NEWS RELEASE: How Scent is Becoming the Ultimate Emotional Driver
London, UK – We all know fragrance can trigger memories and spark attraction, but new research is revealing just how powerful scent really is. It’s not just a finishing touch—it’s shaping emotions, perceptions, and the way we connect with products in ways we never imagined. In the latest episode of Impact Makers, the product-obsessed marketing podcast, fragrance commentators from L’Oréal, award-winning fragrance expert Thomas Dunckley, and Florence Bagneris of Osmo.ai explore the evolving role of fragrance, showing how it's shifting from a luxury extra to a powerful tool for emotional connection.
L’Oréal’s latest research suggests scent has a stronger influence on emotions surpassing appearance and texture. “So our key question here with this research was to understand how these sensory combinations impact the performance and emotional connection of a product,” says Nina Poccia, Senior Scientist at L’Oréal. “We found that fragrance was the most impactful. Visually, looking at the colors, consumers’ expectations were set, but when they smelled the product, it had the greatest influence on what they were feeling, and even drove liking of the product and overall perception.”
Adding to the conversation, fragrance expert and blogger Thomas Dunckley points out that scent is no longer just about perfumes— it's becoming more prominent in people's lives in new and unexpected ways. “People are looking for olfactory experiences that go beyond the norm. We’re seeing much more focus on scent in unexpected places, from laundry detergents to deodorants. Brands like Tallow + Ash are putting fragrance front and center in products like high-end detergents, where scent is the key selling point.” This shift is changing how brands approach sensory engagement, making fragrance a bigger player in product experience.
But the future of fragrance isn’t just about what’s in the bottle—it’s about pushing boundaries with tech-driven scent experiences according to Google brain spin-off company, Osmo.ai. “The mission of Osmo is equally exciting and ambitious. It is to give computers the sense of smell, meaning computers would be able to digitally record a scent, analyze it and reproduce it without any human intervention,” explains Florence Bagneris, VP of Fragrance Sales at Osmo.ai. “This allows us to project into a world where we can save the scents we love, teleport them so someone can experience them remotely, or store them so we can enjoy them again and again.”
Looking ahead, fragrance is set to become a core part of how brands create immersive experiences, extending beyond beauty into wellness, tech, and even digital spaces. Impact Makers host Andrew Wardlaw sees scent as the next frontier in brand storytelling. “Fragrance has always been about more than just smelling good—it’s a gateway to emotion. I have a strong belief that the brands that understand this can tap into deeper, more nuanced emotional connections. With players like Osmo closing the gap between conceptual fragrance experiences and reality, we’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible.”
To listen to the full episode and explore the future of fragrance, tune in to the Impact Makers Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major platforms.