Fragrance sales were up 12% for the last quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year, according to Circana—and that’s only through December 2nd, without taking into account the busiest shopping weeks of the year. Younger consumers are buying more fragrances, reports say, and brands are taking notice.

Fragrance marketers are responding to new factors at play influencing purchasing behaviors. Shopping for a fragrance online without sampling first has become the norm. Social media influencers have become highly skilled in creating an instant emotional connection to a scent by expertly describing how it makes them feel.

As for fragrance packaging, it’s still more important than ever. Glass bottles not only have to look good in a photo, but must live up to expectations at home. This means pumps that spray effortlessly and bottle shapes that are designed to feel luxurious to hold. Fragrance consumers are still attracted to a glamorous bottle, but now want it to be refillable so it aligns with their eco-conscious values.

A new bottle design for every new fragrance, however, is now the exception, not the norm. More brands are choosing a signature shape, and sticking with it, using the same bottle for every new launch. This delivers a cohesive and instantly recognizable brand image.

Read on for fragrance market trends—and packaging suppliers’ latest offerings for glass bottles, caps, and accessories that deliver luxury in eco-friendly ways.

Coty Plans to Reinvent Fragrance in 2024

Coty pioneered fragrance bottle design—and the company is often credited with being the first to make luxury fragrances more accessible.

Francois Coty founded his fragrance house in Paris in 1904 and partnered with René Lalique to create custom flacons in elegant shapes that could be mass-produced at lower costs. He was also one of the first to recognize the benefits of combining natural essences with longer-lasting synthetic ingredients. Aside from the growing importance of sourcing cleaner ingredients and eco-friendly packaging, not much has changed. Coty carved the path that fragrance brands still follow today—striving to deliver luxury, on-budget.

Coty is returning to its roots this year and launching Infiniment Coty Paris. The new flagship fragrance brand was created by Coty’s CEO Sue Nabi, with Nicolas Vu, co-founder of the Coty skincare brand Orveda. The new fragrance line aims to reinvent Coty’s legacy as a fragrance pioneer.

Nabi posted a teaser on Instagram that says, “Our scents and stories speak to the world of today—they translate who we are. Welcome to a new era in perfumery.” The collection will include 14 fragrances in refillable bottles, with patents pending for both the formulation and the packaging, which is a first for Coty.

Update: Here's more about the Infiniment Coty Paris collection—and its packaging. 

Vu designed the stackable bottles for Coty's new collection. They feature a connecting ridge at the bottom, which enables them to stack easily by fitting into each other.  the clear rectangular bottles, which are stackable and refillable. The minimalist design features the word "Coty" embossed on the glass and an elegant white label. The bottle design is intended to be "a blank canvas" and promote "artcycling" rather than recycling, Nabi stated. Modern round white caps are a contrast to the bottles' square edges. 

The design is "an ode to minimalism," Coty says—but, the bottles have an asymmetrical shape that is complex to mold. The flat face is perfectly flat, while the bottom has pronounced facets. "In it is the strength of opposites; generous forms and materials; the immaculate white of a blank page from which everything begins," Coty states.

Coty's 1st Perfume with Formulation & Packaging Patents

The name, "Infiniment," is a French word  that means infinitely. Coty's new scents are all housed in the same bottle that is "made to last, refill it infinitely," the brand states. Coty is embracing the trend toward sustainability with refillable bottles.

The new collection marks a major innovation—Coty's first perfume with patents for both the formulation and packaging.

Each of the 14 fragrances in Infiniment Coty's debut collection is designed to convey a positive emotion. There are three categories—Dawn, Day, and Dusk—grouped by the intensity of the notes. The Dusk fragrances, for example, contain more intense notes.

The highly concentrated formulas contain up to 20% juice. The collection is vegan and skin-friendly, without chemical filters or dyes. The 75ml bottles retail for $290.

The fragrances feature the "Molecular Aura"—Coty's patent-pending technology developed by its R&D team. The formulation innovation is like a time-release formula for a fragrance. It controls the evaporation rate of the olfactory molecules to extend the scent of any perfume for up to 30 hours, reports state.

The fragrances are also Coty's first that are manufactured using alcohol derived from carbon emissions captured through a bio-fermentation process. 

