Scent has the remarkable ability to trigger memory and affect the mood, which is why home fragrance marketers have seen success in the past few years with consumers spending an increased amount of time at home. But, as with any other household or personal care category, there is always room for growth in product development.

“Fall 2022 in home fragrance will see a move to larger candles and less packaging while fragrances continue to focus on naturals and wellbeing,” noted Kathy LaVanier, media spokesperson, National Candle Association, Washington, DC.

She added that telling a great story around scent is key in today’s home fragrance market, so “talking points” are crucial. Healing, relaxing and energizing narratives are what will sell product this fall, said LaVanier.

And, of course, there are the seasonal scents that lure home fragrance consumers to spend more during the fall.

“Every year, we see Bath & Body Works’ customers celebrate the traditions and ingredients of the fall season including all things pumpkin and apple. There is a nostalgia to these smells that brings back memories of going to the pumpkin patch or Halloween,” Chelsea Zoellner, senior manager customer insights, Bath & Body Works, New York, told Happi. “We also expect warm and cozy fragrances to be big this year. Customers have invested a lot in their homes since the pandemic, so making their space feel extra warm and cozy—whether they are working from home or relaxing after a long day— is important as the weather gets a little chillier and fall sets in.”

Additionally, new twists on traditional fragrances that bring “modern ingredient stories together” will keep customers coming back to try something new, too, added Zoellner.

“Consumers are looking for amazing fragrances with a great throw, which is another way of saying scents that fill the room. Bath & Body Works delivers this with all candles, especially with some of our favorite fall candles like Sweater Weather or Flannel,” she told Happi. “Decor matters more than ever as consumers spend more time at home and are back to hosting small gatherings and parties. Bath & Body Works’ candle customers are proud to display our candles in their homes because of their appealing packaging and designs.”

Home fragrance sales increased during the past year, according to data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI) for total US multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains) for the 52 weeks ended June 12, 2022. Air fresheners and candles both maintained in the marketplace. 

Marketers Listen to Consumer Feedback

Morgan Eberhard, senior scientist at Febreze, P&G, Cincinnati, OH, told Happi that when it comes to home fragrance formulation, knowing what the consumer wants is key to creating a successful home fragrance product.

“As one of the top fragrance houses in the world, P&G’s expert fragrance creators continuously look at trends to design irresistible and enticing fragrances for your home and other areas of your life,” she told Happi. “Studies have shown that scents that evoke pleasant memories can help improve your health and well-being, therefore improving your overall quality of life. For this reason, each year when we move from summer to fall, we see scents that elicit fall memories like pumpkin picking, cozy campfires and apple orchards rise in popularity. Additionally, this fall and winter we are also tracking a trend toward cool, crisp alpine scents that are elevated with notes of wildflower and cedarwood—bringing the relaxation and calmness of a mountainside cabin to your home.”

The latest rollout at Febreze Air is a limited edition fall scent called Fresh Harvest Pumpkin. Also in demand is Febreze Fabric Antimicrobial, a multi-purpose fabric spray that aims to freshen couches, drapes and other home furnishings as it kills 99.9% of bacteria on surfaces. The brand has added Air Kitchen to tackle cooking scents that linger longer than necessary.

SC Johnson’s Glade is celebrating “Falliday 2022” with an earlier launch into the chilly yet festive holiday season. The Glade Fall Scents Collection is a range of limited-time-only Glade scents that will get consumers ready to celebrate the coming season. Fragrances include: Pumpkin Spice Things Up, Apple of My Pie, Pine Wonderland and Fall Night Long. Product forms span from aerosols to candles to Plugins scented oils for the home.

Bath & Body Works is also forging ahead into fall and holiday 2022 with more than 200 products that hit stores last month. The new additions include eight new candles developed with Phytogaia. This trademarked technology captures the feeling of being outside by replicatng phytoncides—natural emissions from trees and plants.

“While burning our 3-wick candles developed with Phytogaia, you’ll feel like you are getting transported to the outdoors, be it a wooded forest or a trail just after it rains,” said Lisa de Perio, VP-merchandising, home fragrance, Bath & Body Works, New York.

Another BBW launch is Spooktacular, a range of Halloween scented products like Ghoul Friend, Pumpkin Carving and Spooky Cider Lane.

