Gen Z Deep Dive

The Rise of Z

A new generation of gamechangers are going to change the world. Is your brand ready? The Millennials’ time in the spotlight is starting to give way to a new cohort: Gen Z.

This generation of gamechangers are revolutionizing our way of seeing and living life. It’s time to get to know them. Our global Gen Z panel creates the narrative and dictates the agenda, highlighting important topics and their fragrance preferences, providing great insight for brands trying to understand their views and vision. Get inspired as we provide you with one of the most accurate road maps to understanding this dynamic cohort.

Wilding

The Call of The Wild

Our spiritual yearning for an innate connection to something beyond human civilization is growing ever more intense. We seek something within ourselves: our wilder animal selves, our stronger, more harmonious, natural selves. The wild is within all of us, but we have lost our connection with it.

As a society, we have started to rethink our relationship with nature, and there is a yearning to get close to it once more. Nature gives us our most human experience. We will crave a deeper, intrinsic connection with the landscape, with Earth, as our ultimate home. The new ideal is an expanse of natural space to recharge, regroup and refocus.

Sustainability

The Path to a Regenerative Future

Sustainability is, by definition, about the future. It’s about the future of business and society and ultimately about our future as a planet. Over the past couple of years, we have seen some of the worst (un)natural disasters that the world has ever seen. From floods to fires, our climate is changing like never before. According to scientists, we have reached a point of no return unless we change our way of living. The good news is, there are more people than ever willing to roll up their sleeves to help, understanding that sustainability in our homes and our workplaces is becoming more than a nice thing to do: it is a necessity. We explore the exciting future of sustainable living according to both experts and consumers and its impact on the fragrance palette.

Genderless

The Future Has No Gender

Gender as we know it is changing. Our culture is welcoming a third gender: non-binary. According to Tumbler, there are 112 known gender identities. Gender has become a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals. Thinking about gender on a spectrum removes some of the pressures of having to fit into the prescribed roles of “masculine” or “feminine”.

We are seeing a shift toward a safer, more inclusive, and “ungendered” way of thinking that is affecting everything from entertainment, fragrance creation and product development to marketing, recruiting and workplace practices. Gender identity is no longer about the sex organs you were born with, it’s about how you feel as a human being.

Becoming

The Purpose-Driven Life

Most people are feeling uneasy about the growing insecurity and unpredictability of the world. Spiritual beliefs are being challenged. Patriotism has been replaced with widespread distrust of government and getting ahead has become exceedingly difficult.

As a result, more and more people fall prey to boredom and dissatisfaction. This dreadful feeling of bitter disillusionment stems from a loss of meaning in our lives. It’s a call to question who we are and what we’re here for, which leads us on a quest for greater life meaning and purpose. We year to be part of something greater than ourselves in the pursuit of life fulfillment.

Holistic WellBeing

Relaxation to reduce stress, comforting nostalgia, happy therapy, the new home sanctuary, the need for escapism, bringing the outdoors inside.

We are experiencing an unprecedented collective grief, and while much of what is felt today is temporary, there will be long-term impacts on our individual wellbeing. 
 

Yummy

New Pleasures, New Addictions

30 years after the launch of Angel by Thierry Mugler, lifestyles have evolved, and so did consumer habits & sources of pleasure. Covid 19 has been a true trend enhancer, driving aspirations to a green life & the new healthy.

What are the new gourmand addictions in perfumery?

As a reaction to being deprived of it during the successive lockdowns, we are rediscovering nature as a symbol of harmony, a way of reconnecting with ourselves. As conscious eating gains in popularity, we are starting to understand what it means to be reliant on locally sourced ingredients. Our dishes become greener as we seek more transparency and sustainability.

The rise of health & wellness, mental well-being, and active lifestyles, also translates into a search for functional flavors (with nutritional benefits), as well as lighter food & drink experiences, connecting indulgence & pleasure with health.

Advanced Hygiene

Anti-microbial technologies in home and fabric care, total germ removal, pre and probiotics to help guard the body, fresh and clean air... Consumers are working hard to keep their homes germ-free and as a result, home cleaning has intensified (more laundry, cleaning & disinfecting the house more regularly).

