Fragrances and perfumes are expected to remain one of the most gifted items among U.S. consumers this holiday season, according to new data from Circana. The insight platform’s 2025 Holiday Purchase Intentions Report states that roughly one in five consumers purchased fragrance as a holiday gift last year, with purchase intentions for this year trending higher.
The beauty category ranked number three for types of planned gifts to purchase this year, behind clothing/accessories and tech/electronics. The mean planned spending amount was $247, ranked number four in Circana’s data.
Circana expects that Q4 prestige fragrance sales will post low single-digit growth and once again exceed $4 billion in the United States. Further, sales of both prestige and mass retail fragrances are expected to grow during the fourth quarter, especially during the month of December.
“For fragrance shoppers in the department and beauty specialty stores, this year’ demand is expected to be fueled by offerings across both the premium and affordable price tiers,” said Jacquelyn Wenskus, director and fragrance category analyst with Circana’s beauty division. “This includes higher juice concentrations like parfums and luxury brands, as well as lower priced alternatives such as mini sizes and body sprays.”
Holiday shoppers are looking for increased value in their fragrance purchases. The data also shows that sales of gift sets typically spike during the holidays, representing over 25% of Q4 sales in the category.
Prestige fragrance remains the dominant force, but mass retail fragrance sales have seen double-digit growth this year through early November. Circana’s analysts believe this signals a more significant role for mass scents in the coming holiday season.
