If you’ve scrolled through your TikTok recently, there’s a high chance you’ve come across #perfumetok, the new Gen-Z-driven wave of content that’s elevating niche scents to cult followings overnight.
Fragrance has always been central to identity formation and emotional expression. And yet now, with more accessibility and exposure through social media than ever, it seems that Gen-Z is ditching traditional department store methods in favor of content featuring their favorite creators, whose videos aim to capture more than just the base notes of a particular scent.
Everyone is obsessed with the feeling their signature scent evokes–– which is pretty on-brand for the emotionally charged generation. Similarly, Givaudan is disrupting the traditional space, encouraging wearers to take their discovery to the next level by engaging more meaningfully with fragrance.
With its creative vision “What is Love?,” the international perfume house behind iconic scents like Prada Paradoxe and Thierry Mugler Angel offers an immersive experience that explores Gen Z’s evolving rules of love and seduction through scent.
"By looking beyond conventional perfumery standards, Givaudan demonstrates its ability to connect with this daring and free-spirited generation in order to shape the future of fragrance design,” says Matthieu Befve, Givaudan Head of Fine Fragrance for North America.
“The importance attributed to vulnerability and authentic feelings offers an outstanding inspiration for our perfumers, who, by empathizing with this “rule-breaking” philosophy and ungendered approach, have shaken up all olfactive prejudices around attraction and love in perfumery,” adds Arnaud Guggenbuhl, Givaudan’s Fine Fragrance Head of Global Marketing Insight and Image.
Through cozy bedrooms and phone screens, “What is Love?” captures the narratives relevant to this new generation in a space that responds to their authentic desire for unfiltered, unstaged, and inclusive connection.
To further explore this phenomenon of love, Highsnobiety teamed up with the industry leader to host an immersive event that both challenged and excited the senses. Kicking off the innovative experience in the heart of New York City, guests were invited to travel through an experiential playground of rooms in order to discover more imaginative and intimate ways of engaging with fragrance.
Conversation was energetic and curious as attendees flowed freely from room to room, chatting about their new scent discoveries. Meanwhile, sounds from Kazi - featuring Outkast’s “Roses” and Prince’s “Kiss-” made a nod to the generation in question’s infatuation with all things Y2K and served as the perfect backdrop for the nostalgia-inspired experience.
In the Drop of Tears room, transparency, intensity, and imperfection guided the new rules of love, as the fragrance that flowed from delicate glass displays mimicked droplets of tears. Among the selection of scents included “Love Hurts,” which captures the heartbreak of absence through notes of phantom wood, and “Happy Cry,” whose mood-altering violet is reminiscent of public displays of vulnerability that have flooded social media through crying selfies and breakup videos.
Meanwhile, the bedroom sanctuary provided the perfect setting for unfiltered sensory experiences, proving to be a favorite among attendees. From its poster-lined walls to the array of teenage essentials - scrunchie, lip smacker chapstick, grape-flavored Airhead– displayed on the bedside table, the space captured an unmistakable sentimentality for the past.
Based on actual bedrooms of Gen Z teenagers, the room invited guests to engage with unique scents left lingering on hoodies, a clever reference to the infamous sweatshirt swipe. One hoodie notably featured sleeves scented with “Yummy AF,” a coffee-fueled fragrance inspired by what seems to be Gen-Z’s favorite pastime, congregating in their local Starbucks.
With unique scents and equally unique experiences lingering on the minds of attendees at the night’s end, the evening was certainly one to be remembered. Capturing the idea that love is a shareable quest with collective goals, Givaudan’s exclusive experience will continue its search for authenticity in Paris, Dubai, and more, enlisting the help of Gen Z along the way to break the mold of traditional perfumery.
