Cohere Beauty Rides Fragrance Boom With Speed, Scale and Flexible Formats

"[T]here are many [brands] trying to get in on the body mist wave," says John Nolfi, Cohere Beauty's Cedar Grove site leader. "Consumers like the price point [the format] usually offers, and you would have to assume eats away a portion of EDP sales."Cohere BeautyCohere Beauty is making fragrance a core pillar of its U.S. manufacturing platform, combining more than 180 years of experience with a dedicated fragrance manufacturing site in Cedar Grove, N.J. Purpose-built for the safe, compliant handling of flammable and complex fragrance materials, the facility enables in-house blending and helps brands avoid the delays of third-party providers. Its capabilities span perfume, cologne, eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau fraîche, body mist and hair perfume, alongside custom, private-label and hybrid formulations. Cohere also brings in-house alcohol blending, rapid turnaround, white-glove services and flexible packaging capabilities, while supporting a broad range of retailer clean-beauty requirements. Notably, the Cedar Grove site runs on 85% solar power, adding a sustainability angle to a fragrance operation designed for both flexibility and scale.

"Customers (particularly global/international) ask and audit for sustainability," says John Nolfi, Cohere Beauty's Cedar Grove site leader. "The solar array at Cedar Grove does receive positive attention when having these discussions."Cohere Beauty

We spoke with John Nolfi, Cohere Beauty's Cedar Grove site leader, about trends in the market and how Cohere Beauty is operating amid a fragrance market boom.  

Are fragrance consumers shifting from traditional EDPs toward lighter formats like body mists and hair perfumes, and what does that mean for production demand?

Nolfi: [T]here are many trying to get in on the body mist wave. Consumers like the price point [the format] usually offers, and you would have to assume eats away a portion of EDP sales.

Is “clean” becoming the baseline expectation for new fragrance clients, or does it remain a niche differentiator?

Nolfi: For clean focused brands, yes. However, material costs are generally much higher, so mainstream brands have a significant price to market decision/proposition.

Cohere Beauty's capabilities span perfume, cologne, eau de cologne, eau de toilette, eau fraîche, body mist and hair perfume, alongside custom, private-label and hybrid formulations. Cohere Beauty

You highlight your in-house alcohol blending and "rapid service" capabilities to avoid third-party delays. Given macro supply chain volatility, are fragrance clients prioritizing faster speed-to-market over custom formulation complexity right now? 

Nolfi: This is dependent upon customer strategy. Many do stress simplicity supporting time to market. However, as stated earlier, if the focus is on "clean" or being a unique experience in the market, formulas tend to expand in complexity.

With on-site compliance expertise for standards like CSAR and EWG, what are the biggest regulatory hurdles your fragrance clients are panicking about right now, and how are those rules shaping new scent development? 

Nolfi: Compatibility and stability testing is still the number one question we receive. We offer information for third-party labs, as we don't do them on-site. Otherwise, most of the data requested we can supply. Again, larger/international customer require compliance to foreign standards such as Leaping Bunny, EU standards compliance, etc. I don't see panic, but the trend is more about being able to support "clean" formulations with some data.

Because you run 18 lines that span both fragrance and deodorant sticks, are you noticing a trend of traditional fragrance brands trying to expand into high-end, fragranced personal care hybrids (like fine-fragrance deodorants)?  

Nolfi: Yes, there is an interest in more unique and clean deodorants. The previous standard propylene glycol formula exists but is not asked for as often.

Your Cedar Grove facility operates on 85% solar power. Are fragrance brands actively evaluating suppliers’ sustainability practices, or is it still a nice-to-have? 

Nolfi: Customers (particularly global/international) ask and audit for sustainability. The solar array at Cedar Grove does receive positive attention when having these discussions. Cedar Grove also has recycling programs including recycling a alcohol.