Fragrance Fuels Coty’s Double-Digit Growth

Fragrance is the reason for Coty’s recent double-digit growth in its prestige division. Nabi appeared on Yahoo Finance last spring explaining that the “fragrance boom” we’re seeing is similar to the “skincare boom” in recent years, which was fueled by dermatologists using social media to educate consumers about ingredients.

Nabi says Gen Z is rediscovering fragrance on social media, and using it not only on their skin, but on their clothes too. “They spray much more. It’s shortening the life span of the product...that’s what explains this boom,” Nabi says, in the interview posted by Yahoo on YouTube on May 10th, 2023. “Influencers are saying, if you love vanilla, buy this fragrance,’” Nabi says—and consumers are listening. Nabi also notes that younger consumers are “obsessed” with fragrances that last. She says that fragrance is now a performance category, as development has shifted from being “an artistic expression.” Coty owns patents to make longer-lasting fragrances.

Spate identified the search term “Long Lasting Perfume” as an opportunity to capitalize on its Holiday Trends 2023 report. The term is predicted to grow 48.2% year-over-year and has low competition, based on Google search data.

Gen Z Drives Fragrance Sales

Report data backs up Nabi’s comments about Gen Z, stating that consumers ages 13 through 26 rank No. 1 in terms of wearing fragrances three or more times a week. Gen Z is also most likely to purchase fragrances for themselves multiple times per year.

Overall, fragrance usage in the U.S. was slightly up during the first half of last year compared to the prior year, according to Circana, but Gen Z’s fragrance usage expanded significantly—rising by 5 percentage points to 83%.

Larissa Jensen, Beauty Industry Advisor at Circana, and a member of Beauty Packaging’s advisory board, says, “For success, fragrance brands and manufacturers must capture the hearts and wallets of Gen Z and Millennials, who are the most important generations when it comes to use and interest in the category.”

According to WGSN’s Top Trends for 2024 report, Gen Z is experimenting with scent layering to express their personalities. They’re discovering new fragrance brands on social media, the report confirms. “Fragrance choices will become more personalized, and signature scents will become even more meaningful,” the report predicts.

The TikTok Effect on Fragrance

TikTok is influencing fragrance purchasing decisions, experts say, with #PerfumeTok rising to over 11 billion views and counting.

Biz Sherbert, culture editor at the creative agency The Digital Fairy, tells Nylon, “TikTok has led to more people experimenting with different perfumes, and thus having a stronger opinion on what suits them best.”

The article, published March 21, 2023, says that Gen Z consumers are bringing back the idea of having a signature scent—but since there are so many options these days, younger consumers are searching for fragrances that are deeply personal.

Sherbert says TikTok is “exposing larger audiences to the world of perfume connoisseurship, unlocking a new approach to scent.” Fragrances that are unrecognizable and elusive are more appealing, not the scent everyone else is wearing.

This means that niche perfumes and smaller, unknown indie brands may suddenly go viral on social media—and it’s translating to sales. Fragrance purchasing behavior is changing because younger consumers will buy a fragrance after listening to an influencer describe what it smells like without ever having to walk into a store or test a sampler.

Phlur’s Missing Person was dubbed “the internet’s most viral fragrance” when it sold out in five hours in 2022 and added 200k consumers to its waiting list. Since then, no other fragrance has managed to repeat this response.

What caused the frenzy? Rachel Rigler described the scent to her TikTok followers, saying, “It smells like the feeling of being in love and it’s very familiar.” Demand skyrocketed when Mikayla Nogueira saw the review and bought a bottle, Dazed Beauty reports. She told her 13.4 million followers, “I don’t know how to explain this, it smells like a person that you love and that you miss.”

Bottle Design Trends

Packaging suppliers partner with fragrance brands to produce the bottles that will house every new scent—and the development process begins long before a launch. So what types of bottle designs can we expect to see coming down the pipeline?

“Classic shapes are still most often requested, such as rectangular, cylindrical, and square bottles,” says Gilda Cutri, Vice President of Operations and Business Development, Coverpla. “And our Surlyn caps remain top sellers, due in part to their beautiful clarity and our large variety of shapes,” she says.

