What do you think is the largest missing in perfume markets?

Hi everyone,
I’m doing a bit of research on innovation in luxury fragrance and would love to hear your honest opinions – as fragrance lovers, collectors, industry insiders or just curious connoisseurs.

Question: In your experience, what is the biggest thing missing in today’s perfume market?
Think about it from any angle: product, service, experience, technology, sustainability, personalization, education … anything that you feel is under-served or overlooked.

I think what’s really missing in today’s perfume market is true personalization.

Brands talk about “unique scents,” but in the end, you still buy something predefined. I’d love to see fragrances that adapt to the person — their mood, the moment of the day, even the climate.

There’s also a lack of experience and follow-up — something that guides you after the purchase, helps you understand notes, and evolve your own signature scent over time.

In short, perfume still feels too static — it should become more alive, personal, and connected to the wearer.

I think what is missing is diversity. I'm fed up with every brand following the latest trends in their new releases. Right now it is 'gourmand, gourmand, gourmand' an so much vanilla; And anything not gourmand seems to be about 'rose'. (or maybe I'm looking in the wrong directions, but that's how I experience it when checking out articles about new perfumes) 

I also miss the possibility to buy samples in physical stores. I sometimes feel reluctant to ask for samples because it feels so 'greedy'. I would gladly pay for a sample if shops would just sell them and would feel less conscious about asking for a sample if I were to pay for it. 

More discovery sets please. I do not blind buy.

There is currently a gap between indie perfumery and niche perfumery that needs filling. Indie perfumers are not well-trained but they usually very much desire to use high-end materials and make something unique. Niche houses, especially the bigger ones (Roja, Xerjoff, Amouage, etc) are sliding toward the mainstream, with creative direction that seems like it's been designed by committee and focus groups. We need brands that will hire the best perfumers and give them lots of budget and also lots of creative freedom. Amouage is still probably the closest it gets to this. Scents like Opus XIV - Royal Tobacco and Opus XV - King Blue are unique and adventurous enough to appeal to the choosiest enthusiast but are also polished enough to not seem indie.

I'll echo the sentiment that more brands need to provide samples at a reasonable price. To experience a brand, the upfront cost should be negligible (imo, $20-50). If your only discovery set is a collection of 20 fragrances for $150, that's too high. Or a set of 3 10mls for a similar price. I can buy a full bottle of something that I know I like for that price, rather than discovering your brand. There is absolutely no reason not to provide small quantities of juice inside cheap sprayers, especially for brands that do not have any way to sample through a brick-and-mortar store. You're essentially just paying for shipping and the $30 or so dollars that you charge for it is pure profit. Indie brands so often provide no way of sampling, and it's really a middle-finger to their potential customers.

I've been thinking about something lately, don't you ever feel like it's hard to find one perfume that works for every situation? I love collecting fragrances, but sometimes I wish I had just one that could somehow adapt, something fresh for the day, a bit warmer for the evening, or softer for more relaxed moments. I feel like the market mostly pushes us to buy multiple perfumes for different occasions instead of offering something truly versatile.
With all the technology we have today, maybe it's time to rethink the world of fragrance, not just as something we buy, but as something that accompanies us through moments, moods, and experiences.
Perfume could become more personal, more emotional, less of an object, and more of a companion that evolves with us.
Curious to know what you all think, do you also feel this "gap"?

For me personally it is that I live in a city where there are very wealthy people yet there is not a single niche store.  The city I live in is one of the wealthiest in Europe in fact. I can’t say too much without giving away the exact city, but for a place like this to have zero niche store is insane to me. I get bored of seeing the same things at every single store we have. The only time I get the chance to try a few niche brands is when I fly from an airport.  I am sure there are other people with cities that feel the same way too. So yeah expanding stores to more locations so more people have the chance to test and buy different fragrances than the ones you see in every other store would certainly make fragrance shopping more fun and interesting for all.

I also love this idea of a fragrance that adapts throughout the day to fit certain situations and is personalised to each person mentioned by others too. That would be awesome ,but probably very expensive. They would probably need to test your skin chemistry andthen send it to a lab and wait for results to come back, and then ask several questions about your personality etc before they could make the perfect fragrance for every single person. I am sure it would have them lose out on a lot of money too if you had the perfect fragrance that adapts so well and you would never need to buy another fragrance again. But hey if it ever happens I am totally up for it 🤩

Everything should be available in airplane-friendly sizes.

And other brands should do what Snif and Teo Cabanel do: when purchasing a full-size bottle, they include a sample of the fragrance, as well. That way if you don't like the fragrance you can return the unopened full-size bottle for a refund. Snif even goes so far as to delay your payment for 30 days to give you time to decide.

I charge people for offering my expert opinion and consultancy. No freebies!

Sustainable, recyclable, reusable, and refillable packaging.  It would force companies to separate the cost of the juice from the cost of the marketing and packaging (which is most of the cost). 

I agree. Bottles of all sizes should be refillable and it should cost significantly less than buying a new bottle. Some houses do refills, but only on larger sizes. I'd like more size choices, like 30 ml or even 25 ml which are refillable. A smaller bottle makes more sense when you have several fragrances.

I absolutely agree! At least insofar that the quality of the bottle is quite good. Some refillable options aren't as airtight as they should be and result in evaporation. But, I've had some bottles from niche brands evaporate, and they're not even refillable :/