Yankee Candle rolled out its fourth annual scent of the year, Inspire. It is said to celebrate Ikigai, the philosophy for living a long and happy life and is designed to enhance the everyday moments that bring joy, according to the candle maker, which is owned by Newell Brands.

Inspire is described as an effervescent citrus fragrance that creates a sense of joy while a salty sea breeze scent invigorates the senses with optimism. Top notes include rainforest lime, ginger and verbena; mid notes are bamboo, freesia and ocean breeze accord; the base is comprised of cedar, seaside driftwood and sun musks.

“When developing this year’s fragrance, we really focused on what people are seeking in 2022 and leaned into a scent that celebrates the small moments of joy that can be found in our everyday lives,” said Lisa McCarthy, president of the home fragrance business unit, Newell Brands, Atlanta, GA. “Ikigai’s 10 rules of happiness, which include reconnect with nature, helped inspire this bright and energizing, uplifting and radiant fragrance, reflective of what we are all craving right now.”

Inspire also builds upon Yankee Candle’s fragrance line, the Sakura Blossom Festival Collection, which is influenced by Japanese culture.

Also new from Yankee Candle is its fall fragrance collection, #FallInLoveWithYC. Seasonal scents include Autumn Nature Walk, Apple & Sweet Fig, Soft Wool & Amber and Golden Autumn. All fragrances will be available in Yankee Candle stores and at YC.com, Kohl’s, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Meijer.

Newell Brands just launched its Friday Collective brand. These scented candles are said to channel optimism and joy with vibrant colors and unexpected fragrance combinations. Featuring a premium soy wax blend, natural fiber wicks and essential oils, the range includes bold, iridescent new candles split into four collections grouped by scent profile: Let’s Party, Lowkey Hype, Kickstart The Hustle and Joy Of Missing Out.

More scents will be added to the line later this month, according to Newell (No. 27 in Happi’s 2022 Top 50 Report).

Indie Diffusers, Candles & Solid Scents

As temperatures slide and we begin to spend more time inside, there’s no better time to ramp up the home scenting game, according to Lila Weinstein, marketing manager of Canopy, an independent home fragrance company. 

“Nothing says fall vibes like cozying up with a warm cup of tea and turning on your aroma diffuser. I mean, who doesn’t love coming home to an apartment that smells like fresh-baked pumpkin bread or a chai latte?,” she asked. “Diffusing warm, spice-forward aroma blends or seasonal scents such as cinnamon, cedarwood, rosemary and clove will give you the festive fall boost that we all know and love, right in the comfort of your own home.”

Canopy expanded into Sephora with its popular essential oil-fueled humidifier that benefits both the skin and scent of the home. It also markets a waterless, mistless aroma diffuser that works with essential oils placed on a stone and a fan with three different speed settings. Its latest scent addition is Coastals by Canopy, a collection of beach-inspired aromas.

Fellow indie wellness brand Saje rolled out a portable diffuser called Aroma Wander. A new diffuser style for the company, it features a cordless, rechargeable design meant to be used in the car or hotel room. Saje aimed to provide wellness on the go, as the past summer has been one of the busiest travel seasons in the past couple of years.

Travel is top-of-mind at other fragrance houses, too.

French wax and candle maker Carrière Frères is offering the experience of global travel at home with Cypress, the next scent iteration from the brand’s botanical palets. Inspired by the evergreen tree of the Mediterranean, the woody, fresh and aromatic scents are available in 100% vegetable wax, all handmade in France. Ideal for naturally perfuming small spaces, consumers can hang a Cypress botanical palet wherever they’d like to enhance the scent around the home. Known for its antibacterial activity and its tonifying properties, the Cypress fragrance in particular is ideal for a bedroom or a bathroom, said the company.

Prestige perfumer Trudon recently welcomed two additions to its Le Diffuseur home fragrance collection.

Two new Belle Matières scents, Reggio and Maduraï, are now offered in blue glass fluted containers, incorporating the design of Trudon’s classic candle line. According to the company, the new diffusers offer existing Trudon scents like Reggio, which embodies the mandarin tree with a hint of citrus from Calabria, Italy and grapefruit head notes.

