Have you heard of Alt-Gourmand fragrances? These Vegetable Scented Perfumes are characterised by warm, sweet, even “edible” aromas, often accompanied by spicy nuances.
Shoppers are looking for deeper connections to nature and alternative fragrances, so chic, ecofriendly plant-based stories inspired by greenhouses, gardens and pantry ingredients are booming.
These fragances are no longer niche. The beauty of plant-based perfumes is that they make you go deeper and feel more connected to nature. They are like a balm to get rid of stress in the uncertain times we live in. Fresh green plants bring us home and remind us of the earth.
Marketing Strategies for Vegetable Scented Perfumes
There is an opportunity to extend vegetable notes into personal care and home fragrances. #VegetableGarden has 730 million views on TikTok, with videos such as “how to smell like cucumber”.
Connecting with nature has had a positive impact on mood, plant fragrances are a reminder to get back to basics.
What are the key points of the strategy?
- Key Consumers: ReGens, Preservationists, etc.
- Key markets: expanding in North America and Europe. Progressing in APAC (Asia-Pacific), especially in South Korea and Singapore. Emerging in LATAM, Middle East and Africa.
Market Example
- He British brand ARKIVE Headcare has a bespoke fragrance with a top note of tomato leaf, while the deodorant brands Wild (UK) and Grove Collaboration (US) use refreshing cucumber.
- Tomato Leaves Collection by Loewe, with its green scent, evokes the green scent of tomato plants just before they bear fruit.
Next Steps for this Trend
- Use “foodie” descriptors: Unconventional flavours require alternative descriptors to help consumers overcome their hesitation and connect with the product. For example, cauliflower can be described as “nutty”, fennel as “aniseed” and beetroot as “earthy”. Descriptions related to taste, such as “crunchy” or “spicy” can also be used.
- On the packaging of perfumes, some include the circumstance or moment that inspired the scent. Because now there is no scent without a story.
- New Concepts: The “feel good” or “wellness” trend has turned fragrances into elixirs to make consumers feel better. Perfume is a way of escape into unexplored territories.
- Exploring plant residues: In addition to addressing supply chain issues, recycled waste ingredients resonate with sustainability-conscious consumers. German fragrance and flavour developer Symrise creates fragrances from recycled plant extracts, such as artichoke, cauliflower, leek, asparagus and onion.
Wild forests and plant notes
Perfumers channel the essence of natural landscapes to give life to olfactory compositions that emit freshness and vitality.
The pandemic encouraged us to light candles and the taste for perfuming the home has gone up a notch, banishing the outdated air freshener. Candles and diffusers have become exclusive design pieces signed by the best ceramic, porcelain and glass artisans.
Loewe, with its candles in the shape of a candelabra, its ceramics and such disruptive aromas as marijuana, oregano, liquorice, cucumber and tomato leaves, has found its way into many homes.
Key Colour of this Trend
KEY COLOUR OF O/I 24/25 Cool Matcha is a soft pastel shade with a soothing and calming quality. It links to both nature and technology and highlights the importance of new developments in plant and biobased materials, dyes, pigments and energy sources that demonstrate the power of nature.
Offer unusual notes that are rarely used in perfumery, such as tea leaves. Take inspiration from brands such as Tosummer (China), which uses mint, green and oolong tea leaves in the formula of its Triple Tea perfume. BAUM’s Forest Dawn (Japan) uses tree oils in its cologne, known for their therapeutic benefits. To create a more rustic and wild vegetal scent, opt for notes of bamboo, earth and moss
If you are looking for more information about this perfumery trend, do not hesitate to contact us. At Mixer & Pack we can advise you on how to carry it out.