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought on a greater focus on sanitizing and disinfecting, with the home care market focusing two areas: preserving home hygiene and therefore health; and the promise of efficacy, without compromise.

The Digital Era

How has Covid-19 has boosted technology?

A crisis can reveal what's broken in society, and there are precedents in which disasters have improved social progress.

A key legacy of Covid-19 will be to democratize technology and digitalization. Technology has become a lifeline for consumers wanting to stay connected, work remotely and access shopping. We are rethinking e-commerce, digital entertainment and we are turning our homes into a smart hubs.

China

the new perfume Eldorado

By 2025, China will most probably have become the second global perfume market. From the 6th to the 2nd rank on the global market.

What is the Chinese consumer like today? What are the beauty drivers there? What are the olfactory preferences? What are the ingredients with the strongest potential?

Driven by the Millennial generation, China is opening to new national specificities that brands need to adapt to: a huge craze for digital technologies with a very strong influence of KOLs, the search for new experiences, a will to reconcile mankind with the environment based on a relationship with ancestral Nature, but above all, the search for a new form of patriotism.

Clean Beauty

The New Revolution

A revolution is under way. A green revolution, both intimate and universal, infusing discourses and practices.

The beauty industry takes full part in this change by constantly redefining its values in response to a clientele whose knowledge and demands have radically evolved, up to a certain skepticism. A return to our roots and a cause for hope, nature crystallizes contemporary aspirations to purity, well-being and the respect of the world that surrounds us. In their quest for a new form of legitimacy, the evolving contours of this notion trace the future of perfumery and of beauty.

The Future of

Air Care

Over the past 18 months, we have come to appreciate home fragrance more than ever before. With our renewed focus on wellness and wellbeing, our time spent at home and our desire to be immersed in nature, home fragrance has become a comforting friend. We use scent to influence our moods, help us sleep and create cozy safe havens in our homes.

From scented candles with their gentle glow, to plugs-ins that help us experience sustained fragrance all day long, scent in all home fragrance formats provides many wonderful benefits. We immediately indulge our wanderlust with fragrances inspired by beautiful locales around the world, enjoy cherished moments of the holidays, or soothe our souls with wellness rituals.

The Future of

Body Wash

The pandemic has shifted the consumer mindset towards hygiene, self-care and indulgence when using scented bath and body care products. As we move forward, we forecast that next- level benefits for body wash such as sleep, eco-friendliness and customization will become more important and drive innovation in the category.

With a global focus on plastic reduction, will concentrated, waterless formats such as tablets or even a potential return to bar soap be on the horizon? We explore the mindful benefits of mood-boosting, scented bathing rituals and define which next level benefits such as immunity and protection will be expected for bathing in the years to come.

The Future of

Fabric Care

The global fabric care category enjoyed a huge boost during the early days of the pandemic when extreme hygiene was incredibly important to consumers. As we learn to live with COVID-19 and settle into more normal laundry patterns, we see some new trends emerging into the future.

Hygiene will remain a focus, while interest in natural and eco-friendly options are on the rise. Scent remains a central driver in fabric care purchases.

Laundry care brands will continue to be inspired by beauty and personal care trends, while consumers express strong interest in innovations in this category, from convenience to sustainability to fabric preservation.

Wellbeing and aromatherapeutic scents impact fabric care as well, as consumers express care for themselves and their loved ones through the act of washing their clothes.

Humanizing Pets:

The Evolution of Pet Culture

Dogs have been domesticated for roughly 30,000 years, and cats for around 10,000, but only recently has power shifted in their favor.

Globally, people are increasingly treating their pets as individuals and family members – from pampering them with luxury services to running their social media accounts, and even replacing parenthood with pet-renthood. The surge in spending on pets, and the explosion of new products, services and unique “experiences” to help pets and their owners bond more closely – is at an apex, tracking to break global records this year due to the pandemic.

This movement in humanizing pets has been building up over time as people integrate pets more fully into their daily life — the workplace, dining, shopping and celebratory occasions.

We discuss the transition from pets being ‘man’s best friend’ to ‘family’s favorite child’ and how it impacts brands.