From Hotteok to Haunted Dreams: Saskia Wilson-Brown on the Global Rise of Artistic Perfumery

As the global fragrance industry continues to embrace individuality, artistic expression and boundary-pushing olfactory storytelling, the Institute for Art and Olfaction’s annual Art and Olfaction Awards have emerged as one of the most influential platforms spotlighting independent and experimental perfumery. Now in its 12th year, the awards celebrate creators redefining scent across artisan, independent and avant-garde categories, with finalists selected through a rigorous blind-judging process led by an international panel of perfumers, artists, critics and industry experts.

In terms of notes that were mentioned in descriptions, rose dominated. It was by far the most-cited single ingredient, and was followed by other familiar notes such as vanilla, musk, sandalwood, amber, orris, patchouli, and jasmine, in descending order. So, with all the newer themes on evidence, it seems that global indie perfumery is still rooted in a familiar materials palette.

This year’s finalists span an eclectic mix of cultural influences, conceptual narratives and technical innovation—from mango sticky rice-inspired gourmand creations to deeply philosophical scent installations—underscoring the increasingly global and interdisciplinary nature of modern perfumery. The 2026 ceremony, set to take place June 11 at Athens’ Gazarte Cultural Center overlooking the Acropolis, reflects the organization’s growing international reach and its mission to champion fragrance as an art form.

At the center of it all is Saskia Wilson-Brown, founder of the Institute for Art and Olfaction and one of the fragrance world’s most vocal advocates for independent creators. In this interview, Wilson-Brown discusses the evolution of the awards, the rising influence of experimental scent culture, why Athens was chosen as this year’s host city and what today’s finalists reveal about the future of perfumery.

The Institute for Art and Olfaction’s annual Art and Olfaction Awards have emerged as one of the most influential platforms spotlighting independent and experimental perfumery.Indah Datau

P&F+: This year’s finalists span a remarkable range of cultures, scent inspirations and creative approaches—from Chinese Calligraphy and Japanese Whiskey to Hotteok and experimental olfactory installations. What do this year’s selections say about the current state and evolution of independent and artistic perfumery globally?

Wilson-Brown: Writ large, the heterogeneous cultures on evidence in our finalists seems to me to reflect a practice that is increasingly culturally diverse. What I have observed over the course of the 12 years of the awards is a notable geographic expansion of independent and experimental practices, which often coincides with an expansion of educational resources and suppliers to new regions. Perfumers’ World in Thailand, as one example among many, has helped spur a whole generation of Thai perfumers by providing education and by supplying materials, much as Perfumers Apprentice helped spur a generation of indies in the U.S. by selling materials in smaller quantities. The themes and styles of the perfumes submitted to the awards reflect this, in that they take inspiration from more culturally specific elements. This global inclusivity is an aspects of the awards that I love the most: We get to learn about what people are inspired by, in different regions, through their creative choices.

P&F+: Many of this year’s finalists blur the lines between fragrance, storytelling, contemporary art and cultural identity. Are you seeing independent perfumery becoming a broader artistic medium rather than simply a beauty category?

Wilson-Brown: Definitely. Many of the independent and artisan perfumers who submit to the awards are drawing inspiration from art-making, and hoping to be considered artists, in their way. Also, the expansion of perfume education allows people with different backgrounds to enter the field, including, in my experience, people from other creative fields like architecture, design, art, fashion, music, etc. These newcomers to the practice often bring the conceptual framing in which they were trained, and perfumery bears the benefits of that kind of thinking, I believe. A lot of submissions to the awards blur the lines between creative fields,  but there are plenty that are still committed to the classic approaches. The excellent news is that there’s space for all types of approach. Perfumery, or at least independent perfumery, is expanding to new spaces, and being experienced in new contexts, which in turn reaches new people. This, I think, is good for everyone.

The awards team: From bottom left, clockwise: Daniel Krasofski, Lucas Cuevas, Saskia Wilson-Brown, Minetta Rogers and Julianne Lee.Indah Datau

P&F+: The awards continue to spotlight both emerging creators and established independent names. What trends or creative themes stood out to you most strongly among this year’s submissions?

Wilson-Brown: It’s funny you should ask. Every year we notice a theme that, typically, is reflective of something that is percolating in the zeitgeist. In the past this has covered topics like COVID (themes of loneliness and the yearning for human to human connection), war, the rise of artificial intelligence, or maybe the appearance of a new aromatic material.  The last few years we’ve observed a rise in scents inspired by stories or cultural touchpoint from countries in Asia, and very specifically, scents inspired by food (mostly desserts) and drinks (mostly tea).  

This year, we did an analysis of the themes on evidence across all the artisan and independent submissions. There were some predictable themes, such as memory, nostalgia, and nature. But, we also saw a lot of submissions inspired by geography and natural phenomena: Places like the Sahara, the Atlantic Ocean, and etc. There was an increase of submissions that explored culturally specific mythology and folklore, as well as a renewed emphasis on culturally specific food, and drink: This included desserts, some submissions exploring fruits and vegetables, and, as with last year, regional teas and other drinks. New for the year was a notable quantity of submissions exploring spiritual practices (including specific rituals, incense, temples, prayer, sacred spaces), and, interestingly, themes around mystery, with a slightly gothic bent. There were a surprising amount of submissions exploring topics like shadows, death, dreams, and the uncanny.

With all this said, we also did an analysis of the submissions based on aromatic notes, and found that classic perfume materials are still very heavily represented. In terms of notes that were mentioned in descriptions, rose dominated. It was by far the most-cited single ingredient, and was followed by other familiar notes such as vanilla, musk, sandalwood, amber, orris, patchouli, and jasmine, in descending order. So, with all the newer themes on evidence, it seems that global indie perfumery is still rooted in a familiar materials palette.

P&F+: This year’s ceremony takes place in Athens, a city rich in philosophy, art and culture. How does hosting the awards in different global creative capitals help strengthen and expand the international independent fragrance community?

Wilson-Brown: We’re trying to create international connections amongst the indies. In order to do that, we attempt to be good world citizens by showing up in places outside our own region of Southern California. So, we hold the awards outside of L.A. as often as we can. This year, as you mention, the awards are in Athens. Next year they will be in Mexico City. The year after that, we hope, in a city in Southeast Asia (we’re working on a place, but can’t quite share it yet).

As you can imagine, producing an event of this size outside our own stomping grounds can be challenging, but the awards team is tight-knit and, at this stage, seasoned. We really love each other, and we really love what we do. We also have excellent connections and friends all around the world, who often help us select new locations, and help us on the ground (as Spyros Drosopoulos and his team in Athens, including the remarkable Dorina Kappatou, have done, this year). That makes the challenges inherent in international production very surmountable.

We host them in different global cities because our big, naive hope is that people from all over the world will have a chance to meet and connect at our events. This, in turn, helps strengthens ties between regions—which I really believe is increasingly important in our fractured world. I don’t want to overstate it, or minimize the substantial difficulties that people are facing right now, but my sense of the awards is increasingly that they can serve as a mechanism for a gentle kind of diplomacy. They allow people to come together over a shared interest, and bring their newfound connections forward in their own milieu.