Fragrance sales were up 45% in the first quarter of 2021 versus the year prior, according to data from market research firm NPD Group. Of course, the first quarter of last year included the onset of the pandemic, when fear and uncertainty may have started to affect consumer behavior, so it's worth comparing it to the same period in 2019 — when fragrance sales were down 27% from where they are now.
— Read more in Fragrances became an affordable luxury during the pandemic, leading to the biggest boom in sales in years: 'I have never, ever seen anything like this' at Business Insider.
Given that lost of smell was a key symptom with COVID-19, I am not surprised by this. The ultimate flex by the healthy is the ability to discern scent now.
With people staying home during the pandemic, they can wear fragrance without offending co-workers.
Agree!
So interesting. I have been the opposite. After years of collecting fragrances and wearing something every day, sometimes even changing to a different scent in the afternoon, evening, and bedtime,…I went full stop during the sh*tshow that was 2020. Attaching a scent to such a depressing time in my life (and knowing that fragrance could bring back memories of so much uncertainty, frustration, and anxiety) was too much for me. I’ve just started dabbling again in the past few weeks but don’t see a full bottle purchase in my future for awhile.
What would Donatella say?