In 2024, the global fragrance market was projected to reach $38.80 billion with a CAGR of 6.5% and to surpass $60.50 billion by 2033, according to a recent report from Custom Market Insights. Within this booming category, body mists—those affordable and often accessible spritzes—have quietly cemented their place as a strategic entry point for both brands and consumers. They are driving innovation in fragrance, opening revenue streams across mass and prestige, challenging traditional luxury’s perception of scent, and defining what’s next for the category.
Consider the case of Bath & Body Works, the American powerhouse with over $7.3 billion in 2024 net sales and nearly 1,900 stores. Its Fine Fragrance Mists (FFMs), a core part of its product portfolio, regularly rank among its top-selling lines. In Q3 2024, for example, FFMs were part of what helped to drive overall revenue growth of 3.1% to $1.61 billion. Notably, the brand’s loyalty program—now boasting 39 million members and accounting for 80% of US sales—has transformed body mists into revenue engines by facilitating frequent repeat purchases.
Despite a rough year for the company in 2024, which saw a 40% decline in market capitalization, Q1 2025 net sales still reached $1.4 billion (up 2.9%) with earnings per share (EPS) rising 29%—an indication that the fragrance momentum, led by mists, remains strong. These are proof points that body mists generate scale, foster loyalty, and bolster margins—all at a price point that remains consumer-friendly. “We don’t just follow trends—we’ve been shaping them for the past three decades,” Kristie Lewis, SVP of Merchandising, told BeautyMatter. “We roll out around 40 new fragrances per year across our body mists line, and we continue to evolve our portfolio to meet the customer where they are.”
Accessible Formats at All Price Points
It’s a high-frequency, trend-driven strategy powered by one of the largest and most agile fragrance operations in the mass market. Bath & Body Works has positioned its body mist portfolio as an accessible yet luxurious gateway for consumers seeking daily scent experiences without the price barrier of fine fragrance. According to Lewis, the appeal is multilayered. “We’re proud to deliver high-quality fragrances, crafted with top perfumers, at an affordable price point. This allows our customers to do more layering, experimentation, and even take risks with something they’ve never tried before,” she said.
As fragrance demand accelerates, consumers are gravitating toward layered scent experiences, with body mists, hair perfumes, and fragrance oils playing supporting roles. According to data obtained from Spate on its Popularity Index (US ending May 2025), body mists have increased by 51.9% compared to last year, across all platforms. On Search, body mists increased by 49.2% compared to last year, and by 53.1% on TikTok, with 70.7% of the popularity share attributed to the social media platform. It also receives 46.9K avg. monthly searches on Google (considered medium volume), and 11.5M avg. weekly views on TikTok (considered very high volume).
Mathilde Riba, a Marketing Insights Analyst at Spate, told BeautyMatter that “one key driver of body mists’ growth could be fragrance layering, which has grown +33% year-over-year (YoY) across platforms, as consumers craft scent rituals that begin in the shower and end with a final spritz before heading out. Mists are perfectly positioned in this routine, often sprayed before or after a perfume, to create a more complex scent and make it last longer.” There is also the reason of pricing accessibility. “Their affordability also makes them a gateway into the fragrance world, whether for teens experimenting with their first fragrance or for scent enthusiasts exploring new combinations and building their scent wardrobe,” she continued.
Launching a body mist is cost effective, especially for digital-first brands like Glossier and Rare Beauty. One exemplary case is Sol de Janeiro, whose fragrance line, centered on Cheirosa 62 and 68, experienced explosive popularity after launching mists priced between $24 and $ 38. The result is a meteoric rise in visibility (on TikTok, #Soldejaneiro has 1.3M avg. weekly views according to Spate), a tripling of sales to exceed $1 billion, and positioning as Sephora’s top-selling brand in 2024. By bottling the beloved scent of its cult-favorite Bum Bum Cream, Sol de Janeiro tapped a frugally indulgent sweet spot—mid-tier luxury—capturing teen and Gen Z spenders with aspirational yet attainable fragrance.
Mass vs. Luxury: Converging in the Mist
Today’s retailers, including Sephora, SpaceNK, Ulta Beauty, and even department stores, are reorganizing around scent layering. Mists are increasingly co-merchandised with lotions and perfumes, reinforcing experiential shopping and bundling. For retailers, the appeal is clear: affordable size, repeat purchase, and mass appeal. In luxury settings, brands like Chanel have introduced body sprays within their iconic lines (for example, Allure Homme), signaling the acknowledgment of prestige that mists matter.
Across the Atlantic, prestige beauty retailer SpaceNK is seeing its own mist revolution. “Since April, the category is growing at +55% YoY in sales,” Shannon Monteith, Category Director, Makeup & Fragrance at SpaceNK, told BeautyMatter. “Unit sales are up +218% YoY for brands like Phlur.” At SpaceNK, the growth isn’t just numerical, it’s behavioral. “Body mists offer a more casual, sensorial alternative to traditional fragrance, aligning well with the demand for everyday luxury and self-expression,” Monteith explained.
