The Hottest Scents at Beautyworld 2024

Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

Did you know? The world’s largest private perfume bottle collection — 5,410 unique bottles — belongs to Anna Leventeri of Greece, per Guinness World Records.

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Fall fragrances, Mexico Boom, and Rare Bottles
2. Scent Picks: Beautyworld Middle East Finalists
3. Scent MythBusters: All the time, perfumers get access to new ingredients
4. Quiz: A soapy citrus?
5. Material Spotlight: Neroli

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

#FALLFRAGRANCES: TikTok’s Fall 2024 trends lean indulgent — vanilla and caramel gourmands up 141%, gender-neutral scents up 202%, “perfume aesthetics” up 1000%, with oud anchoring the top five.

#MEXICOBOOM: Luxury brands are finding fertile ground in Mexico City — Le Labo, Kilian and local innovators thrive on rich biodiversity and a deep-rooted love of scent, despite high customs fees.

#RAREBOTTLES: Sotheby’s Paris presents over 100 rare 18th-century porcelain perfume bottles from Meissen, Capodimonte, Chelsea and more.

Scent Picks: Beautyworld Middle East 2024 🇦🇪

A selection of nominees for Niche Fragrance of the Year:

Gardenia — CZAR 🇰🇼. By Nathalie Feisthauer: a crisp green opening into creamy gardenia, jasmine sambac and lily of the valley, with cedar and ambrette.

Magic Mushrooms — BOHOBOCO 🇵🇱. A mossy, earthy base layered with soft floral sweetness — a grounded, “magical” forest aroma.

Smoky Soul — Olfactive Studio 🇫🇷. Intense incense and resinous notes softened by delicate florals — a sophisticated warmth.

Popular Fragrance of the Year nominees included Club De Nuit Précieux I (Sterling), Noir Parfum (Al Majed Oud) and Song of Oud (Ajmal).

Scent MythBusters 🎭️

“All the time, perfumers get access to new ingredients.”
Myth of the week

TL;DR

Perfumers aren’t discovering new natural ingredients every year. Truly new natural materials are rare; innovation often comes from lab-made molecules, including captive molecules exclusive to certain houses. Occasional new naturals (mugwort, Australian sandalwood CO₂, nopal cactus) are the exceptions.

The synthetic frontier

Recent synthetic highlights: Akigalawood (Givaudan, 2014), Clearwood (Firmenich, 2014) and Edenolide (IFF, 2018). Captive molecules like Firmenich’s Paradisone give perfumers scent profiles competitors can’t replicate.

Why new naturals are rare

Environmental concerns, regulatory hurdles (safety testing for allergens) and economic factors (scalability, uncertain demand) all limit new naturals. When “new” naturals emerge, they often result from advanced extraction (fractional distillation, CO₂) applied to existing plants.

Material Spotlight: Neroli 🍊

Neroli is the essential oil from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree (Citrus aurantium var. amara). Fresh, floral and slightly sweet with citrusy undertones, both uplifting and calming. Named after Anne Marie Orsini, Princess of Nerola. Produced mainly in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Italy and France; ~0.8–1 kg of oil from 1,000 kg of blossoms. Iconic: Farina Eau de Cologne, Van Cleef & Arpels Neroli Amara, Diptyque L’Eau de Neroli, Guerlain Néroli Outrenoir.