After a long break due to world events we are all aware of, we have finally crossed the continent and made our way to the biggest perfume expo in the world - ESXENCE '22. Esxence took place in Milan, Italy, and was a journey filled with beautiful olfactory encounters, discoveries, and delicious food! It's been a little over a week since our return from Milan, and our noses are ready to smell again. Let's be clear, over 300 brands were exhibiting at the show this year. As you can imagine, it was impossible to smell them all; we tried our best to speed-smell our way through some of the brands we have been eyeing, and here are our thoughts on the evident trends, highlights, and overall state of the industry. Let's not waste more time on small talk and dive right in.
In the past few years, we have seen the needs and reasons why most people shop for fragrances shift from the once-dominant qualities of seduction and indulgence to seeking comfort and joy, well-being, and confidence. Building upon this evolution, we also anticipate that fragrance products that are convenient, conscious, and offer active benefits will continue to see growth in the future. Another trend we saw very clearly leap into 2022 as we walked the Esxence show is the fluidity of fragrances and fragrance notes historically associated with one gender. Mixing traditionally masculine and feminine scent notes is becoming more and more common as most brands have moved away from designing gender-specific perfumes - which is refreshing to see, nonetheless.
As we made our way further into the show, we saw the clean and green movement for fragrance only getting stronger as consumers prioritize safeguarding their health and the planet, and brands respond accordingly. All elements of conscious fragrance merge the ideals of safety and trust, driving a new narrative for natural scents that highlights more than just the scent profile but shows we are embracing green innovative chemistry. The industry is taking measurable actions to reduce our environmental impact when sourcing new ingredients, innovative thinking, and packaging design.
As the brands continue to focus on the sustainability positioning, the trends that convey the fresh, clean, and green characteristics together with escapism, and accords that make us feel like we are vacation-bound, are playing key roles in many of the latest releases. Storytell ing remains as strong as it can get, celebrating memories, personal experiences, and individuality at its core. We aren't complaining. After longing for connection and travel for so long, we are all looking forward to quenching that never-ending exploration thirst.
Keep your eyes and noses peeled for all the new brands we will be exploring together (you know us, we love to record the process so make sure to follow us on social media) and decide which brands will make the cut on Twistedlily.com ;)
