Fragrance is becoming an active part of the personal care experience, shaping mood, reinforcing efficacy and turning everyday routines into multisensory rituals. This includes neuro-sensoriality and emotional mapping to motion-activated technologies, as well as locally tuned scent profiles. Across categories, perfumers are creating fragrances designed to do more. In this Q&A with Nadine Fernandes Leite, marketing manager beauty care EMEA, and perfumer Caroline Gaillardot, both of Mane, we explore how science, technology and evolving olfactive trends are redefining fragrance’s role in personal care, from
How can perfumers design fragrances that actively shape consumers' moods, confidence and well-being throughout the day?
Gaillardot: Beyond fragrance preference alone, what truly matters is why a scent creates emotional connection. Which olfactive facets make it instantly recognizable and memorable? Which notes evoke local culture, collective memories or familiar codes? And how can fragrance become part of a broader multisensory experience, engaging not only the sense of smell but also other sensory cues to amplify emotions and well-being?
Today, perfumers are designing fragrances with superior experiences in mind. Beyond delivering a pleasant scent, compositions are increasingly crafted to support specific emotional benefits, moods and sensorial experiences. This approach is opening new possibilities for fragrance to become a more active contributor to consumers’ well-being throughout the day.
As neuroscience and sensory science continue to reshape the beauty industry, neuro-sensoriality, multisensoriality and well-being are becoming major drivers of both marketing and fragrance innovation. The challenge is no longer just to formulate a fragrance, but to translate emotions, sensations and even taste-inspired concepts into scent, and to understand how these sensory experiences can influence the way we feel.
This is where Mane’s patented internal WellMotiona technology brings an additional dimension to fragrance development. By combining scientific understanding with olfactive expertise, WellMotiona supports the development of fragrances designed to act on mood and emotional well-being, helping transform a sensory experience into a more meaningful emotional benefit.
From creating multisensorial pleasure, to designing immersive olfactive experiences that influence how we feel, fragrance is increasingly experienced through more than the nose. It is experienced through the mind, emotions and the senses as a whole.
The future of fragrance may therefore lie not only in creating scents that smell good, but in creating multisensory experiences that feel good, and can actively contribute to our mood and well-being.
"Solar signatures are ... gaining momentum, offering a feeling of warmth and getaway all year round through notes such as tiare flower, monoi and coconut," says Mane.rweisswald at Adobe Stock
What new opportunities exist to create scents that evolve or activate during specific moments?
Gaillardot: Beauty routines are becoming more flexible and personalized, with fragrance layering enabling consumers to tailor the sensorial experience at every step of their routine.
This seems also to be influenced by bases innovation that open the playground of fragrances. Thanks to new fragrance technologies, for example ManeCapsb, smart fragrance capsules reactivate with motion and moisture, releasing a second wave of scent to keep hair smelling fresh and boost confidence throughout the day. This way scent can also be a dynamic experience, turning a beauty routine into an even more personalized ritual.
How should fragrance creation adapt to increasingly diverse regional scent preferences while still delivering globally scalable personal care brands?
Leite: Understanding the evolution of both global and local olfactive preferences is at the heart of fragrance creation. By combining consumer data, marketing trends with perfumers' and fragrance development managers’ expertise, it is possible to identify the universal olfactive pillars that drive global consumer acceptance while integrating locally relevant facets that reflect cultural references and regional preferences. The result is a fragrance architecture that balances global appeal with local acceptance, creating distinctive signatures that resonate with consumers.
What role will consumer neuroscience, emotional mapping and AI-powered insights play in developing the next generation of emotionally resonant personal care fragrances?
Leite: By combining consumer neuroscience, emotional mapping and AI-powered insights we can decode the feelings, memories and experiences triggered by fragrance, thanks to Mane’s patented WellMotion technology. Fragrance is evolving beyond a sensorial attribute to become an invisible contributor to emotional well-being and plays a role of “infrastructure of effectiveness” for consumers. If consumers “feel” this sensorial moment it “confirms” the efficacy of their personal care routine.
How can perfumers optimize fragrance performance across complex personal care formats without compromising the intended sensory journey?
Gaillardot: Fragrance creation starts with the product format in mind. The base is a key part of the brief, to guide perfumers to adapt their palette, raw materials and formulation strategy to each application.
[For example,] a shower gel requires a different olfactive approach than a deodorant or a solid bar, from immediate impact and sensorial bloom to long-lasting freshness and efficacy perception. All segments have their own technical rules. The challenge is to translate the same emotional concept across different formats while optimizing performance and preserving the desired fragrance experience.
Which fragrance trends and olfactive signatures are best positioned to transform routine cleansing into memorable, multisensory self-care experiences?
Leite: Gourmand notes are at the forefront of this evolution, with vanilla, honey, caramel, milky and almond facets creating a deeply comforting experience. They evoke indulgence, nostalgia, pleasure and a sensory escape.
Solar signatures are also gaining momentum, offering a feeling of warmth and getaway all year round through notes such as tiare flower, monoi and coconut.
Meanwhile, woody notes are bringing a more premium dimension to personal care. Sandalwood, in particular, pairs beautifully with gourmand accords like vanilla, adding depth, sophistication and a luxurious sense of comfort and softness.
Beyond fragrance, texture is becoming an essential part of the ritual. Rich, creamy and enveloping foams enhance the feeling of softness and indulgence, turning everyday cleansing into a truly multisensory wellness experience.
FOOTNOTES
aWellMotion is a Mane trademark
bManeCaps is a Mane trademark