New High Glass says custom bottle shapes are popular. “Brands are adopting custom bottle shapes to establish a distinct brand identity, and using custom molds for innovative, artistic designs. Clean and minimalist designs also remain popular, featuring simple, elegant shapes with subtle branding elements for a modern aesthetic,” says Dave Desai, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, New High Glass.

Decorations featuring intricate details, such as embossing and etching, are also often requested for fragrance bottles, according to Desai. “These convey luxury and craftsmanship,” he says. “Gradient effects on bottles are also gaining popularity, adding depth and visual interest.” “Brands are also experimenting with various textures on bottle surfaces, including soft-touch or matte finishes, aiming to create a tactile and memorable experience for consumers,” he adds. Gold, rose gold, and metallic finishes remain popular for fragrance caps.

New High Glass offers a large variety of bottle shapes and sizes that are carried as in-stock options. New High Glass also offers an extensive range of caps in a wide range of materials, including wood, fabric, and leather.

Glistening looks are in—especially for limited edition holiday launches. Victoria’s Secret partnered with Verescence North America last year to create the striking glass bottle Bombshell Glamour Eau de Parfum. The iconic octagonal-shaped glass bottle features embossed patterns. “The Victoria’s Secret logo, shimmering in gold, is elegantly pad-printed using precious metals,” says Michel Levisse, VP of Sales and Marketing, Verescence.

PGP Glass Private Limited works with many global brands, and specializes in glass packaging. The company offers a wide range of decorating techniques, including spraying, silk-screening, and hot-stamping.

PGP has dedicated facilities for premium glass decoration techniques, including coating, frosting, decal, fitment gluing, and metallization. “We offer an all-encompassing suite of end-to-end glass packaging solutions, with world-class facilities that boast cutting-edge design capabilities. We have a creative design and innovation studio—and our advanced CNC machine workshops are dedicated to manufacturing flawless molds,” says Sanjay Tiwari, CEO, PGP Glass USA Inc.

We are seeing a preference for more transparent, minimal, yet complex personalized packaging. With an in-house design studio and mold workshop ready to tackle intricate requirements using high-technology fabrication and a full-service deco unit, we can confidently satisfy all customer requirements.

“We are seeing a preference for minimal looks for fragrance bottles, especially for premium brands, while masstige brands are using vibrant colors, nature-centric prints and earthy tones,” says Douglas Thompson, Senior Vice President Sales, Marketing & Product Development at PGP Glass USA, Inc. “Textured finishes are more popular than metallization. Decorations are more focused on telling the brand’s story rather than adding a glamorous visual element that may feel disconnected,” Thompson explains.

Producing Refillable Fragrance Bottles

Refillable packaging is immensely popular, especially for fragrances. “Refillables have been and are still are very much in demand. We have incorporated quite a few new designs in our stock lineup, in different shapes and sizes,” says Coverpla’s Cutri.

New High Glass launched its Eco-Fragrance line after receiving an increased number of requests for refillable bottles. The line includes a variety of luxury perfume bottles available as in-stock items, with screw necks. The company also offers three different fine mist sprayers to pair with the bottles. “The consumer can easily remove the pump sprayer to refill the bottle,” says Desai.

New High Glass’s Eco-Fragrance line includes a new refillable travel spray, the Magnolia 10ml bottle, paired with the Jungfrau removable fine mist sprayer.  With an 18mm neck and a slightly wider profile, refilling is easy,” says Desai. “Now fragrance brands can offer a refill option for both their full-size and travel size,” he says.

Lightweight Glass Bottles

Lightweight bottles require less glass to produce and are ideal for housing fragrance refills. The consumer pours their contents into a more luxurious fragrance bottle, and throws it into a recycling bin. “Since more fragrance brands are offering refills and encouraging consumers to reuse their bottles, our customers often ask us to produce fragrance refill packaging. For refills, they want glass bottles that are lightweight, but still look luxe,” says Verescence’s Levisse.

SGD Pharma also offers a new range of lightweight glass bottles, ideal for fragrances, called Nova. The range debuted at Cosmoprof Asia in Hong Kong last November. “We produced Nova by leveraging our Narrow Neck Press and Blow (NNPB) forming technology that we use to produce pharma bottles,” explains Sheherazade Chamlou, VP of Sales, Beauty Americas, at SGD Pharma.

