Laundry is one of the only household tasks I actually enjoy. There’s something therapeutic about separating the loads, taking the warm clothes out of the dryer, smelling the clean scent while folding. It feels like a mental reset; a refresh on my wardrobe and my home.
The home care segment is upping its game in terms of fragrance, delivering more sophisticated, long lasting scents with unexpected twists. While there will always be a market for the fresh, clean linen scents in laundry, more brands are coming out with bold laundry fragrances.
Some examples: Snif launched its Old Money everything wash detergent last spring with notes of cardamom, tonka bean, coumarin, vanilla and sandalwood. Laundry Sauce added Mojave Peach to its premium fragrance lineup this summer. Bath & Body Works’ Disney villains collection includes laundry detergent available in its Maleficent and Evil Queen scents (finally, my clothes can smell like my favorite villain!).
I’ve been thinking about where this movement for bold, sophisticated fabric care comes from, and I believe it goes back to personalization. We want to create our own unique scent experience, and that begins with our clothing. Robert Cardiff, co-founder and chief operating officer of Laundry Sauce, told us in his Q&A interview that scent boosters are trending for this exact reason. Users can add as much or as little as they want, allowing for that personalized touch. Blend that with the fragrance layering trend and increased interest in “soft living” (using fragrance as a connector to mental wellbeing), and you’ve got a unique scent story right in your home.
The home care segment is becoming an interesting one to watch. Performance will always be crucial for these products, but the sensory aspects are becoming just as important. They have the power to turn ordinary household chores into experiences. Maybe I’d be more inclined to wash my dishes with a dish soap infused with a premium fragrance.
We all know the phrase: cleanliness is close to godliness. Maybe the phrase needs to be updated to include good scents, too.
