Fragrance sales growth may be cooling, but the category remains beauty’s most active area of consumer conversation.
It was up 18.4% last year on artificial intelligence-powered market research platform Spate’s Popularity Index, which combines data from Google, TikTok and Instagram to measure how popular a trend is across platforms, besting every other category in beauty. Fragrance’s popularity is primarily driven by TikTok and Google, with predicted year-over-year growth for the next 12 months at 31%. By comparison, sales growth in prestige fragrance slowed to 5% in 2025 from 12% in 2024, according to data from market research firm Circana.
For years, industry observers questioned whether digital environments could meaningfully fuel fragrance purchases. Spate market insights analyst Mathilde Riba argues that skepticism is no longer warranted.
“They’re really enabling consumers to buy without even smelling in person, whether it’s consumers going from TikTok onto Google search, looking at where to buy a specific product, a specific brand or maybe it is about consumers buying directly through TikTok with TikTok Shop. This really creates an opportunity for brands to invest in scent education,” she says during a recent Spate webinar, adding, “This will be especially relevant as more and more consumers now have a good idea of what specific notes are referring to and also as they’re building bigger and bigger scent wardrobes.”
Ahead, we dive into the specific trends, notes, scents and brands that Spate identifies as owning the fragrance conversation.
TRENDS
The fragrance trends propelling the largest gains in overall popularity include cologne, which recorded an 18.9 million jump on the platform’s Popularity Index, rising 12.7% year over year. Arabian perfume followed, alongside enduring interest in gourmand fragrances and vanilla perfume.
By percentage growth, however, emerging formats are expanding fastest. Hair perfume and luxury perfume posted the strongest year-over-year increases, climbing 114.7% and 123.7%, respectively.
Looking more broadly at momentum across scent profiles, masculine fragrance, white floral perfume and woody perfume registered some of the highest percentage growth rates, while marshmallow perfume and solid perfume ranked among the strongest performers by overall Popularity Index volume.
Vanilla Perfume
Vanilla perfume has grown steadily across platforms, with TikTok propelling the majority of its momentum, accounting for 68.9% of the scent’s total popularity share. Platform behavior varies, however. Riba spotlights Google as the primary destination for consumers searching for specific scent notes associated with vanilla fragrances, including bourbon, coconut and cinnamon. Brands such as Kayali, Victoria’s Secret and Ariana Grande Fragrance are leading search volume with gourmand-leaning scent profiles.
In an increasingly crowded fragrance landscape, Riba asserts vanilla presents a clear opportunity for differentiation. “It’s really going to be about combinations of scents and the ways brands can really expand the category,” she says. She adds, “It’s more than just a category or note, it’s almost a personality.”
On TikTok, engagement centers around identity-driven aesthetics, with hashtags such as #vanillagirl and #vanillagirlaesthetic shaping the conversation. Instagram, meanwhile, functions more as a discovery and validation platform, where hashtags like #perfumereview and #nicheperfumes signal consumers seeking recommendations and peer feedback. Dubai-based fragrance brand Lattafa frequently appears alongside the trend, emerging as a prominent brand association across both TikTok and Instagram.
Marshmallow Perfume
The rise of both vanilla and marshmallow scents signals continued strength for gourmand fragrances across the fragrance category. Marshmallow perfume’s popularity surged 242.1% year over year. On Google, consumers are searching for increasingly specific interpretations of the note, including floral marshmallow, toasted marshmallow and pumpkin latte-inspired variations.
Dupe brand Dossier leads search volume tied to marshmallow fragrances, and Spate indicates white space remains for additional brands to enter the segment.
On TikTok, Kayali, Paris Corner and Al Rehab are key players. Riba highlights Al Rehab’s viral Choco Musk fragrance, which has since been expanded to include a marshmallow iteration. She says, “Super interesting to see brands acting really fast, especially on TikTok when they have momentum, and really expanding a line that has been doing really well into something that is really picking up.”
Bridal Perfume
Bridal perfume is gaining traction particularly on Google, which accounts for 67.1% of the trend’s popularity share and has recorded 209.2% year-over-year growth. Consumers are actively searching for the best bridal perfumes, and Jo Malone currently reigns in brand-related search queries tied to the trend. The data suggests there’s a significant opportunity for brands to position existing fragrances as wedding-appropriate or introduce dedicated bridal scent collections.