The company already uses this molding technology to produce its Clareo range of premium glass vials, and now the company has adapted it for beauty and fragrance packaging. SGD Pharma reduced the weight of the glass while optimizing glass distribution to provide better mechanical resistance. “Nova bottles look appealing, can withstand transport and distribution pressures—and have a smaller carbon footprint,” says Chamlou.

Reducing a glass bottle’s weight also reduces emissions. The Nova range includes a new 200ml bottle, and SGD estimates that it reduces CO2 emissions by 20% compared to its standard Dorado bottle, since it requires less raw materials to produce.

Chamlou explains that a glass bottle’s weight-volume ratio is an important parameter to measure the lightness of glass bottles. “The ratio of conventional cosmetic bottles produced by a Blow and Blow process ranges from 1.0 to 3.0. The new 200ml bottle in the Nova range weighs only 140g and has reached an extremely low weight-volume ratio 0.65, while retaining the same properties and safety as the heavier Dorado model,” Chamlou explains. “Nova enables weight reduction in the supply chain and appeals to the consumer drive for green packaging,” she says. 

A Growing Global Market for Fragrance Packaging

Along with rising fragrance sales comes an increasing need for fragrance packaging—and this means glass bottles—along with metal or metallized caps and collars. Research and Markets estimates that the global market for fragrance packaging will be worth $3.9 billion by 2030, rising from $2.6 billion in 2022 and growing at a CAGR of 5% over the forecast period.

Metal, one of the segments analyzed in the report, is projected to record 4.7% CAGR and reach $1.6 billion. According to another report by Fortune Business Insights, the global glass packaging market size (which takes into account other categories besides fragrance) is expected to grow from $64.97 billion in 2023 to $86.54 billion by 2030, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.2%.

Ensuring a Decoration is Recyclable

Glass is infinitely recyclable, but certain finishing operations can affect its recyclability. “We developed a glass recyclability index named RECYC’LAB, after testing the recyclability of different decorated bottles at a French re-sorting plant. We can now advise fragrance brands from the start of a project during its development phase, when they’re deciding on a decoration,” says Verescence’s Levisse.

New High Glass offers color-coating decorations in any color or gradient with waterborne organic paint. “Our spray frosting is popular among luxury brands, as it doesn’t use hazardous materials like old-school acid-frosting,” says Desai.

Virospack’s tubular glass vial is strong, lightweight, and durable, with an excellent level of quality and transparency—and is ideal for fragrances. The vials have a smooth finish for customization through various decoration processes. “We offer standard or custom spray painting, with effects like frosted, opaque, opalescent, gradient, translucent, pearly, metallization, and hot stamping," says Verena Fiori Ferreira, Marketing Director, Virospack. “Brands are looking for customized specialized finishes as a differentiator, for a memorable visual impact on shelves,” she says. “Virospack offers matte, glossy, frosted, and textures to add tactility and a premium feel,” she says.

Virospack’s offerings include a wide range of standards with glass bottles in different diameters, capacities, and necks. Its tubular glass vials range from 2- to 50ml, and can pair with droppers or caps.

“In addition to the standard range, we can also develop customized glass vials, which fit perfectly with our variety of caps and dropper packs as well as adapting to other external closure systems like pumps and sprays,” says Ferriera. “Working with this type of tubular glass vials offers the advantage of not having to develop molds, reducing production time and costs for customized products,” she says.

Monvera Glass Decoration specializes in decorating fragrance bottles, and works with many indie brands since the company offers low MOQs. “Our glass decoration can help create a distinctive brand identity and a premium look,” says Narguess Farahi, business development at Monvera. The company’s expertise includes UV and ceramic screen printing, bottle coating, and pad printing. The company offers bottle coating in any custom color—including opaque, matte, glossy, transparent, translucent and frost finishes.  

Brands Entice Consumers with On-Trend Looks

Karma, a new fragrance by Jack Henry, is formulated to “encourage moments of mindfulness in your day and spark your creativity,” the brand says. The bottle design conveys the brand’s modern aesthetics. Karma worked with in-house designer Doug Peters to create the chic round opaque white bottle that has a glossy finish. “Our collection uses round glass bottles and clean lines for an elegant and timeless look,” says Peters. 

