Vanilla has one of the world's most evocative aromas, adopted by different regions and cultures in subtly different ways. It has been a key ingredient in some of the most iconic perfumes ever since we first synthesized vanillin over a century ago.
When it comes to scent, people’s preferences are wonderfully diverse, formed by their own experiences, where they live and the communities they live in. From edible and indulgent to fresh and powdery, hitting the right note with a vanilla scent begins with knowing the nose it’s intended for.
Brazil is the world’s largest fragrance market, with sales rising by almost 70% in the past five years
Germans spent €12.85billion on personal care products in 2012 – a billion more than in 2004
Today the number of new fragrances brought to market each year can be as many as 500; in 1974, there were around 20 new fragrances a year
Sensual, powerful and passionate, Calvin Klein’s Obsession balances citrusy top notes with an oriental heart. The amber base notes optimize relaxed glamour and confidence, qualities which have ensured its continued success over three decades since its launch.
Key facts
Oriental / Green / Animalic
| Launch | 1985 |
| Perfumer | Rob Slatterly |
| Bottle designer | Pierre Dinand |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Bergamot, Mandarin, Green notes and Vanillin
Mid notes
Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Coriander
Base notes
Oakmoss, Amber, Musk and Incense
The fresh, floral top notes of this olfactive archetype and trendsetter are balanced out by base notes of vanilla, creating a feminine scent that is both confident and sensual.
Key facts
Floral / Fruity / Vanilla
| Launch | 1996 |
| Perfumer | Michael Almairac |
| Bottle designer | Peter Schimdit Group |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Green apple and Garden scents
Mid notes
Jasmine and Cinnamon
Base notes
Vetiver and Vanilla
A classic floriental fragrance, Emporio She is an olfactive archetype and a trendsetter. First launched in 1998, this sexy, feminine fragrance is still incredibly popular, and was among the top 30 fragrances in Europe in 2013.
Key facts
Floriental / Powdery / Vanilla
| Launch | 1998 |
| Perfumer | David Apel / Daniela Roche-Andrier |
| Bottle designer | Fabien Baron |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Cardamom and Angelica root
Mid notes
Jasmine
Base notes
Cedarwood, Musk and Vanilla
Sensual, powerful and passionate, Calvin Klein’s Obsession balances citrusy top notes with an oriental heart. The amber base notes optimize relaxed glamour and confidence, qualities which have ensured its continued success over three decades since its launch.
Key facts
Oriental / Green / Animalic
| Launch | 1985 |
| Perfumer | Rob Slatterly |
| Bottle designer | Pierre Dinand |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Bergamot, Mandarin, Green notes and Vanillin
Mid notes
Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Coriander
Base notes
Oakmoss, Amber, Musk and Incense
The fresh, floral top notes of this olfactive archetype and trendsetter are balanced out by base notes of vanilla, creating a feminine scent that is both confident and sensual.
Key facts
Floral / Fruity / Vanilla
| Launch | 1996 |
| Perfumer | Michael Almairac |
| Bottle designer | Peter Schimdit Group |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Green apple and Garden scents
Mid notes
Jasmine and Cinnamon
Base notes
Vetiver and Vanilla
A classic floriental fragrance, Emporio She is an olfactive archetype and a trendsetter. First launched in 1998, this sexy, feminine fragrance is still incredibly popular, and was among the top 30 fragrances in Europe in 2013.
Key facts
Floriental / Powdery / Vanilla
| Launch | 1998 |
| Perfumer | David Apel / Daniela Roche-Andrier |
| Bottle designer | Fabien Baron |
Olfactive pyramid
Top notes
Cardamom and Angelica root
Mid notes
Jasmine
Base notes
Cedarwood, Musk and Vanilla
Knowing what works
The only way to know what it is that delights consumers is to immerse yourself in their world.This is exactly what our marketing and evaluation teams do, every day.
A voyage of discovery
Understanding future trends and consumer preferences is essential to creating fragrance solutions that people love. But creating those solutions also requires inspiration. That’s why we send our perfumers on scent expeditions, to discover new scents and raw materials from around the world.
Madagascar, the global heart of vanilla production, offers boundless inspiration for our perfumers. Our scent expeditions are a chance for our perfumers to experience this wonderful country with all their senses, finding inspiration not only in vanilla, but in the rich and diverse range of raw materials that call the island home.
We were overwhelmed with the number of species on the island, and the hard work that the farmers put into cultivating and harvesting.
Finding a way to combine insight with inspiration is essential to meeting the present and future needs of our customers. But for us, the complexity of consumer preference is just another source of inspiration.
A fragrance family tree
40 years ago, a perfumer at Haarmann & Reimer, one of our predecessor companies, saw a need to categorize all the fine fragrances on the market. There was nothing else like it at the time, and today, as we continue to publish the genealogy of fragrances each year, it’s still unique in the industry.
Prior to 2005, the genealogy was updated every three years. But, with customer preferences changing so quickly, and the number of new fragrances coming to the market each year endlessly increasing, a new approach was needed. “The genealogy hadn’t really developed for several years,” explains Isabelle Vacheret, Head of Worldwide Beauty and Homecare for our Scent & Care division. “But because there were already so many good ideas in it, we decided on evolution instead of a revolution.”
Today, the Symrise genealogy has an increasingly important role in the composition of fine fragrances. It allows you to quickly and easily identify trends, gaps in the market and consumer preferences.
The pace of changing consumer preferences has never been quicker. Add to that the variety of tastes between regions, and you can see why it takes teamwork to stay one step ahead.
When it comes to creating a fragrance consumers will love, balance is everything. Walking the fine line between evoking memories with just one note of a familiar scent, and delighting consumer with something new and inspiring is the task facing all of our perfumers. From fine fragrance to homecare, it’s a challenge our perfumers are embracing, armed with deep understanding of changing consumer preferences.
We work hand in hand with our marketing colleagues and with the evaluators, smelling new products, looking at a customer’s product range and mapping trends and markets.
