.”
“Everyone was expecting a soft landing, and we’re not landing at all,” said Inter Parfums Inc. CEO Jean Madar. “We see a new kind of customer, a new population coming to the counter. We didn’t have the 16-year-old customer, and today, they’re in stores and they buy.”
For Horizon Beauty Group president Carmela Palladino, the gourmand and single-note fragrance trends that have played a defining role in the fragrance landscape of late are reminiscent of one of her earliest Fragrance Foundation Awards memories — when in 2001, Christopher Gable and Christopher Brosius, cofounders of niche fragrance brand Demeter, won a FiFi in the Men’s Popular category.
“Demeter was very innovative back then — they were all about the single-note fragrances, which now the Jo Malones and everyone have come out with, too. When he ran up to that stage to accept the award, and gave that speech — you could truly see that it was a life-changing moment for them,” remembered Palladino.
She continued: “But back then, things were much more of the same; now, life has become more about individuality — fragrance is about more individuality.”
“Fragrance holds an emotional allure, and it connects to our commitment of helping customers feel good and look their best,” said Debbi Hartley-Triesch, executive vice president and general merchandise manager, accessories, beauty and home, Nordstrom. “With trending ingredients, industry innovation and captivating launches, we empower our customers to explore fragrances they may have never considered, allowing them to find a new signature scent or an addition to their fragrance wardrobe.”
Wardrobes, as well as fragrance layering, give consumers optionality and are moving the needle for businesses, executives agree.
“We see the industry continuing to be very strong, and our fragrances still have a very significant role. We have a lot of great innovation coming up and we’re very bullish,” said Stéphane de La Faverie, executive group president, the Estée Lauder Cos. “Innovation always is important, and people are looking for new things and new scents, but what’s interesting is scent layering and people using more products to create a signature.”
Olfactively, consumers are leaning hard into the seasons. “Our customers gravitate toward the sense of summer, and they’re very scent-driven. They’re always looking for the new juice that’s able to evoke their emotions and experiences,” said Nicolette Bosco, vice president of beauty, Macy’s. “The consumer has a sense of themselves and their experiences and where they’re going out in their lives. They might be going out with friends, and tomorrow, going into the boardroom. They’re looking at scents as a wardrobe.”
No wonder other retailers have taken note.
“We launched ‘Ôrebella exclusively and our guests have gone crazy for it,” said Linda Suliafu, vice president of beauty, Ulta Beauty. “Snif is doing well for us as well. We’re finding our guest is loving the niche and she’s loving discovery.”
“It’s such a beautiful time for niche fragrances,” agreed Thirteen Lune cofounder Nyakio Grieco, who launched her first fragrance under Relevant: Your Skin Seen last year. “We see so many beautiful brands — Brown Girl Jane, By Rosie Jane, and relevant coming to market and taking up space. It reminds me of the early 2000s when we got to discover beautiful fragrances.”
The 2024 Fragrance Foundation Award Winners
Fragrance of the Year, Women’s Luxury: Valentino Born in Roma Donna Intense
Fragrance of the Year, Women’s Prestige: Burberry Goddess
Fragrance of the Year, Men’s Luxury: Acqua di Giò Parfum
Fragrance of the Year, Men’s Prestige: Yves Saint Laurent Myself
Fragrance of the Year, Universal Luxury: Tom Ford Vanilla Sex
Fragrance of the Year, Universal Prestige: Hermès Un Jardin a Cythère
Fragrance of the Year, Popular: Nest New York Lychee Rose
Fragrance Hall of Fame: Marc Jacobs Daisy
Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year: Guerlain Tobacco Honey
Candle and Home Collection of the Year: Byredo Summer Rain
Media Campaign of the Year: Jo Malone London One Pear in Every Bottle
Consumer Choice, Women’s Prestige: Carolina Herrera Good Girl Blush
Consumer Choice, Women’s Popular: Billie Eilish No. 3
Consumer Choice, Men’s and Universal: Valentino Born in Roma Uomo Intense
Packaging of the Year, Luxury: Mind Games French Defense
Packaging of the Year, Popular: Anna Sui Sundae Pretty Pink
Innovative Fragrance Product of the Year: Nest New York Scents Fifth Avenue
Indie Fragrance of the Year: Arquiste Parfumeur L’Or de Louis
Launch Gallery: Christie Brinkley, Julianna Margulies, Vera Wang and More Attend the Fragrance Foundation 2024 Awards
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