“By choosing notes associated with past memories, Karma infuses new energy into fresh starts. We’ve selected ingredients scientifically proven to reduce stress, anxiety, promote positivity, and evoke energy,” explains the brand’s founder, Kyle Bardouche. The fragrance includes the top notes of bergamot, juniper, and green violet; with a heart of saffron, amber, and guiacwood; and leather, moss, patchouli, and sandalwood at its base.

Jack Henry says it is a clean wellness brand dedicated to using only functional and sustainable ingredients—and encourages consumers to prioritize self-care. Karma is the brand’s second fragrance launch. Its first, Balance, is in the same round bottle, but decorated in opaque black.

Read on as we discuss the following fragrance brands. 

More Fragrance Trends: A Look at 3 'On-Trend' Brands

Gisou, Dossier, and Kuumba Made are three brands putting their own spin on fragrance marketing.

While there are a slew of fragrances for consumers to choose from—we’re betting on these three brands to inspire purchases.

Here’s what Gisou, Dossier, and Kuumba Made are doing to “sell scents.”

Gisou’s New Hair Fragrance

Capitalizing on the fact that Gen Z likes to spray fragrance more often and on more than just their skin, as Coty’s Nabi pointed out, haircare brand Gisou launched Honey Infused Hair Perfume in January 2024.

Infused with honey, the hair fragrance delivers moisture, shine, and shields the hair from UV rays—while leaving behind a trail of floral notes.

Gisou Hair Perfume, which is sold at Sephora stores nationwide, has earned the Clean at Sephora label. It is packaged in an elegant glass 100ml bottle with a baby pink cap and spray pump. It also comes in a 50ml mini size.

Gisou also has a unique eco-friendly story to tell. Its founder, Negin Mirsalehi, is a sixth-generation beekeeper. The brand’s products are inspired by and made with sustainably sourced ingredients from its Mirsalehi Bee Garden.

Dossier’s ‘Dupes’

Dossier is the only fragrance brand among the 25 “indie brands to watch” profiled in Kline’s October 2023 report. The brand uses the same chic, round, minimalist bottle for all its scents.

Dossier is known for its “dupes,” selling scents that are described as “smells like...” at lower price points than the originals. Dossier also offers its own unique fragrances under its “Originals” brand.

Dossier’s popularity makes sense, since “dupes” are one of Euromonitor International’s 2024 Consumer Trends. The trend is called “Value Hackers” and says that consumers are still spending on beauty despite inflation, but they’re searching for the best deals, which includes actively looking for dupes.

Kuumba Made’s Wellness Message

Kuumba Made, which is sold at Whole Foods stores, says it makes botanical products that “excite the senses, optimize health, and radiate natural beauty.” It says its fragrance oils are clean, long-lasting, vegan, and “handmade with love in small batches.”

The brand is transparent about its sourcing, explaining where each ingredient comes from in its online directory. The brand grows its own organic aloe, for example, and excludes parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, animal products.

Kuumba Made’s fragrance oils are beautifully packaged and housed in various sized bottles. The oil-based scents are in bottles decorated with labels that are printed using eco-friendly soluble ink. Cartons feature blurred images of plants and flowers.

“We chose a roll-on over a pump spray because our fragrance is oil-based, and the roller ball ensures even distribution of the organic jojoba oil, enhancing the longevity of the fragrance,” says Janelle Rosenfeld, CEO of Kuumba Made. “The gold tone cap is achieved through anodization, adding a touch of elegance to our packaging,” she adds.

What's Next?

Experts say as beauty brands make more advances in formulation technologies, we can expect fragrances to become even more "clean," with transparent in gredient lists—and more personalized. 

Some experts we spoke to predict that more consumers are searching for a "signature scent," but they won't stick with one. Marketers seem to be moving toward the idea of selling scents designed to wear at different times of the day or night, and for different occasions. 

No matter the "juice" trends, fragrance packaging will continue downa. more sustainable path, as more brands entice consumers to get on board with reflling flacons.

But consumers won't be swapping luxe bottle designs for sustainability—suppliers will no doubt keep delivering production innovations in glass manufacturing to ensure fragrance packaging remains glamorous and eco-friendly. 

We can't wait to see what comes next.