TikTok is a key driver, as are wellness routines and scent layering—a now-mainstream practice that blurs the line between fragrance, skincare, and mood enhancement. Gen Z and younger millennials dominate the demographic. “These are customers who are highly engaged with beauty content and value both affordability and versatility,” Monteith added. “They shop discovery-led merchandising in-store and are heavily influenced by reviews and social content online.”
Mass-market lines, such as Bath & Body Works, The Body Shop, and Pacifica, now compete directly with prestige fragrance mists from niche brands. Rare Beauty, Sol de Janeiro, and Phlur have stolen the spotlight in social media buzz. These blur the lines between mass and prestige, suggesting that narrative and community influence outweigh price tags. Luxury houses have begun responding, expanding mist offerings to capture a wider entry-level audience without diluting brand presence. “[Body mists] remain an underplayed card,” Riba said. “Brands like Dior, Tom Ford, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian have introduced body mists into their collections. Yet, interestingly, they are not part of the top-performing branded hashtags and searches tied to this trend.”
Consumer Behavior: From Signature Scent to Scent Strategy
Gen Z’s fragrance mindset diverges significantly from that of older cohorts. They’re not seeking a one-and-done signature, but crave olfactory exploration. TikTok’s #bodymist posts reflect this shift. Mists are spritzed on hair, clothes, and linens, used as mood enhancers and mood markers. “Gen Z is mixing and matching different scents and forms to reflect their personality,” said Lewis. “They’re choosing fragrances based on how they want to feel—confident, energized, relaxed, or nostalgic.”
This emotion-led approach to scent is key to product design. Bath & Body Works recently launched a magnesium spray inspired by the "sleepy girl mocktail" trend, incorporating tart cherry juice and calming design cues to align with a nighttime wellness ritual. Meanwhile, SpaceNK leverages social media traction to inform stock decisions. “Fragrance discovery is being driven by TikTok and peer review,” said Monteith. “When a mist goes viral, conversion rates spike.”
And it’s not just about fragrance alone. According to Lewis, Bath & Body Works designs fragrances in partnership with top perfumers and global fragrance houses—the same ones used by high-end brands—then ensures they’re deployed across various formats, from bodycare to home. “Consistency and emotional storytelling are key,” she said. “Our recent ‘Off the Vine’ collection, inspired by the ‘tomato girl summer’ trend, combined heirloom tomato, geranium, and Mediterranean moss to create an elevated gourmand scent that went viral.”
Next-Gen Opportunity: Luxury Brands Lean In
Luxury brands face a choice—to either ignore mists and risk missing low-cost first-time buyers, or embrace them with prestige positioning. The latter can work with packaging, storytelling, and limited-edition formats that retain brand integrity. “For luxury to find greater relevance here, it may require leaning into ritual, not just prestige,” said Riba. “This could take the form of fragrance layering systems—a perfume paired with a complementary mist—or by enhancing the mist format with haircare or skincare-forward properties,” she continued.
Even in the prestige space, mists are no longer seen as dilutive. On the contrary, brands like Ellis Brooklyn, Phlur, and DedCool are embracing lighter formats as ways to increase trial and build emotional connection. The challenge for luxury brands, however, is maintaining aspirational value. Done right, it’s a format that can introduce the next generation to the brand’s universe without eroding its equity.
“For premium and niche fragrance houses, mists are a low-barrier format that encourages trial and bridges fragrance with bodycare and wellness,” Monteith said. While body mists are often viewed as entry-level scent products, experts see more nuanced roles emerging. According to Monteith, “Body mists play a dual role—as both impulse-friendly, giftable purchases and accessible entry points into a brand’s olfactive universe.”
Interestingly, many premium fragrance customers are not graduating from mists to parfums, but incorporating both. “We’re seeing traditional fragrance users using mists to extend or layer their signature scents,” she added. “It’s not one set journey.” Lewis echoes the sentiment. “Mists bring a playfulness that we know our customers love, across a multitude of olfactive ranges—fresh, floral, fruity, woodsy, gourmand. It’s endless experimentation.”
Body mists are more than casual spritz; they are revenue drivers, brand amplifiers, and engagement tools. From Bath & Body Works’ mass success to Sol de Janeiro’s crossover prestige, a clear pattern emerges that accessible scents build engagement, loyalty, and brand expansion. Ultimately, in a $60 billion+ global fragrance market, body mists are the nimble asset brands have been waiting for—low-cost to launch, high-volume to sell, emotionally accessible, and strategically scalable. They offer scale for mass retailers, experimentation for indie brands, and a platform for emotional resonance in a world where identity is increasingly multisensory.
