Sensoryscaping
Crafting scented experiences beyond smell
Hello Everyone!
Welcome back to @nunotes - where we delve into the most exciting trends shaping the fragrance industry and beyond. Each month, we highlight a unique theme, providing insights and inspiration from various fields.
In this issue, we’ll explore Sensoryscaping.
First, a bit of context:
In today's business landscape, experience is paramount, making sensoriality crucial for enhancing user engagement. Recent research by Wunderman Thompson reveals a growing consumer demand for immersive sensorial experiences: 63% of consumers seek brands that offer multisensory moments, and 61% desire brands that evoke intense emotions.
Like scent, food has highly sensorial qualities that engage our senses in deeply unconscious and almost primordial ways, intrinsically linking it to our memories. It's no wonder, then, that experiential dining has become a key trend in recent years, redefining culinary boundaries by merging food with immersive elements. As reported by Flavour Blaster (2023), this approach blends entertainment, technology, storytelling, and multi-sensory elements to create unique dining events. Restaurants transport diners to different eras or cultures through themed environments, while interactive meal preparation, such as DIY cooking and customisable dishes, directly engages guests. Sensory enhancements enrich the dining atmosphere, including visual projections, ambient lighting, scent diffusion, and live performances. Technology also plays a crucial role, with augmented and virtual reality providing virtual tours and interactive tabletops. Pop-up restaurants in unique locations offer exclusive, temporary events designed to deliver memorable experiences. The 2022 film The Menu epitomised this relentless pursuit of the perfect and ultra-exclusive dining experience, albeit in a rather unsettling (read: shocking) manner.
At the same time, food art has become increasingly popular as a medium for exploring new ways of interacting with both food and communities.
"Art always reacts to its time, working critically towards or against trends, and food can be a powerful tool to liberate people from the digital cage we’re in. As we increasingly seek physical and tactile experiences, the intersection of food and art taps into our desire for real, multi-sensory engagement. Transforming eating into an artistic, tactile experience not only fosters a sense of community but also offers a tangible, new, and unexpected break from our predominantly virtual routines."
Irene Machetti, Food Artist
Sensorial experimentation is emerging as a significant theme across various artistic disciplines too. This shift challenges traditional modes of engagement and aims to make art more accessible and inclusive to broader audiences. Noteworthy examples exploring these concepts include Delinking and Relinking at the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven, Beyond Seeing - a multi-sensory art project at the Hong Kong Museum of Art, and the Kunstmuseum in Den Haag, all of which address diverse abilities and sensory experiences.
In beauty, this trend has had a significant impact. Companies have long been exploring textures and sensory innovations to offer more pleasant experiences. In recent years, feel-good, soothing textures and sensory exploration have gained increasing popularity. Notable examples include the success of jelly textures, changing-state formulas (e.g. Lixr's clay-to-foam cleanser), and food-inspired consistencies (e.g. ForeverSkrubs, which also leverages ASMR content on Instagram to enhance sensory engagement - see why the internet is obsessed with this kind of oddly satisfying videos).
E-commerce has been striving to find new ways to enhance the customer shopping experience by bridging the gap between the user and the product through Augmented Reality (AR), which has become increasingly important. Luxury brands, for example, are using this technology to digitally convey fabric textures, product dimensions, and other features, helping shoppers better envision how products would feel and look in real life. Additionally, AR is being used for virtual try-ons and as a tool for immersive storytelling (Vogue, 2023).
Amidst this wave of sensory innovation, Sensoryscaping has gained traction, fueled by a collective craving for experiences that fully engage the senses. Moreover, recent studies have shown that sensory stimulation can positively impact conditions such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive disabilities like Alzheimer’s and dementia - issues that are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. By offering comfort through soothing elements and calming rituals, Sensoryscaping helps individuals find peace in their busy lives.
How is Sensoryscaping influencing the world of scents?
As fragrances evolve, they increasingly incorporate diverse textures inspired by skincare and culinary elements, driven by the understanding that tactile pleasure influences consumer choices (Ranaweera, 2022). Fragrance companies are expanding on this concept through multi-sensory events, engaging both existing and new customers. In the post-pandemic era, the demand for meaningful, experiential products is pushing brands to adopt more innovative approaches to stay relevant.
