Your mom's perfume is going viral on TikTok

Heya,

Ready to smell what's cooking in the fragrance world? This week's brewing with tech disruption, unexpected food notes, and Gen Z plot twists. 🔍

💎 Big Moves: Crystal Clear Strategy Swarovski's making moves to bring some sparkle to your vanity. They're teaming up with Coty for a 2026 fragrance comeback that's giving "pop luxury" energy. (Watch this space – we have thoughts about crystal bottles in our future.)

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☕️ 2025 Preview: Snacks, But Make It Perfume Next year's getting tasty with some unexpected notes:

I'm sorry, but if a perfume house tries to sell me a $300 bottle that smells like my morning matcha latte, we need to have a serious talk. Sure, the concept of "elevated" food notes in fragrance isn't new (looking at you, every vanilla perfume ever), but there's something delightfully unhinged about the industry collectively deciding that sesame and rice milk are the next big thing. Though I have to admit – after testing a few early samples, these aren't the straightforward food replicas I feared. They're more like catching a whiff of breakfast at a luxury ryokan, subtle and sophisticated in a way that has me reluctantly reaching for my credit card.

👀 Plot Twist: Gen Z Hearts the '90s The kids are raiding their parents' fragrance stashes:

• Calvin Klein's Eternity is having another eternal moment

• Joop! Homme is jumping back (yes, really)

• TikTok's #perfumetok is making blind buys the new normal

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What's fascinating here isn't just that Gen Z is buying '90s fragrances – it's how they're discovering them. While millennials remember these scents from mall adventures and magazine strips, Gen Z is meeting them through "vintage" TikTok hauls and "what my mom wore" videos. They're treating these fragrances like archived fashion pieces, complete with aesthetic bottle shots and nostalgia-drenched storytelling.

The numbers are backing up the buzz: '90s fragrances are seeing double-digit sales growth, with some vintage bottles selling for more than their modern counterparts. It's part of a larger trend we're seeing across fashion and beauty – the desire for "authentic" retro experiences in an increasingly digital world. As one TikToker put it: "My mom's CK Eternity hits different than anything coming out today. It's like wearing a memory, even if it's not my own."

🤖 Future of Fragrance The industry's getting a high-tech makeover:

• AI is joining the perfumer's table (iRomaScents' robot nose, anyone?)

• Virtual try-ons are becoming a thing (yes, for perfume)

• The market's projected to hit $68.9B by 2025

• Luxury segment growing 6.2% through 2030

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👃 Reddit's Hot Takes This Week The fragrance community has THOUGHTS:

• Holiday scent check: Angels' Share and Naxos winning Christmas Eve, with BR540 making a predictable (but respected) appearance

• The great TikTok trust crisis: "Beast mode for 48 hours" claims are getting major side-eye from the community

• Strawberry cake quest: The hunt for the perfect patisserie scent continues (and no, Pink Sugar isn't cutting it)

• Peak fraghead problems: That moment when you love your new perfume but suddenly worry everyone else thinks you smell like a walking headache

💭 Question of the Week Would you trust TikTok or AI to pick your next signature scent? Hit reply with your hottest take!

Stay fragrant, The Dry Down Team

P.S. Found this newsletter scent-sational? Share it with your fragrance-obsessed friends! They can subscribe here.