Riba says, “Consumers now are starting to associate bridal perfume as a trend with Jo Malone because they know the brand has a specific section that will help you choose a fragrance that really will resonate with the context of a wedding.” She elaborates, “Whether or not they’re getting married soon, they’re interested in bridal perfume and what that might smell like.”
On TikTok, consumers are turning to creators for bridal fragrance recommendations, often tailoring content around different wedding aesthetics, bride identities or personal wedding stories. Parfums de Marly and Amouage have emerged among the most prominent brand hashtags associated with bridal perfume on the platform.
NOTES
The ingredients and scent notes seeing the largest increases in popularity include several familiar gourmand standouts such as pistachio, caramel and honey. Fresher, fruit-forward notes including watermelon, strawberry and banana are also gaining traction, and earthier profiles such as matcha and oud continue to attract attention.
Top notes by year-over-year popularity growth include Tahitian vanilla, clary sage, yuzu and guava. Pistachio and caramel again stand out on Spate’s Popularity Index, registering 852.5% and 764.7% growth, respectively.
Matcha
Matcha picked up steam throughout 2025 and shows no sign of slowing down. Le Labo is capturing growing matcha-connected interest in Google search, and consumers are gravitating toward matcha fragrance options ranging from gourmand interpretations to fresh, earthy profiles across social platforms. Popular TikTok hashtags include #matchalover and #matchatok, which Riba compares to the #vanillagirlaesthetic trend.
She says, “It’s about a community of people who love matcha and are now turning to fragrance to really expand this interest.”
Oud
Oud is a note that has drawn sustained interest in recent years. Riba says it has sparked a discussion on TikTok around “whether or not oud is the right ingredient for you based on what you like because it can be very strong.” She explains that this fascination creates an opportunity for brands to provide education around the note. Top brands appearing in search queries related to it include Dossier, Tom Ford and Gucci.
Guava
On the fruitier end, guava has notched 1,200% year-over-year growth. Top search queries tied to it include guava sorbet perfume. Brands leading the conversation are Pacifica and Korres. Guava product recommendations are often paired with suggested layering combinations, a practice Spate has seen consumers experimenting with more.
Riba says, “Consumers are really layering scents across formats, from in the shower, even to after they left the home with mini formats and solid formats they can put in their bags and take around with them, and so brands here can really support this with a clear and intentional layering system.”
BRANDS
The fragrance brands adding the most overall popularity, measured by absolute gains on Spate’s Popularity Index, include Lattafa, YSL Beauty and Brazilian brand Sttes. Another brand on the list, Oakcha, stands out for its rapid acceleration, posting 116.6% year-over-year growth. By percentage growth, Spate identifies Viking Revolution, Daise Beauty, Evereden and Arabiyat Prestige as the fastest-rising brands.
Oakcha
Oakcha is showing consistent growth across platforms, with 46.5% year-over-year growth. The brand’s momentum is predominantly powered by TikTok, which accounts for 76.8% of its popularity share. On Google, consumers are searching for Oakcha using terms like reviews and discount codes, indicating possible initial discovery on TikTok. They’re also searching for the brand versus competitors and looking into where it’s for sale.
Oakcha is frequently mentioned alongside #fragrancedupe and #perfumedupe hashtags, with creators sharing which scents serve as dupes for specific fragrances. Riba explains that Oakcha initially went viral for replicating famous legacy fragrances and is now moving into offering its own scents. She advises that brands operating in the dupe space should lead with transparency “and really show here the inspiration is coming from.”
Arabiyat Prestige
Arabiyat Prestige saw a spike in Google search interest in April for its Nyla and Marwa fragrances. While Google still accounts for the majority of its popularity share, TikTok is escalating. The brand appears alongside hashtags such as #nicheperfume, #smellgood and #luxuryperfume on TikTok, even as its scents range from $30 to $40.
Riba says, “They’re a very good example of a brand that was really able to deliver something that smelled expensive and also that felt a little bit more niche while still being very accessible.”
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