Meanwhile, the Maduraï scent evokes Indian Jasmine with notes of ylang-ylang plants and benzoin resin.

Hand crafted in Vinci, Italy, the diffuser’s dark blue glass is accompanied by a full aluminum collar and gold emblem, then packaged in specifically designed boxes with illustrations etched in gold representing the new scents. Trudon will also offer the Belles Matières refills in both Reggio and Maduraï for the extended collection.

For the home fragrance consumer who craves a candle subscription service, Scentbird created a platform that allows both fragrance enthusiasts and aspirational beginners to select from an assortment of more than 600 fragrances for just $16.95 a month. Customers have shown that in addition to personal fragrances, candles are another exciting way to discover new scents, said the company. With the launch of Scentbird’s Candle Club, the brand has partnered with Homesick Candles for its first month, offering a full-sized Let’s Toast, with notes of mandarin and grapefruit, in celebration of the new service.

For 2023 and beyond, home fragrance marketers can continue to offer tried-and-true scents delivered through candles, diffusers and plug-ins, as well as new delivery systems and other varieties.

Lighting Up Future Trends

“We expect consumers to continue to look for seasonality in their home fragrance. It’s all about bringing the fun and happiness of the season through fragrance and packaging into someone’s home,” noted Zoellner of Bath & Body Works. “All Bath & Body Works fragrances are inspired by relevant trends. We tap into experiential and ingredient trends in flavors, travel, decor, body care and home fragrance to develop new fragrance ideas and collections.”

Noelle Marois, associate vice president of product and fragrance development, Bath & Body Works, told Happi that trends across the home fragrance space include scent gravitating toward sweet brown flavors like brown sugar, which adds “a warmth to fragrances that make them yummy while feeling warm and cozy.”

“Sweet and salty is a flavor combination that consumers love and is likely a trend that sticks around,” she told Happi. “There’s also been a wave of modern twists on nostalgic comfort, which has created a new opportunity for brands.” 

LaVanier of the National Candle Association told Happi that while holiday drives more elaborate gift packaging, the “less is more” packaging trend will hold this fall and into Spring 2023. Also, she predicts seasonal designs such as butterflies and mushroom patterns will emerge in 2023 for home fragrance packaging.

“Consumers who are younger than Boomers look for products that fit well with their décor,” said LaVanier.

This month, the National Candle Association is rolling out a new campaign—Let’s Lighten the Mood—timed for World Candle Month.

WCM was established in 2013 by the association to showcase the various ways candles enrich consumers’ lives. This year, NCA selected the WCM theme of Lighten the Mood to reflect and reference our need for something “a bit lighter,” said LaVanier.

Certification is also an area to watch, added LaVanier. She told Happi, “The candle industry encourages all candle manufacturers to obtain the IFRA information from their fragrance suppliers on every scent they use.  They should use this information to guide them as to how much fragrance oil they can load into a candle formulation, not surpassing the amount that IFRA indicates is safe for consumer use.  Doing so also makes it easy to respond to retailer and consumer inquiries as to the safety of the fragrance the candle is imparting into their environment; a win-win for everyone.”
 

Back To Basics

Classic favorites will also prevail. According to P&G’s Eberhard, the “what’s-old-is-new-again” trend will shape 2023.

“Modern updates to classic scents like vanilla is one of the fastest growing scent camps, especially with younger generations,” she told Happi. “Similarly, other demographics also come into play, with floral notes trending among African Americans, and warm, peppery notes trending with men.”

Eberhard added that customization is also important in the expanding home fragrance market.

“Consumers are indicating they prefer choosing different scents for different rooms and occasions to create a holistic ambiance and scent blueprint of their self-identity,” she said.

Indoor air quality is also a rising trend in home fragrance; more than half of Americans are more concerned about having a healthy home since the start of the pandemic, and many want to take action to improve the health of their indoor environments. To that end, Carrier and P&G have developed a multi-faceted campaign to provide consumers with useful insights, recommended actions and reliable products. 

According to Kristine Decker, SVP-global home care, P&G, “Our brands help make it easier to keep your home clean and healthy, which is why we’re excited to partner with Carrier on tools that empower people to create indoor environments that support their wellbeing.”