TACTILE TEXTURES
Amid the rise of scented products with pleasing textures, there is a growing focus on intimate, familiar scent profiles that emphasise closeness. Consumers increasingly seek sensorially rich beauty experiences that cater to the skin and evoke intimacy. Innospec (2023) highlights the growing popularity of jelly textures in skincare, reflecting a heightened interest in diverse and sensory-rich textures following the pandemic. The enduring influence of food-inspired consistencies in cosmetics is now extending to fragrances, with consumers drawn to playful, interactive scents that blend scent and texture, merging sensory appeal with personal experiences.
Last year on Instagram, we introduced A’ddict, a Korean brand that embraces this trend with its Solid Perfume, featuring a creamy, primer-like texture. Examples from the range include Naked Muguet 313, with herbal and green notes, including muguet, and Naked Musk 103, with animal and musk notes. The pleasant product formulation enhances the fragrance experience, while the compact design ensures convenient on-the-go use.
In 2023, Dior (France) introduced the scented J’adore Les Adorables Golden Body Gel, featuring 24K gold particles, pearlescent pigments, and an ultra-sensorial texture, offering a lasting infusion of the fresh and floral notes of J’adore. Continuing its focus on unique textures, the brand also launched its iconic Miss Dior fragrance in a solid jelly stick format this year, featuring a formula enriched with rose wax.
*Editor’s note: the solid perfume stick currently appears to be available in some Asian countries only. Indeed, new jelly textures for fragrances are mainly emerging within the Asian market.
Australian body-care brand Sundae Body brings a playful twist to daily skincare with its range of whipped shower foams in spray cream cans. The collection features scents such as Strawberry & Cream; Cherry on Top, with pink cherry blossom, honey, ylang ylang, and peach notes; and the best-selling Pomegranate Fizz, which combines pomegranate, peach blossom, and blackcurrant.
The French brand Foamous is also tapping into the allure of whipped textures with its perfume mousses, which feature a light, frothy consistency. The company recently expanded its range by introducing a scented crackling foam that briefly crackles on the skin when applied, adding a sensation of freshness. Presented in distinctive retro packaging, these mousses bring a nostalgic and playful element to the fragrance experience.
Beauty brand Pleasing (UK), founded by Harry Styles, has ventured into intimate and comforting scents with its first fragrance line, featuring Closeness. This perfume, inspired by the sensation of skin against skin under moonlight after a warm day, blends notes of Australian pink pepper, cardamom, clean sheets accord, orris butter, carrot seed, bamboo, Indian papyrus, cashmere woods, and salted musk.
In line with the trend of tactile scent profiles, US-based Phlur has recently released Soft Spot, a fragrance designed to embody both softness and strength while blending seamlessly with the wearer’s skin. Its olfactory profile features a blend of bergamot peel, mandarin, freesia, jasmine petals, waterlily, vanilla orchid, amber, sandalwood, and musk.
Other examples include: Shiro gel perfumes (limited edition for SS24 sold in Japan only), Missing Person (Phlur), and Brain Dead Shroom Cola perfume cap made of beeswax.
HIGHLIGHTING GESTURES
This trend extends product design beyond mere functionality and aesthetics, embracing both sensorial and ritualistic elements. This shift is especially evident in the realm of scents and fragrances, where packaging becomes an integral part of the sensory experience. The design seamlessly blends with the sensory journey, deepening the connection between the user and the fragrance. Primary packaging now enhances multi-sensory engagement with each use, inviting individuals to savour and appreciate the product's sensorial richness throughout their scented rituals.
Oman-based brand Ojar offers a collection of absolute fragrance oils in a 20ml dual-application packaging. This design features both a glass applicator for precise dropping and a rollerball for easy, direct-on-skin use. This dual-method application provides consumers with the flexibility to choose their preferred level of interaction when applying the oils, tailored to their needs.
Violette_Fr's fragrance, Avec Amour, enhances the personal ritual of scent application through its intuitive roll-on packaging. This design allows for direct, intimate application to areas where one wishes to be kissed. It fosters a deep personal connection with the fragrance while also supporting layering with other scents for a customised olfactory experience. As Violette describes it, Avec Amour is more than just a fragrance - it’s a mood and a means of connecting with oneself throughout the day.
