Fragrance’s integral connection to mood and memory is nothing new, but it seems that, nowadays, fragrance is more important to the beauty consumer than ever. If you have been more keyed in on your fragrance portfolio or you feel like the world of perfume wardrobes and scent trends around you just keeps growing, you’re not alone. Today, iconic fragrance retailer Bath & Body Works released the results of a new fragrance survey in tandem with the expansion of its “Come Back to Your Senses” creative platform. The results prove that the impact of fragrance on memory, mood and self-esteem is more prevalent than ever.
Bath & Body Works’ ‘Scent and Senses’ Survey Highlights the Growing Importance of Fragrance to Beauty Consumers
Dedicated to bolstering the general public’s appreciation for fragrance and the truly transformative power of scent, Bath & Body Works’ latest Scent and Sense survey comes as part of an expansion of its existing Come Back to Your Senses initiative, which now features an advertising collaboration with Shrinking star Jessica Williams. The survey tapped over 1,500 American adults aged 18 to 65 in partnership with independent market research firm Reputation Leaders to help gauge the public’s awareness and appreciation for scent in this current moment. The findings were truly eye-opening.
Bath & Body Works’ new scent survey found that 86 percent of consumers admit it’s easy to take their sense of smell for granted, although 78 percent also said that smell is important to their overall well-being. Even though many Americans rank their sense of smell as the least important sense, 72 percent of respondents affirmed that fragrance makes their lives better. Another 65 percent flagged fragrance as “essential to self-care.” The survey not only found that fragrance is an increasingly important part of the American consumer’s self-care routine, it also found that scent can have a more substantial impact on memory than sight, with three in four Americans agreeing that “a particular scent transports them back to a specific moment or memory more vividly than a photograph.”
The Scent and Senses survey also provided valuable insight into the connection between scent and romantic connection. According to Bath & Body Works’ data, 65 percent of people believe they “would identify their romantic partner by
scent alone if blindfolded,” and 74 percent admit they would be “more likely to ‘make a move on someone’ if that
special someone smelled good.” Despite fragrance’s clear intrinsic role in romantic relationships, personal preference still reigns supreme when picking a scent. 58 percent of Gen Z respondents reported they will wear a particular perfume because “they like the scent, even if it might repel a potential love interest.”
