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LONDON\/VERSOIX, Switzerland, Oct 19: From cherry and \u200bbanoffee pie to tabasco and sesame, the list of food aromas popping up in luxury fragrances keeps growing. Now some perfume makers are starting to ask if weight-loss drugs might be reshaping what \u200cconsumers want in a scent.<\/strong><\/p>\n So-called gourmand fragrances like Thierry Mugler\u2019s pioneering cotton candy-inspired Angel and Nina Ricci\u2019s toffee apple scent Nina have been around for decades. More recent growth in the segment has been attributed to the pandemic-era boom in online retail \u2014 when familiar food associations helped sales of perfumes that cannot be smelled before purchase \u2014 and the growing prominence of Gen Z consumers.<\/p>\n But as scent makers experiment with more novel flavour aromas, Reuters conversations with eight fragrance manufacturers and top perfume brands revealed how they are assessing GLP-1 users\u2019 responses to these food-linked smells.<\/p>\n Givaudan \u200band IFF , two of the world\u2019s largest flavour and fragrance houses, British-owned scent maker CPL Aromas and French cosmetics giant L\u2019Oreal\u00a0 all said they have explored the link between the increasingly popular drugs and scent preferences.<\/p>\n All four \u200bcompanies, as well as four scientists Reuters spoke to, stressed that more research was needed.<\/p>\n Common negative side effects of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs \u2060like Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy and Eli Lilly\u2019s Mounjaro include nausea and gastrointestinal issues. Researchers are also looking at other potential effects, some unexpected, including a reduction in alcohol cravings or urges to gamble and impulse-shop, and changes to smell and \u200btaste.<\/p>\n \u201c(GLP-1 drugs having) a chemosensory effect is not a far-fetched idea,\u201d said Paule Joseph, co-director of the National Smell and Taste Center at the US National Institutes of Health.<\/p>\n As GLP-1 drugs reshape appetite, they also affect the tissue of the olfactory bulb \u200bthat processes odour, although Joseph said it was too early to predict how, or even if, that might impact odour perception.<\/p>\n Research conducted by IFF suggests GLP-1 therapies may spark a greater interest in scent as a source of sensory pleasure, said Celine Manetta, health and wellness director, R&D, at IFF Scent.<\/p>\n IFF is already using such insights to identify notes and produce fragrances that evoke emotional responses, she said. \u201cThey compensate for the pleasure of food, or pleasure of taste, \u200bwith other forms of enjoyment,\u201d said L\u2019Oreal Paris\u2019 Global Brand President Laetitia Toupet.<\/p>\n Givaudan has been studying the possible link for around a year, said Arnaud Guggenbuhl, the Swiss firm\u2019s global head of marketing for fine fragrance.<\/p>\n GLP-1 use can alter fragrance \u200bpreferences, he said, with some beloved smells suddenly repellent while other scents become appealing. The overall trend, the company found, was an increase in interest in fragrance and perfume.<\/p>\n Givaudan is now expanding its gourmand offering, creating fragrances that reproduce the layered scent of cakes \u200clike banoffee, panettone \u2060and cupcakes.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can have the crispy part, the tarty part, the milky part and the creamy part,\u201d Guggenbuhl said. \u201cThe full fragrance smells like a true cake.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike manufacturers, which develop the scents used as ingredients in perfumes, fragrance brand owners like Puig (PUIGb.MC), opens new tab and Coty are generally not researching the possible GLP-1 link.<\/p>\n But they are keenly attuned to what is happening in the market \u2014 both in terms of growth trends and shifts in taste \u2014 and are taking steps to adapt.<\/p>\n Over 1 billion people globally are now obese, according to the World Health Organization. That provides an enormous pool of potential customers for weight-loss drugs. Pharmaceutical companies and analysts predict the GLP-1 market may be worth up to $150 billion by 2030.<\/p>\n That could also \u200bmean a bigger perfume market.<\/p>\n Gourmet and edible is now the \u200bsecond-largest fragrance group for product innovation behind floral scents, \u2060said Clotilde Drape, global beauty analyst at market analysis agency Mintel, with its share having risen to 24% over the last year from 9% two years earlier.<\/p>\n A study of GLP-1 users in the US by market researcher NIQ, meanwhile, found they spent 26% more on fragrances than the typical person.<\/p>\n \u201cGLP-1 users are overall more invested in beauty, as they spend more \u200bacross most categories,\u201d said Anna Mayo, NIQ\u2019s vice president of beauty and personal care thought leadership.<\/p>\n Both Coty and Puig expect traditional vanilla-based scents, such as Burberry\u2019s (BRBY.L), opens new tab Goddess perfume and \u200bYves Saint Laurent\u2019s Libre Eau \u2060de Parfum, to remain popular. But other edible notes are becoming more prominent, they told Reuters.<\/p>\n \u201cThere has been a more sophisticated, more adult evolution. There are now many different notes available on the market: boozy, whisky, rum, tequila,\u201d said Gregorio Sola, senior perfumer and creative director at Puig. Gen Z consumers in particular are seeking savoury, salty fermented and roasted aromas over sweetness, said Nelly Di Mercurio, global marketing and communications director at CPL Aromas. Sesame, \u2060miso, rice, truffle \u200band even matcha-based fragrances were also emerging, she said.<\/p>\n And Jean Holtzmann, chief brands officer for Coty\u2019s prestige division, pointed to new combinations of vanilla \u200bwith nuts like pistachio.<\/p>\n \u201cThe next generation of gourmand is \u2026 about taste and texture rather than just being sweet,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Givaudan\u2019s Guggenbuhl, for his part, believes creaminess \u2014 banana, whipped cream and warm milk \u2014 will be the next trend to sweep the market. But regardless of the flavour, with GLP-1 users set to \u200bremain a driving force, he sees no letup in the expansion of gourmand fragrances.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat they cannot eat anymore, they still want to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRESEARCH SUGGESTS GLP-1 USERS SEEK PLEASURE IN SCENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
L\u2019Oreal, observing findings that show GLP-1 users crave pleasure, fragrances and scents, has drawn similar conclusions.<\/p>\nSTILL ENJOYING WHAT YOU CAN\u2019T EAT<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Perfumers are also incorporating spicy components like tabasco and bitter notes of cocoa.<\/p>\n