Key Takeaways:

• Fragrance evolves from luxury to function, fostering connection and belonging.
• emotiOn uses neuroscience, AI, and testing to design social scents.
• Consumers demand fragrances that deliver emotional benefits beyond traditional olfactory pleasure.

In an age where loneliness has been declared a public health crisis, Harvard and the US Centers for Disease Control state that social isolation can increase the risk of premature death by nearly 30%, the equivalent of health consequences as severe as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

According to Euromonitor, scents are gaining relevance among consumers who experience anxiety and seek emotional wellness outlets. Turning this trend into trust in an effort to tackle the loneliness epidemic, DSM-Firmenich (DSMF), a leader in health, nutrition, and bioscience, is betting on the invisible power of scent to bring people closer together through the launch of emotiOn social connection—a tool to create wellness fragrances that deliver scientifically proven emotional benefits.

“Our studies show that 75% of global consumers think happy social relationships are essential. And yet, most feel anxious about real-life social interactions,” said Matteo Magnani, EVP Growth Office at DSMF in a company press release. “This is where emotiOn social connection comes in—the first fragrance innovation designed to boost social connections.”

The Science of Togetherness

EmotiOn’s scientific foundation draws on 40,000+ fragrances tested on over 1 million consumers, analyzed through proprietary AI to decode olfactive patterns linked to social connection. The technology has also undergone behavioral testing with leaders in applied research Fraunhofer IVV for Process Engineering and Packaging IVV, validating that scents designed under emotiOn social connection guidelines increase the wearer's desire to engage socially. Additionally, the emotiOn social connection has patent-pending fragrance design rules that empower perfumers to create scents with proven emotional benefits.

By harnessing scents’ direct pathways to the brain's limbic system (the center of memory and emotion), these fragrances are designed to make people feel more emotionally confident, socially open, and present in the moment.

Fragrance with Purpose

EmotiOn social connection focuses on four key benefit areas:

• Social confidence to encourage consumers to be themselves in social settings
• In the moment to allow wearers to be fully present and emotionally available 
• Belonging to push feelings of fitting in and feeling safe
• Social spark to encourage spontaneous laughter and connection 

For consumers, this innovation represents a shift in how fragrance is valued. It’s no longer just for status or pleasure, but about well-being, presence, and belonging.

A New Era for Functional Fragrance

The launch of emotiOn social connection positions DSMF at the forefront of the functional fragrance sector, an industry rapidly developing to meet consumer demands for products that deliver multiple benefits. In the same way that beauty has embraced wellness and selfcare, fragrance is being redefined as a tool for emotional resilience and human connection.

“Our emotiOn program puts the power of fragrance at the forefront,” added Sarah Reisinger, Chief Science and Research Officer at DSMF. “This is about innovations that go beyond scent—fragrance designed to make a positive impact on people’s daily lives.”

With its new technology, DSMF asks the provocative question: What if fragrance could solve one of society’s most pressing challenges—disconnection? The answer may, in fact, smell like togetherness.