BEAUTY

Fragrance Inspiration: How do Designers Do it?

19 September 2018 - 1 minute read

Jamie Mucario

As with any creative endeavor, you never know when inspiration will strike. Especially when creating a fragrance, one unique smell is all it takes to send a designer into a creative frenzy. So, where are designers going for inspiration? To answer this question, we have researched famous fragrance notes and the sentiment each scent is meant to invoke.

Check out our findings below!

Travel

Some of the most provocative fragrances were made with a particular destination in mind. These scents are unique because they are typically intended to help you recall a specific memory. Some fragrances, like those in the Escada line, are great if you want to recognize when you visit a tropical paradise.

On the other hand, a fresh, clean fragrance might cause you to remember the fantastic week you spent hiking in wondrous mountains.

Flowers

Who does not want to smell like a fresh bouquet of flowers? Because flowers have such an appealing scent, they have inspired many fragrances across the globe --looking at you, Marc Jacobs. While the iconic Daisy line is probably one of the first florals on your mind, many others exist. In fact, floral scents comprise an entire fragrance industry subcategory.

Some of the first fragrances were created by rubbing flowers against the skin so that the scent would linger. Between lilies, roses, daisies, orchids, and every other good-smelling flower imaginable, you can understand how these beauties have become a prevalent form of designer inspiration.

Sweets and Fruits

Sometimes found in men’s fragrances, notes of chocolate can produce a sweet, sensual aroma that designers often crave. Many designers have a vision of what they hope their fragrance will achieve. For designers going for a sexy scent, chocolate is sometimes the note of choice. Aside from chocolate, other sweets have been the essential inspiration behind fragrance creation. For example, the fragrance pink sugar has been said to smell exactly like cotton candy; with a name like Pink Sugar, what else would we expect? Sweet treats have long been the inspiration for new scents, and this trend will likely grow.

Similar to sweets, various fruits can be found in multiple fragrances. Often, fruity fragrances mix several fruits together to create a unique smell perfect for spring and summertime.