Fragrances in Sweden

PRE-COVID-19 PERFORMANCE

Swedes resist strong scents

Swedish consumers are not fond of strong, overly feminine or overly masculine fragrances, providing an excellent base for unisex products to expand. Unisex products also tie in to existing political and egalitarian narratives, which are relatively well accepted among ordinary Swedish consumers, catering to both those who are sensitive to progressive trends and to more practically focused consumers who only want to simplify their purchasing of fragrances without having to bother with gendered scent.

Premium fragrances drive growth whereas mass product development stagnates

Demand for premium fragrances continues to be the driving force behind category growth. Mass fragrances are generally perceived to be of inferior quality, offering overly strong or unappealing fragrance styles.

E-commerce shift continues

Category saturation in fragrances is accelerating a shift towards e-commerce. The sales channel is rapidly capturing a greater value share in fragrances, pushed by smaller niche brands attempting to communicate with larger consumer groups regardless of their physical store presence.

2020 AND BEYOND

COVID-19 impact

In 2020, sales of fragrances are now expected to decline by 8% in 2020, in light of the impact of COVID-19. This is a drastic revision of the 3% rise forecast for 2020 during research conducted at the end of 2019 before the spread of COVID-19.

Affected products within fragrances

In 2020, selective retail store closures, especially beauty specialist retailers, social distancing measures and the need to save money amid the economic shock have seen consumers trading down to alternative products with lower prices such as premium deodorants. Mass fragrance sets/kits is set to post the worst performance in the year, with Swedes seeing little need at present for single packs, much less packs with multiple fragrances.

Recovery and opportunities

Limited social occasions, travel restrictions and store closures may see fragrances become the worst hit beauty and personal care category of this pandemic, with Q1 sales heavily impacted. The lack of socialising in bars, clubs and cafés combined with many people not going to work or working from home instead has seen demand for fragrances drop massively.

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