NYC-based Ponsont, another brand embracing this trend, ventures into the realm of incense paper. This format empowers users to tear off as much or as little paper as they desire, giving them precise control over the scent volume. The paper’s portability and shareability enhance its appeal, and according to the brand’s perfumer and founder, Justin Vaughan, customers have developed their unique usage rituals. Moreover, Ponsont offers custom prints and personalisation options. Vaughan emphasised how customers have creatively utilised this feature for messages, encouragement, and empowerment, adding an extra layer of personalisation to their fragrance experience.
“Some customers never even burn the paper. During Covid I heard of people putting them in masks. Some put them in chests of drawers or purses. Some twist the paper, some bawl it up, some fold it before they light it. Beyond the scents themselves (which is really what we’re focused on), people have seemed to create their own little rituals and I think it’s the paper medium that has contributed. It seems strange to accept an incense stick or a candle from a friend at a dinner party, but that’s what people do with the paper. They hand it out, share it. It seems like there’s more interaction.”
JUSTIN VAUGHAN
— Perfumer and founder of Ponsont
Another brand elevating home fragrance is Italian fragrance house Tonatto, which recently introduced Profumo su Tela. Developed under the Floressentia project and curated by Diletta Tonatto, this innovative approach uses elegant plissé paper for perfume diffusion. This format enhances both efficiency and sustainability while redefining traditional fragrance diffusion by allowing the perfume to settle on the canvas and release unique olfactory nuances into the environment.
Other examples include: POJ Studio leaves-shaped incense paper
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
Fragrance companies worldwide are increasingly delving into the sensory theme through a range of multi-sensory events. These initiatives are designed to engage existing customers and attract new audiences. As brands move towards more interactive and experiential approaches, such events are becoming crucial for maintaining market relevance. Traditional media-only events are being replaced by more inclusive opportunities, enabling brands to connect directly with consumers and offer immersive encounters with their unique offerings.
In 2023, Italian fragrance manufacturing and raw materials distribution company Moellhausen collaborated with Cinema Farnese in Rome and Il Cinemino in Milan to introduce their Odorama experience to the public. For these events, 25 bespoke fragrances developed by Moellhausen’s perfumers were integrated into key scenes of iconic movies like Pretty Woman and Mediterraneo. This innovative approach provided an immersive sensory experience, allowing audiences to enjoy these classic films with the added dimension of scent, which enhanced their cinematic encounter.
Another company offering a distinctive sensory experience is Magna Pars, L’Hotel à Parfum, a five-star hotel in Milan. The venue features a perfume laboratory called Labsolue, and each stay begins with an olfactory check-in. Guests are invited to sample a wide range of scents and select their favourite, which then determines the suite they are assigned to.
At Esxence 2024, Pernoire (Switzerland) unveiled a multi-sensory offering that combines artisanal perfume with gourmet chocolate. Their exclusive discovery set features seven 2ml samples of extrait de parfum, each paired with a unique chocolate from Casa Nobile. This collection allows customers to explore the narrative behind each fragrance, savour the corresponding chocolate, and use a refund code to purchase their chosen scent. For instance, the fragrance Naki, with notes of aldehyde, peach, almond blossom, passionfruit, and sandalwood, is complemented by Opus Blanc, a white chocolate infused with passion fruit, almonds, Fior di Sale Trapani, vanilla, and cinnamon oil.
Other examples include: Scents & Sips NYC, Fischersund x INNI
PRO TIPS
Create meaningful connections:
Move beyond traditional media-only events and focus on opportunities for face-to-face interactions with customers. Engage your audience through immersive, multi-sensory experiences that allow them to connect deeply with your brand. Explore collaborations with institutions and creatives from other fields to broaden your reach and create unique, engaging events.
Elevate everyday experiences:
Enhance daily routines by incorporating scented self- and home-care essentials that offer uplifting fragrances and sensory-rich formulations. Develop products that enhance social occasions or shared experiences, catering to the increasing consumer demand for emotionally enriching experiences in their daily lives.
