Fragrances will be adopting a distinctly fruity, nutty and spicy theme as we head to the end of 2015, says IFRA UK, the country's fragrance association.

This coming season, we can expect to be excited by scents of delicious superfoods, sophisticated fruits and heady spices reminiscent of a gourmand’s kitchen and even an enchanted garden. And this all in a bottle of scent.

Members of IFRA UK, the country's fragrance association, share their predictions.

Rachel Thomas from IFRA member Robertet UK says that garden notes such as pear, raspberry and orange blossom, grapefruit and tangerine, rhubarb, lychee and quince will be popular. “Strong spices are noticeable too,” says Rachel. “Saffron, pepper, cardamom and sage are making an appearance in the general olfactive trends for fine fragrances in the run-up to Christmas.”

Thomas’s colleague Heidi Envis adds: “These fruity, gourmand notes are more ‘grown-up’ than before, with fragrances of salt and rum all contributing to a very contemporary feel. Cologne is also making a comeback in the luxury perfumery market, along with chypre accords updated with fruity, woody and ozonic notes.”

Roz Wicks, marketing manager within the Scent & Care division of fragrance house Symrise UK, talks of an “enchanted garden” theme. “We’re seeing powdery notes and soft musks alongside vintage flowers such as violet and iris, which have been given a frosted and sugared spin for winter,” she says, adding that as we
move into summer 2016, winter’s spicy variants will become sweeter and infused with light vanilla flowers.

A darker theme

Selena Thomas, an expert from CPL Aromas, points to the continuing fashion for dark themes for men and women. “We are creating scents using leather, resins, incense, tobacco flower and heady florals,” she says. “For younger women, there are sweet notes such as praline and caramel and unusual fruity, amber, coffee and cocoa trends for men.”

Envis and Rachel Thomas both agree, and also note the predicted popularity of aromatic fougère scents for men, with tangerine, almond, rum, leather and salty notes as well as floral accords.

Blurred lines

The strong differentiation between male and female scents is now disappearing, with prestige unisex fragrances beginning to make an impact. Rachel Thomas explains: “People are confused by the huge number of mainstream launches and are turning more and more to smaller niche perfumers for more unusual fragrance combinations. Women are enjoying woody, spicy, citrusy fragrances, sometimes with touches of leather and earthy orris (iris root), traditionally beloved of men, while men are experimenting with wearing floral and gourmand notes.”

Body talk

In bodycare, the IFRA UK experts highlight a switch to multifunctional products such as shower moisturising creams with strong seasonal trends. And even in the bath or shower, it seems we aren’t leaving the kitchen behind. “Scents are becoming more ‘foody’,” says Rachel Thomas, “with aromatherapy and fantasy ingredients also making an appearance.”

To find out more about IFRA UK, visit www.ifrauk.org