During its panel session — "Fragrance Stewardship in a Digital Age” — at the World Perfumery Congress in Miami, Florida, Fragrance Creators President and CEO, Farah K. Ahmed, announced the association’s bold leap into the future: Fragrance Creators has become the first trade association to join the Metaverse.

Farah K. Ahmed, President and CEO of Fragrance Creators

Farah K. Ahmed, President and CEO of Fragrance Creators

We are a forward-thinking and doing association,” said Ahmed. “We know it is important to address the challenges and opportunities of today while also securing a stake in shaping our future. By becoming a first entry trade association to join the Metaverse, Fragrance Creators is well positioned to shape policy in the virtual world and to influence on new frontiers. I am excited to engage in this new platform and discover novel, digital ways to advance industry stewardship in aspects we have yet to imagine.

The trade association representing the majority of fragrance manufacturing in North America also announced new research, sponsored by the association, that explores why humans have consistently relied on scents and what makes fragrance an essential part of household products.

Published earlier this year in Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, this study was formally introduced to the public at the World Perfumery Congress during a panel titled “Benefits of Fragrance in Daily Life. Using a three-factor benefits framework, this research aims to explain the attraction to scent in household products. The novel framework focuses on functional benefits (malodor mitigation, base odor coverage, freshening), in-use experience benefits (cleanliness, efficacy, pleasure), and emotional benefits (increase in confidence, mood, and nostalgia).

Also during their panel session, speakers Farah K. Ahmed, Cynthia Reichard, Co-Chair of Fragrance Creators’ Board of Directors and Executive Vice President at Arylessence, Inc., and Sumit Bhasin, Fragrance Creators Board Member and Senior Vice President, Innovation, Product Development, Corporate Research and Development at The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., emphasized the importance of value chain collaboration and supplier diversity, and how digital can continue to enhance collaboration and meaningful transparency. The speakers reinforced the association’s commitment to advancing marketplace policies that allow all responsible businesses opportunity to create, innovate, and thrive while also delivering good for people and the planet.

The association also used the World Perfumery Congress as an opportunity to survey perfumers from around the world, asking attendees to predict which scent will trend next in home care and in fine fragrance. Of the over 275 attendees surveyed, the results were: Sandalwood for Home Fragrance and White Musk for Fine Fragrance [1].