Embrace unconventional textures:
Incorporate innovative textures and formats, such as whipped or jelly consistencies, and draw inspiration from food. Design products with tactile pleasure and unique sensory interactions in mind. This approach will help differentiate your offerings and appeal to a market seeking novel and engaging scented experiences.
Ensure experiences are truly immersive:
Make sure that events and experiences genuinely deliver on their promises. Avoid overcomplicating; focus on simplicity and authenticity to create a memorable, immersive experience that truly engages the senses.
For further exploration:
Is Multi-Sensory Experience the Future of Fine Dining? by Le Cordon Bleu
Key topic: this article examines the rise of multi-sensory dining, where restaurants blend lights, fragrances, and other sensory elements to create immersive and memorable experiences. It explores the science of neuro-gastronomy and considers the future of these innovative culinary practices, driven by technological and multidisciplinary advances.
A beautiful interview with Hilde Soliani by Spritz&Scents
Key topic: often referred to, somewhat simplistically, as the Queen of Gourmands, Hilde Soliani is much more than that. Her talent for capturing emotions and sensations, combined with her bold ideas, is just part of what makes her unique. In this insightful interview with Spritz&Scents, you’ll discover the full extent of her creativity and more.
*Editor’s note: the interview is available in Italian only. However, you can activate the subtitles in multiple languages.
The Future of Festivals: Immersive Trends and Innovative Engagements by Solarflare Studio (2024)
Key topic: the article explores how festivals are transforming with immersive technologies and innovative engineering to provide interactive, multi-sensory experiences. It highlights trends such as augmented reality, kinetic sculptures, and personalised journeys, emphasising their impact on festival culture and the importance of authenticity in enhancing the festival experience.
From Animal Scat to Eucalyptus Misters, Scent is the Latest Sensorial Trend For Artists Looking to Spark a Reaction by Maxwell Williams (2024)
Key topic: this piece discusses how contemporary artists are incorporating scent into their exhibitions to enhance the gallery experience and challenge traditional art forms. It highlights the work of artists who use fragrances to add depth and engagement to their installations. The piece explores how scent can evoke memories, cultural connections, and new forms of interaction in art, moving beyond visual and auditory experiences to offer a richer, more immersive experience.
Marketing sonified fragrance: Designing soundscapes for scent by C. Spence, N. Di Stefano, C. Velasco, F. Reinoso-Carvalho (2024)
Key topic: the article explores the rise of "auditory branding" in sensory marketing, focusing on how soundscapes and music are now being paired with fragrances, known as "audio scents" or "sonic scents." It examines the shift from synaesthesia-based methods to more scientific approaches for aligning sound and scent, particularly in the cosmetics industry.
Maison Margiela’s Replica Memory Box experience by Haygarth
Key topic: this interactive event was designed to evoke nostalgia by engaging visitors through a combination of scents, sounds, and sights. Attendees could create their own memory boxes filled with keepsakes and Replica perfume samples.
*Editor’s note: It was the most outstanding free event I’ve attended in recent years. In fact, it won the Best Brand Experience at or Near the Point of Purchase award in the Beauty & Fashion category at the IPM Awards in 2023!
The Connections Between Smell, Memory, and Health by Molly McDonough (2024)
Key topic: the article examines how smells trigger vivid memories due to their connection with brain areas involved in emotion and memory. It discusses the potential of using scent-based therapies for improving well-being, treating PTSD, and addressing Alzheimer's disease.
*Editor’s note: An accessible and popular scent-based therapy involves using Scentscaping kits.
Smell Can Change the World: Health, Technology, and the Future - a TEDxNatick talk by Rachel Herz (2023)
Key topic: in this talk, Herz, a neuroscientist and world-leading expert in the psychological science of smell, discusses the role of smell in people’s lives and how smell training and other new therapies could help combat smell loss and various types of trauma, improving both our physical and mental health.
Jouissance Parfums’ rare book collection to ‘stimulate your mind’
Key topic: Jouissance is a perfume brand inspired by the sensual and intellectual pleasures of literature, particularly works by female artists and writers. Rooted in the concept of "jouissance," which embodies the transgression of pleasure's limits, the brand celebrates female creativity and eroticism. Alongside its scents, it offers a curated selection of rare and erotic books to stimulate the mind.
