From ancient rituals using scent to communicate with the divine, the perfume industry today is skillfully blending science and spirituality to tell a more relevant story.

For millennia, fragrance has been intertwined with human spiritual life. Priests, monks, and shamans used to burn wood, bark, and resin not to "create a mood," but to transcend everyday life and enter a space considered sacred. Fragrance expert Karen Gilbert explains that in ancient civilizations, ritual was a way for humans to communicate with the spiritual world, and incense and essential oils were tools to anchor this shifted state of consciousness. In other words, to reach a higher level, one must first leave the earth through&hellip; fragrance.
Ingredients like frankincense, palo santo, and sage are therefore still placed alongside energy cleansing rituals to this day. Interestingly, this story isn't entirely unfounded. Some studies suggest that the smoke from burning frankincense can create compounds that affect the mind, helping to calm anxiety and alter the perception of time. Other scents have also been shown to have the ability to make the world around us "slow down" or "speed up" in a personal perception. As Gilbert once said, the sense of smell is a shortcut to emotions, bypassing the rational layer of thought, and is therefore ideal for creating behavioural change.
From 2025 onwards, perfume brands have recognised the commercial potential of these concepts. As consumers grew tired of hearing only about top, middle, and base notes, the narrative was upgraded to "aura." Kate Moss's Cosmoss Sacred Mist is described as capable of "purifying the aura" and improving mood, with the involvement of a homoeopathic practitioner. Meanwhile, Bella Hadid's &Ocirc;rebella brand calls its fragrances "aura-enhancing," promising to both nurture emotions and polish personal energy with therapeutic essential oil blends and high-end notes.
The fragrances in Charlotte Tilbury's Fragrances of Emotions collection are advertised as containing emotion-enhancing molecules to regulate the user's mood. The Magic Energy scent, in particular, features a spiritual palo santo accord with ancient frankincense notes, while the symbols on the packaging represent the seven chakras. Meanwhile, Vyrao explores the concept of energy amplification, using crystals and alternative medicine methods to influence emotions and energy through scent.
These products go beyond the concept of functional perfumes, which are typically focused on improving mood. They use marketing language borrowed from astrology, crystal healing, energy balancing, and other alternative belief systems to transform fragrance into a metaphysical promise. While currently a niche and controversial segment, this model has gained considerable recognition since Vyrao received investment from L Catterton, a fund backed by LVMH.
The question is whether your aura is truly enhanced, or simply the comforting feeling of being reassured by a well-told story.

A timely move or a new sales story?

According to industry observers, the current social context plays a key role in driving this trend. As news of global conflict dominates the media, consumers seek forms of emotional escape and ways to regain a sense of mental control. Concepts such as alternative medicine, energy healing, and aromatherapy consistently appear in popular search terms.
International Flavours &amp; Fragrances , one of the world's leading suppliers of fragrance ingredients, has also officially entered this space through its Science of Well Being program. According to C&eacute;line Manetta, the group's senior consumer research manager, the role of perfume has shifted from a superficial social accessory to a tool linked to deeper emotional and spiritual expectations. Consumers no longer just want to smell good; they want to feel alert, relaxed, sleep better, confident, and empowered in their daily lives.
One brand considered to be ahead of this trend is Initio Parfums Priv&eacute;s , launched in 2015 with a visual and olfactory system designed to evoke a sense of mystery and transcendence. Year-end reports show Initio achieved record sales of $129 million in fiscal year 2024.

The spiritual aspect is vague and carries the risk of backfiring.

While younger generations, especially Gen Z, appear open to products promising spiritual enlightenment, the risk of alienating sceptical groups remains. YouTuber Persolaise Perfumes, in his review of Vyrao and Bibbi, commented that the need to impose an overarching concept is being pushed too far, producing what he considers ridiculous results. Bibbi's founder once claimed that during meditation, she could transport her consciousness to another dimension.
Beckielou Brown, co-founder of the Altra brand, admits she used to put crystals in every perfume bottle when she first started. However, when building the brand officially, she decided not to make healing concepts the core identity, because, in her opinion, no one has the right to impose how others should perceive a scent. Fragrance is a personal experience, and each person can perceive it in a completely different way.
This view is also shared by Kira Lillie, founder of Incorp. While Incorp's fragrances are inspired by healing practices she grew up with, they are not designed to evoke specific emotions. Nevertheless, proponents argue that exploiting spiritual elements in perfumery is as harmless as publishing horoscopes in magazines.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always felt very comfortable with the occult world, though not everyone does&hellip; at least not until now,&rdquo; says founder Yasmin Sewell. &ldquo;Intuition and spirituality are gradually becoming less of a &lsquo;superstition&rsquo; as science begins to confirm things that many of us have always believed to be true.&rdquo; Vyrao&rsquo;s three most recent &ldquo;neuroscents&rdquo; &ndash; The Sixth , Sun Rae , and Mamajuju &ndash; were developed in collaboration with International Flavours &amp; Fragrances, Inc., based on decades of research into the impact of scents on emotions and mental health. The same perfumers and scientists at IFF collaborated with Tilbury to create fragrances believed to improve mood.
&ldquo;The Science of Wellness program tested human responses to natural ingredients using brain imaging technology, from feelings of happiness and mindfulness to energy levels,&rdquo; explains Meabh McCurtin, IFF&rsquo;s Fine Fragrance expert. McCurtin is the woman behind Vyrao&rsquo;s The Sixth &ndash; a fresh apple, basil, and mint scent &ldquo;diffused with sacred herbs&rdquo; &ndash; and in the creative process, she worked not only with Sewell but also with&hellip; Sewell&rsquo;s psychic.
&ldquo;We worked with my psychic, who has a special ability to sense energy and transform it into tangible forms,&rdquo; Sewell said. &ldquo;The goal was to create an energy tool that connects with the sixth sense and intuition. Since childhood, I&rsquo;ve always seen and felt things that others might miss. Working with IFF is like blending those two worlds, using science to refine the magic. It&rsquo;s not just about creating a pleasant scent, it&rsquo;s about creating a moment, a transformation.&rdquo;
If our ancestors used incense and frankincense to communicate with the divine, today, people turn to mood-altering scents not for prayer, but to turn inward, amplify emotions, and fine-tune their mental state. Functional aromatherapy became a shared concern for Moods founders Daniel Smith and Gregory Allen as they sought to treat workplace burnout. Pursuing "olfactory enlightenment" through biohacking, they commissioned the largest clinical study ever conducted, focusing on scents. The results showed their scent blends offered measurable benefits: reduced stress, improved concentration, and enhanced memory.
Hustle , Charisma , Chill , Genius &hellip; Moods&rsquo; oils and sprays reveal their purpose right from their names, positioning aromatherapy as a functional tool, rather than telling complex scent stories. But did the two founders see a connection between olfactory neuroscience and the metaphysical world? &ldquo;When your mood changes, your aura and what you&rsquo;re energetically attracted to also change,&rdquo; Allen enthusiastically replies. &ldquo;And we&rsquo;ve just proven that clinically!&rdquo;
So why has aromatherapy suddenly become a symbol of refined, sacred elegance, rather than just a decorative item in a crystal shop? The idea that you can blend specific molecules to shift your mental state is both powerful and deeply personal. People are craving rituals that help them reconnect with themselves. Scents are quick, emotionally charged, and tactile.

Science Meets Spirituality in Modern Perfumery

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