Say Hello to Hygge

Consumers in the US continue to embrace hygge. In seeking to create a feeling of warmth, connection, and well-being in their homes and lives inspired by this Danish-born trend, they are cozying up to home scents more than ever before. Over the last year, more consumers have reported using home scents to relax, feel cozy, and uplift their spirits, according to Scentiments, a suite of consumer insights on the US fragrance industry from The NPD Group.  

Nearly 80 percent of US consumers scent their homes. Among these users, 50 percent reported that using home scent made them feel ‘relaxed’ in 2017, an increase of two percentage points compared to 2016; 35 percent felt more ‘cozy,’ a three percentage point increase; and 30 percent reported using these products to ‘uplift their spirits,’ a growth of three percentage points over the prior year. This was also accompanied by an increase in consumers wanting their home to smell like things such as food/beverages (cookies, vanilla, etc.) and woody scents, which evoke a cozy atmosphere.

In 2017, several characteristics have grown in importance when consumers are making purchase decisions, including the style or look of the product and the color, speaking to the need for home scent products to fit in with, or enhance, their home décor. More than half reported that they use the same scent in all or most of the rooms in their house, and consumers are less likely than in 2016 to choose a new scent when replenishing, suggesting consumers gravitate toward a favorite and remain loyal to it.     

Numbers also show that home scent sales are growing, and faster than any other segment of the fragrance market. Based on NPD’s point-of-sale data, sales of prestige home scent products grew to $80.4 million in 2017, a 59 percent increase over 2016. The three largest segments of the market are candles (+56 percent), diffusers (+25 percent), and home ancillary gift sets (+165 percent).

“Consumers are forging stronger emotional ties to their homes and basking in simple pleasures, whether it is the warmth of a candle or the comfort of a cozy blanket. In capturing this hygge, consumers are approaching and experiencing scent in new ways, as we see by the fact that growth of home scents is outpacing the rest of the fragrance category,” said Larissa Jensen, executive director and beauty industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Capitalizing on the successes of this market, by creating more synergies between scented products worn on and beyond the body, presents a ripe sales opportunity for the fragrance category to bring the experience full circle.”