Our favourite content creators’ picks:
Brooke Davis
Brooke was born and raised in Los Angeles within a family of actors. Growing up she was exposed to many films that gave visual expression to a vast internal world. After years of pursuing a career as an actress, she fell in love with the medium of painting and sculpture and decided to begin her journey as a visual artist. Brooke received a BFA from California College of the Arts and an MFA in Sculpture from San Jose State University. A longtime lover of the art of perfumery, she has combined her love of film with her love of perfumes as The Musky Maven on Instagram. She currently works and resides in Los Angeles. Brooke has selected three fragrances and presents them to us in her unique style. We're excited for you to discover them!
OPALINE BY JORUM STUDIO - Inspired by CHILDREN OF PARADISE
Powdery pantomime, Baptiste delicately beckons the elusive moon. Come closer, come closer. An innocent almondine retreat into dreams, where sorrow seemingly has a voice. An ethereal sanctuary where harlequins dance with heliotrope bouquets. With the gentlest gesture, love becomes the poetry of smiles.
EPICES BY MISKEO PARFUMS - Inspired by THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES
Beloved wooden box filled with fragrant jewels. Gloriously embroidered spices feel more precious than gold. Open the treasured box and inhale the warm dry wind of ancient memories.
"Thy rays have filled the world; thou art a shield that fronts the sun. Thou dost exhale the perfume sweet of clove and cinnamon" Sayat Nova
SPELL 125 BY PAPILLON ARTISAN PERFUMES - Inspired by SEASON OF THE WITCH
Mythical mother, mystical matriarch. Old suppressed sorrows are healed by the resinous balm of defiance. Ancient desires set aflame, stirred by a blade of steel in a cauldron of primordial wisdom. The sensuous lips of our great and terrible witch open, exhaling a camphorous trail of sweet serpentine smoke.
"Blade of steel
I conjure thee
To cause all things as named by me "
Lastly, if you liked this theme, you might want to check these out:
The Futurist Cookbook by F. T. Marinetti (1930): In this text, the controversial Italian author blends art and satire with culinary experimentation. It features whimsical recipes such as ice cream on the moon and candied atmospheric electricities, while dismissing traditional pasta as outdated. The book advocates for a modern cuisine that fosters creativity, reflecting Marinetti's fascination with speed and innovation, though it occasionally reveals his nationalistic biases.
Olfactive Boardgames by Sentosphère: the French company offers a range of educational games designed to enhance your sense of smell. Activities include matching scents to images in Loto des Odeurs, associating aromas with global locations in Voyage Olfactif, and identifying spices in La Route des Epices. It also provides a range of kits introducing you to the world of wine tasting.
Dans Le Noir?: Dans Le Noir? is a global hospitality concept featuring restaurants in multiple countries. It offers a unique dining experience where guests enjoy their meals in complete darkness, guided and served by blind or partially sighted staff. This approach heightens the other senses and fosters a more open and authentic interaction, challenging preconceptions and offering a deeper, more empathetic connection with others.
Multi-sensory stories for people with learning disabilities: Bag Books is a UK charity established in 1993, dedicated to supporting individuals with learning disabilities. It is the world's only organisation specialising in multi-sensory books and storytelling for those with severe or profound learning disabilities.
Dipsea: with the rise in popularity of erotic audio content during the pandemic, particularly among women, apps like Dipsea - which offer steamy audiobooks created by women for women - have become increasingly popular.
Laposh: Camilla Da Rocha redefines etiquette by taking a modern, inclusive approach that helps people feel at ease and appreciate the finer details. By making etiquette accessible and unpretentious, she shows how kindness, care, and respect can enrich our connections and reveal beauty in everyday moments.
*Unfortunately her account is in Italian only :(
Thank you for exploring Sensoryscaping with us. We hope you've enjoyed the journey!
More exciting insights are coming your way in our next edition.
Costanza Sofia
Nunotes’ Founder
So brilliant, thank you, I will reread this over and over and learn something new everytime x
Such a wonderful deep dive, thank you for putting this together.