The scent of recall: How brands can choose product fragrances consumers never forget
What’s one fragrance that generations can instantly connect with a consumer favorite product? For many Indians, it’s the unmistakable creamy, woody aroma of Mysore Sandal Soap.
It is remarkable that the product-defining fragrance identity was strategically built when sandalwood exports from the Kingdom of Mysore were disrupted during World War I. The state saw an opportunity to create value from its abundant sandalwood reserves after King Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV was given a pack of sandalwood soaps. By crafting the world’s first soap made with 100% pure sandalwood oil — a note already deeply associated with warmth, luxury, and Indian tradition — the brand created a sensory identity that struck a chord.
More than a century later, that distinct sandalwood fragrance remains inseparable from the product and the brand itself. For brands today, choosing the right fragrance notes is about identifying scents that align with the product’s purpose, consumer preferences, and the experience the brand wants to create.
Here’s a few things brands should keep in mind while choosing fragrance notes for their products:
- Start with the product’s purpose: The first step is understanding what the product is meant to communicate. Citrus, aqua, and green notes often signal freshness, making them ideal for hygiene-focused categories. Florals such as rose and lily are commonly associated with softness and self-care, while woody and musky notes create warmth and sophistication. The key is ensuring that the fragrance complements the product’s function rather than competing with it.
- Understand the emotional experience you want to create: Consumers increasingly connect fragrance with emotion, memory, and mood. A scent can make a product feel calming, indulgent, nostalgic, or energising. Before selecting fragrance notes, brands should define the emotional response they want consumers to associate with the product. For example, lavender and chamomile often evoke relaxation and wellness, while vanilla and gourmand notes create comfort and familiarity. The strongest fragrance choices are those that support the emotional positioning of the product.
- Know your target audience and lifestyle preferences: Choosing the right notes requires understanding what consumers value. Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, are increasingly drawn toward layered and niche scent profiles that feel personal and expressive. They also value experimentation, making modular fragrance formats and unique combinations more appealing. At the same time, clean formulations, cruelty-free ingredients, and ethically sourced materials are now important considerations for many audiences, especially in beauty and personal care categories.
- Balance creativity with performance: A fragrance may smell exceptional in isolation but behave very differently once added to a product formulation. Factors such as heat, moisture, pH balance, and ingredient interactions can all affect fragrance performance. This is why brands should evaluate how fragrance notes perform within the final application. Stability, lasting power, and compatibility are just as important as the scent profile itself.
- Balance consistency with adaptability: Effective fragrance strategies are rarely static. While brands should aim to build a signature scent identity that consumers consistently associate with them, they must also remain agile to evolving consumer contexts. By balancing recognizable core scent identities with limited-edition fragrance variations, brands can create stronger emotional relevance while reinforcing long-term recall.
- Collaborate closely with fragrance experts: Choosing the right fragrance notes is rarely a one-step decision. Working closely with fragrance houses, perfumers, and formulation experts allows brands to refine scent direction, test applications, and identify combinations that align with both creative and technical goals. The best fragrance partnerships help brands move beyond simply selecting a pleasant scent and toward creating a sensory identity consumers remember.
Ultimately, the right fragrance notes shape how consumers experience the brand itself. When chosen thoughtfully, scent becomes far more than an ingredient; it becomes a lasting emotional connection.
References:
- NDTV Lifestyle. (2025). How Mysore Sandal Soap became a ₹1,785 crore brand from a 1918 royal experiment.
- House of Mysore Sandal. (n.d.). Official brand website.
- JK Aromatics. (n.d.). B2B fragrance buying guide for Indian FMCG startups.
https://www.jkaromatics.com/blog/b2b-fragrance-buying-guide-for-indian-fmcg-startups-132 - (2025). Scent as strategy: Leveraging fragrance for B2B brand identity and growth.
https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/scent-as-strategy-leveraging-fragrance-for-b2b-brand-identity-and-growth/287471921 - (n.d.). How to choose a signature scent for your business: A step-by-step guide.
https://scentbridge.com/blogs/news/how-to-choose-a-signature-scent-for-your-business-a-step-by-step-guide - Africa Imports. (n.d.). Perfume product development.
https://africaimports.com/blog/perfume-product-development/ - Auria Perfumes. (n.d.). Fragrances for your brand.
https://auriaperfumes.com/en/fragrances-for-your-brand/ - Tasting Table. (2025, August 26). How the smell of breakfast sandwiches forced Starbucks to rethink its menu.
https://www.tastingtable.com/1944549/starbucks-menu-change-sandwich-scent/
