A few years ago, you’d open your phone, tap the Instagram or TikTok icon, and scroll through countless skincare-centric videos of people showing off their ten-step routines, steaming their pores, or applying a mask. Maybe you even bought a skincare fridge to store your products, or implemented a thorough routine in pursuit of glass skin. But lately, it seems like another category has taken over skincare’s esteemed place as the hottest ticket in the beauty world, both on your phone and IRL: fragrance.
There are TikTok hauls. There are dupes. There are perfume content creators. There are micro-trends encouraging us to smell more, try more, buy more. Brands are dropping body mists, flankers, and new fragrances at ever-increasing rates. Celebrity scents are nothing new, but big stars like Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner are now getting in on the action, and their scents get prime floor placement at super-retailers like Ulta. And it’s not just for grown-ups! Kid- and tween-specific fragrance lines have been hitting the shelves at an increasingly rapid rate, like the adorable, colorful brand Evereden—a much cuter version of the Juice Bar and Bonne Bell body sprays I coveted as a kid. While scrubs, serums, and spot treatments will never go away, it sure feels like perfume has swiped the spotlight. Is fragrance the new skincare?
If you look at the numbers, all signs point to yes. According to a report by market research company Circana, fragrance was the fastest-growing beauty category in 2024 based on both units sold and dollar sales, which were up 12% in the prestige market. As of 2024, the fragrance market is valued at $31.41 billion, and is expected to hit $49.05 billion by 2030. On the other hand, skincare closed out 2024 as the softest growing beauty category, up only 2%.
Personally, I’ve been obsessed with perfume since I can remember, inspired by my mom’s Chanel No. 5 dusting powder and Liz Claiborne scents. I’ve spent hours poring over Perfumes A-Z by Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, a.k.a. the perfume lover’s bible, and perfume blogs. I have dozens upon dozens of perfumes, from cheap thrills to super-expensive scents. While I don’t post, I dabble in PerfumeTok, and it seems like fragrance is only getting more and more popular there too. But why is that? Where did the sudden interest in all things scent come from?
@glossier/Instagram
My friends Tynan Sinks and Sable Yong host the popular perfume podcast Smell Ya Later, where they cover all things smell-related—including this current explosion of all things perfume. It’s also something we talk about a lot, given our history in the space. According to Sinks, the comparison of fragrance as the new skincare is an apt one. “The Internet and social media gave everyone the working vocabulary to talk about skincare in a way that made them feel like they had a working knowledge of it,” he says. “I think the same thing has happened in the fragrance industry. It gives people a window into something they once felt shut out of. I think that interest and curiosity in fragrance has largely been there, but it has [previously been] unapproachable. Now, giving people the working vernacular to understand what they like and why they like it.” Sinks cites the COVID-19 pandemic as the beginning of the fragrance phenomenon; many social media users were talking about perfume or using it to transport themselves anywhere other than their bedroom. “We were all stuck inside our houses for two years and glued to our phones, and I think that’s the gas in the fire of the rise of fragrance.”
Yong says that while “fragrance has always been an evergreen beauty category,” Gen-Z and Gen Alpha are instrumental in its popularity online. (Their buying power is also growing rapidly.) Gen-Z and Gen Alpha are the most individualistic and expressive, focusing on authenticity and self-expression. Fragrance has always been a tool for that.” Fragrance, like makeup, is an easy way to tell the world who you are without saying a thing. You can convey so much in just a few sprays, match your scent to your outfit, bust out of a bad mood, or use fragrance as a little luxury before bedtime.
Fragrance categories are also growing, expanding the horizons of what perfume can be. Sure, you can snap up a classic one-ounce bottle of perfume, but you can also experience scent via body lotions, creams, scrubs, hair mists, oils, and solids, which are generally less expensive than an eau de parfum. Body mists, which were popular during my 2000s youth, have been enjoying quite the comeback, with even major brands dipping their toes (or is it noses?) into the category; for example, Daise’s Fragrance Body Mist retails for just $5.99, or basically the same price as a latte. (Cicana points out that sales of “value-based and layering-type products” like body mists increased by 94% in 2024, and hair fragrances increased 32%.)
“It’s a lower point of entry so you can build your own little wardrobe, experience more scents, and feel like a fragrance expert,” says Sinks. Experimenting with these less-expensive scents or taking the time to sniff around at your local Sephora, Ulta, or department store helps you learn the language of fragrance. The joy and excitement of fragrance is all in the experimentation factor.
@themakerhotel/Instagram
A representative for Ulta Beauty told me that the retailer currently carries more than 100 fragrance brands and has seen “strong engagement in the fragrance category” with guests of all ages; this also includes candles and home fragrances. Gourmands are currently popular, as well as fruity florals, skin scents, and celeb perfumes like Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. Cherry Eclipse and Billie Eilish’s Your Turn. The retailer has also noticed more Gen-Z guests shopping the men’s fragrance category, specifically scents from YSL, Armani, Dior, Rabanne, and Valentino. And they’re not stopping there. “We look forward to continuing to expand our fragrance assortment this year,” the representative says.
Despite the fact that much of the perfume conversation happens online, at its heart, it’s something you have to experience in the real world, not behind your screen. (Apple hasn’t invented iSmell yet.) Fragrance is basically the ultimate conversation starter, and the uptick in perfume content, new scents, and perfume swap events could point to a desire for real, person-to-person connection. “Honestly, I think everybody likes being told they smell good and that’s why people want to smell good,” says Yong. “We’re social creatures who crave human contact.”