Forward Thinking: A Scented Home

Candles indicative of the current times, ethereal concepts, outdoor-inspired fragrances, fast-food scents, environmentally conscious products and smart diffusive technology are driving air care innovation.

BY AMY MARKS-MCGEE, Trendincite LLC; amy@trendincite.com

According to Fortune Business Insights, published in March 2020, the global home fragrance market size is expected to reach $7.96 billion by 2026, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast periodDisplay footnote number:a. The NPD Group reported that first-quarter 2020 U.S. prestige fragrance sales dropped 13% compared to 2019, totaling $655.3 million. However, growth was seen in home fragrance categories such as candles (up 8% from 2019), diffusers (up 5%), home scents (up 4%) and ancillary gift sets (up 4%)Display footnote number:b.

The NPD Group noted that candles are up not just in the United States, but globally. According to a May 4, 2020 New York Times article, home fragrance sales have experienced a surge in demand as a direct result of COVID-19. For example, Diptyque’s sales in the home category have tripled since March, and D.S. & Durga’s candles now make up 40% of its direct business while about 90% of Nest New York’s sales now come from home fragrance, up from 75% before the pandemicDisplay footnote number:c.

Candles indicative of the current times, ethereal concepts, outdoor-inspired fragrances, fast-food scents, environmentally conscious products and smart diffusive technology are driving air care innovation…………………………………………….
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Smart Diffusive Technology

Technology is continually evolving, and the latest activity in air care is being driven by smartphone-enabled diffusers.

Air Wick introduced the Essential Mist smart diffuser with Bluetooth technology and a mobile app. Consumers can customize their scent experience with programmable scent schedules, adjustable scent intensity settings, refill reminders and the ability to purchase refills directly from their smartphone. The Aroma range starter pack is available in a Happiness (pineapple, peach and wild mint) fragrance and includes one diffuser, batteries and a fragrance refill. Additional fragrances in the range formulated for different moods include Sleep (lavender, eucalyptus and sage) and Unwind (jasmine, tea tree and lotus blossom) made with an exclusive blend of natural essential oils. Fragrances from the Air Wick Essential Mist collection include Cinnamon & Crisp Apple, Fresh Water Breeze, Lavender & Almond Blossom, Mandarin & Sweet Orange and Peony & Jasmine variants and are compatible with the smart diffuser.
Similarly, Nest New York launched a Smart Home Fragrance Diffuser powered by Pura that connects to a smartphone, is Alexa-compatible and enables user to set a scent schedule, swap between scents and adjust intensity. The starter set comes with Bamboo and Grapefruit fragrance vials, which are offered in scent refills, in addition to Cedar Leaf & Lavender and Moroccan Amber fragrances. Airzai released Aroma, a premium smart home fragrance diffuser with an app that is voice-enabled and can be managed by Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. The smart diffuser can schedule fragrance preferences, adjust the fragrance intensity in low, medium and high settings and create ambient lighting. Australian Sandalwood, Mediterranean Blossoms and Santorini Fig are the three current aromas offered.
In February 2020, Candle Touch launched a Kickstarter campaign. Described as the “world’s first smart-connected real-flame candle,” the Bluetooth-enabled scented candle works with a password-protected app and uses a device with an electronic base that is connected to a scented coconut wax candle and sends a current up a wire to ignite the cotton wick. According to the brand, a candle can last up to 40 hours, and the app works from as far as 60 feet away and can light up 10 candles simultaneously. Candle Touch is offered in scents such as Amber and Clove, Avocado and Mint, Grapefruit and Cardamom, Lime and Grapefruit, and White Tea and Ginger. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, at the end of March, Candle Touch closed the campaign.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 (CES), Tel Aviv-based startup company introduced Moodify, an “active scent” car-like air freshener, which is designed “to alter human behavior, improve performance, enhance feelings of well-being and even increase vehicular safety.” Moodify White is the brand’s first scented product, and it “eliminates perceptions of bad odors by temporarily affecting how the brain interprets smell. It confuses the brain with custom scents in the same way that a white noise machine dulls unpleasant sounds by saturating the space with a neutral audio background.” Moodify Blue, Moodify Green and Moodify Red scents are all under development. The Moodify Blue is meant to calm an individual down and reduce stress and aggression, which is being formulated to replicate pheromones found in human tears. Moodify Green is designed to increase alertness and awareness and is based on the pheromones found in the sweat generated by humans in fearful situations, while the Moodify Red is engineered to wake you up “100% of the time [with] a very good possibility to save lives.”