Fragrance mists: When lightness and accessibility conquer selective perfumery

On TikTok, the hashtag #bodymist has racked up over a billion views. This figure underlines the growing popularity of fragrance mists, which are particularly appealing to Gen Z’s seasoned and versatile young consumers. At the crossroads of perfume and skincare, these colorful, accessible bottles are renewing the codes of classic perfumery. Sprayed on the body or hair, or layered with other scents, they embody a new art of perfuming.

A phenomenon born in the 2000s

Although the trend is now enjoying a second wind, it’s not a new phenomenon. Back in the 2000s, mists from the American lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret were already all the rage. Their sweet, fruity, or floral scents were often the gateway to fragrance for a generation of young American consumers and beyond, long before the advent of social networking.

Another iconic brand of the 1990s/2000s, the American Calvin Klein, creator of the famous CK One, one of the first gender-neutral fragrances, intends to capitalize on this revival. On July 1, the brand launched a collection of four body mists: Cotton Musk, Nude Vanilla, Sheer Peach, and Silky Coconut. Priced at 28 euros per 236 ml, the products are formulated with glycerine to moisturize the skin, and the scents were created by perfumers from Mane, Givaudan, and DSM-Firmenich.

For the Coty Group, which holds the perfume license for Calvin Klein, this launch is therefore strategic. At a press presentation on May 20, Laurence Lienhard, Coty’s director of prospective and research, pointed out that almost 40% of young consumers worldwide practice “layering,” i.e., the art of layering several fragrances to create their own trail. A perfect playground for mists.

Sol de Janeiro, the big winner in the mist department

On the French selective market, sales of fragrance mists are exploding. According to Circana figures, they now represent the most dynamic perfume segment. They are worth 37.6 million euros, with 1.7 million units sold over a rolling year to the end of March 2025, representing 106% year-on-year growth. In two years, sales have quadrupled.

American cosmetics brand Sol de Janeiro, owned by the L’Occitane group, is the leader in terms of volume and value. Its Brazilian Crush Cheirosa mist (28 euros per 100 ml) and its gourmet variations, such as vanilla, pistachio, and salted caramel, are becoming benchmarks not only at retailers like Sephora, but also on social networks, where videos reviewing the brand’s various references are multiplying.

Faced with this success, all brands are getting in on the act. In June, Coty launched a collection of mists for its Adidas brand. French affordable perfume brand Adopt has also just launched its first body mists, a collection of nine references selling for 14.95 euros per 200 ml.

From mass market to luxury, all brands are surfing the trend

Premium and niche brands also want to ride this olfactory wave. Thus, after launching into fragrance in 2017, American beauty brand Glossier, which is currently rolling out in France via Sephora stores, has just unveiled its Body Spritz, two mists for body and hair, designed to be layered (42 euros per 100 ml).

The same goes for Florence by Mills, the beauty brand of actress Millie Bobby Brown, which, after a first foray into classic perfumery in 2023 with Wild Me, has launched four scented mists (15.50 euros per 100 ml) since March.

On the luxury side, Valentino is releasing a mist version of its Born in Roma Donna fragrance this summer. This product, enriched with argan oil, retails for 49 euros per 90 ml, compared with 87.50 euros per 50 ml for the classic fragrance.

What makes these products so successful is, first and foremost, their affordability. While the price of some exceptional perfumes flirts with the 300-euro mark, the price of mists ranges from 20 to 40 euros for a generous format, often in excess of 100 ml.

On the other hand, luxury perfume houses tend to offer mists in more classic formats, with more modest price differentials between perfumes and mists. Dior, for example, offers some of its La Collection Privée Christian Dior fragrances as hair mists. A 40-ml product costs 102 euros, compared with 175 euros for the 50-ml perfume.

Low prices, light formulas: the formula for success

Lighter formulas, with lower alcohol concentrations (between 1% and 3%), also appeal to consumers, who collect and layer them. What’s more, these lighter fragrances often have virtues other than fragrance, such as moisturizing.

“The craze is driven by the younger generation, with a strong influence from social networks, affordability, a new fragrance gesture, and a focus on well-being mixed with a touch of nostalgia,” summarized Mathilde Lion, expert at Circana.

Perfumed mist, once perceived as a fancy perfume, is now a mainstream phenomenon. In the bathroom of young consumers, it is no longer a simple alternative to perfume. For once, two segments at opposite ends of the spectrum are driving the market. On the one hand, there are mists, affordable and fun products, and on the other, exceptional perfumes driven by innovation and creation, where prices are skyrocketing.