Did you know Spain is the world’s second supplier of fragrance, after France? Its growing importance is evident and was highlighted in the recent Barcelona Perfumery Congress. The two day event blends a traditional tradeshow with educational workshops and conferences where topics ran the gamut from olfactory creation to innovation in perfumery.

It has always been a challenge to sell fragrance online since we still can’t smell through our computers. Nevertheless, E-commerce contributes roughly one third of beauty sales, and not all purchases are replenishment. In this article a consumer psychologist gives insight on the emotional triggers that encourage blind buys.

The fragrance community descended on the South of France for a week of conferences, workshops, exhibitions, and tours during the first Grasse Perfume Week, the counterpart to Paris Perfume Week. The event, organized by Nez, the cultural movement, was sponsored by the city of Grasse, Robertet, the Fragrance Foundation France and others.

Industry veteran Vesa Kalho is set to steer the Fragrance Shop’s new niche concept, Fraegra. Currently under development, it marks the clear recognition of the growing importance of niche perfumery in the fragrance sector. Kalho recently participated at Esxence where he shared his expertise on how brands can appeal to retailers.

The prevalence of fruit notes is a trend that was spotted earlier this year at the 2025 edition of Esxence where mango, guava, passion fruit and even banana made the scene. In this article four perfumers and fragrance industry leaders comment on technical, historic and contemporary aspects of fruit notes in perfumery.

US beauty titan Ulta has just acquired Space NK, a chain of 83 beauty stores in the UK and Ireland. The deal gives Ulta an immediate foothold in the market while Space NK, a long-time supporter of niche brands, will benefit from the scale, brand relationships and resources of its new owner. Could the deal provide the previous owner, Manzanita Capital, with funds to acquire new brands?

As the luxury sector encounters its biggest downturn in years, brands are embracing innovation in packaging to address consumer concerns. Beauty and sustainability are still important and with the soon to be standard Digital Product Passport (DPP), technology will allow the outer pack to communicate transparency, sourcing and the brand story.