MALLORY HURON
Director of Beauty & Wellness, Fashion Snoops, New York, USA

#Perfumetok has over 2.6 billion views (and counting) (1) on TikTok, pointing to a need for information sharing and transparency with fragrance, with consumers looking to experts for knowledge and guidance (#fragranceexpert has over 2.9 million views) (2). This movement is also being fueled by a desire for experimentation, exploration, and expression, as consumers embrace fragrance to express style, identity, and mood. Fragrancetok’s longevity is being fueled in part by the strong emotional connection consumers have with scent, and its profound ability to spark nostalgic memories, boost and balance mood, and offer escapism. Due to these strong cultural and emotional drivers, the vast fragrance enthusiast community on TikTok will go on long past the app’s lifespan, despite recent legislative rumblings and a degree of uncertainty over TikTok’s future (3) in certain regions. In essence, it’s crucial that the fragrance industry views FragranceTok not as a TikTok-based phenomenon, but rather as a larger cultural movement that happens to be materializing on a particular social media platform.

The first main driver behind the FragranceTok movement is the consumer need for immersive play, a large part of which is being driven by the thematic, escapist aesthetic and “core” movements on TikTok. To the uninitiated, “core” is used as a suffix on the app to describe an aesthetic trend which is typically based off of an immersive motif rooted in mood and storytelling, i.e. cottagecore, balletcore, or witchcore. Consumers, especially younger consumers, are incredibly enthusiastic about participating in these core movements, and look to match makeup looks and style with a complimenting fragrance. This leads to innumerous posts that recommend fragrances based on these aesthetics, like “Perfumes for Your Summer Aesthetic: Grandma’s Cottage” (4) or “What Would Barbie Wear as a Fragrance” (5). Part of what’s growing these viral moments is that social media fuels a competitive spirit and a “fear of missing out,” creating a digital bandwagon effect for various aesthetics.

Connected to cores and aesthetics are identity and mood based trends, as consumers view fragrances as “mood accessories” to project ever-changing personalities and lifestyles. Fragrance has always represented a way for consumers to express their identity, expression, and sense of self, however TikTok has taken it to a new level with identifiers like “Clean Girl”(6), “Dark Feminine Energy”(7), or “It Girl Scents”(8). Food inspiration has also taken over the beauty world, and fragrance is no exception to the craze. There’s an increase in funky, fun, novelty food accords that represent a shift away from traditional gourmand scents (which also grow), while food-inspired aesthetics like “Tomato Girl”(9), “Strawberry Girl”(10), and “Latte Girl”(11) help fuel this, as consumers look to align fragrance and style.

Next, knowledge-sharing and industry expertise are main draws to FragranceTok, as curious consumers come to the app to not only learn about the proper use of fragrance, but also to learn about an industry that is often shrouded in secrecy (12). Across all industries, consumers are becoming more educated, more demanding, and more invested in the creation process behind their products, necessitating how brands communicate with their audience. Within fragrance, this is especially important, as fragrance ingredient lists are still largely a mystery with only a select few brands showing a full breakdown for consumers (13). The consumer landscape has shifted dramatically in the past decade, creating a space where consumers are actively interested in formulation, manufacturing, and packaging. Savvy brands are seeing this as an opportunity to educate about cosmetic chemistry and product development, and in turn consumers are gaining respect for the perfume creation process, as we see TikToks covering topics like creating a new scent from scratch (14) (15), the fragrance bottling process (16), and even harvesting ingredients for scents (17).

Professional perfumers and experienced fragrance enthusiasts are also using TikTok to empower consumers and share insider knowledge. Consumers are eager to learn, and across the platform we’re seeing videos on everything from “How to ‘Speak’ Fragrance”(18) and “Things I Learned in Fragrance School”(19) to “The Fragrance Wheel and Scent Layering” (20) or “Skin Chemistry and pH with Fragrance” (21). This movement helps demystify the process and create more-informed consumers who feel more confident exploring the exciting world of fragrance.

Lastly, FragranceTok has become a vital platform to discuss change within the fragrance industry, especially as the global fragrance community continues to grapple with issues of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) (22). This is perhaps one of the most challenging, but most important, aspects of the FragranceTok community, as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) consumers and allies want to see inclusive change within fragrance. For example, Black women make up 23% of fragrance sales while only making up 14% of the US population (23), and yet as a demographic they continue to be underrepresented in the industry. To help rectify this disconnect, Gen Z is driving a demand for diversity, using the app to share BIPOC-owned fragrance brands (24), to decolonize scents (25), and to connect with fragrance lovers from booming international markets like Mexico (26), India (27), and Korea (28).

Consumers, especially younger generations, are also challenging long-standing conventions within the fragrance industry. The term “oriental,” for example, has emerged as a particular point of contention (29), as many brands begin to remove it from their fragrance vocabularies due to criticism from the Asian diaspora. There’s also a push on FragranceTok to continue to normalize unisex and genderless scents (30), as well as to make fragrance more financially accessible and to stop classist stigmatizations of so-called “cheap” perfumes (31), as #affordableperfume gains 45.8k posts (32) and we see affordable dupe recommendations become a major point of interest on the app (33). We are also seeing the platform being used to herald sustainable change, as brands showcase sustainability efforts and innovative adjustments towards eco-friendly solutions. Small batch, micro farming, and biotech are gaining attention on the app, as we see brands like Ffern (34), Guerlain (35), and Noteworthy (36) demonstrate their sustainable commitments to consumers.

So, what are the learnings here for brands? First and most obvious is to explore not only the FragranceTok community on TikTok, but TikTok in general (and to an extent, Instagram Reels) to stay ahead of immersive, playful social media trends, to expand brand presence, and to connect with a vibrant, enthusiastic community of fragrance lovers. By organically spending more time in these circles, it will in turn expose brands to content creators who can help elevate brand image. The next major takeaway for brands is to use the app as a platform to take consumers behind the scenes, to create a relationship of transparency and trust, and to educate consumers on proper fragrance use. This creates a relationship of authenticity and honesty with consumers which leads to more brand loyalty and recognition. Lastly, brands inspire industry change by listening to the diverse voices on FragranceTok that are asking not only for better representation and inclusion into fragrance spaces, but also for more sustainable industry change and the changing of certain industry norms.

he fragrance community it has created has real staying power. There is an energy and vitality to the FragranceTok community that has invigorated consumers’ interest, especially as younger consumers explore fragrance for the first time. If brands want to stay relevant, tapping into this community is key to help move the market into the future.