I have a confession, dear readers: I have a major sweet tooth. It doesn’t really matter the time of day or the occasion. I will always be craving something sweet. I take my coffee in the morning with a sweetened cinnamon creamer, and I usually pack a cookie or two in my lunch on my office days. My brother and I will always take a look at the dessert menu when we go out to restaurants (they have a pastry chef on staff for a reason!).
Why do we crave sweets? Because we find comfort in them. They take us back to fond memories from childhood. And, as well all know, nostalgia can be an incredibly powerful tool in a product developer’s kit.
I’m not alone in my love of sweets, nor am I alone in wanting my sweet treats to be a bit healthier. The food and beverage industry has taken the trend of permissive indulgences and created products that satisfy consumers’ sweet tooth while also providing added benefits. Now we can have ice cream fortified with protein or chocolate bars with ingredients targeted for focus or a canned coffee with added collagen. You could say that today’s consumers can have their cake and eat it, too.
And the sweet trend doesn’t just live in the flavor industry; more and more sweet, gourmand fragrances are continuing to dominate the conversation. I interviewed Paul Fino, known on TikTok as @PaulReactss, to learn more about this trend. He told me that gourmand scents are about embracing joy, nostalgia and comfort while still evolving. I think his recent launch, Viral Vanilla: Mango Hour is a perfect example of taking the sweet and familiar and melding it with the tropical new. Watching the fragrance industry re-embrace the sweeter side of things has been fun to watch, and I’m curious to see how this trend continues to grow.
I can almost guarantee that as you read this note, I am thinking about the next pumpkin-flavored treat I’m going to bake next while burning a chai latte candle. What can I say? My sweet tooth doesn’t take a break during my favorite month of the year.
