Key Takeaways:
Fragrance accounts for just 11% of total mass market beauty sales, yet the category delivered an impressive 17% growth rate in the first half of 2025, according to Circana. By contrast, prestige fragrance sales rose a more modest 6% over the same period.
Digging deeper into the data, the gains are not shared across all mass channels. Discounters, particularly Target, are driving the bulk of sales—at least for now.
Based on segment sales, food store sales edged up 1%, drugstores produced a 13% increase, Walmart posted a 7% gain, and Target recorded an impressive 34% jump. Since 2018, Target’s fragrance sales have surged by 700% and are projected to continue growing at a double-digit pace over the next year, according to published reports.
To be sure, the growth of mass market fragrances, no matter from what sector, marks a major milestone for the industry. Mass scent sales have lagged prestige for more than a decade, especially as consumers migrated to premium products as a treat.
That was exacerbated by pilferage, prompting self-service retailers to lock up products. Stores visits to many mass merchants find fragrances in dusty corners with outdated merchandise.
Many prestige manufacturers also cracked down on selling to secondary markets where prestige scents filtered onto mass shelves.
Target was one of the first to see an opportunity to wake up a sleepy mass fragrance market. “Fragrance is more than a trend—it's a meaningful part of our guests’ self-care routines,” said Amanda Nusz, Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Essentials, and Beauty at Target.
Target took a chance on a line called Good Chemistry; an accessibly priced, cruelty-free brand centered on ingredient stories in 2017. That was followed by the Mix:Bar in 2021, a collection of scents from Maesa that could be worn alone or mixed (Mix:Bar is also available at Walgreens).
Emboldened by acceptance of self-service scents, Target and Maesa combined to reveal Fine’ry in 2023, which the retailer said was its fastest growing fragrance last year.
Circana named Fine’ry’s The New Rouge as the top single fragrance launch in the mass segment in 2024. Earlier this year Fine’ry added nine masculine scents to its portfolio in line with an uptick in men’s scent purchasing.
Maesa went against conventional wisdom and embraced the mass fragrance market at a time when prestige brands ruled. “When we see a nonexistent, or declining, or sleepy giant CPG category, we run toward it,” said Oshiya Savur, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer for beauty incubator Maesa. The company made the bold move to add testers, a tool many brands eschew because of theft.
Target isn’t done fortifying its fragrance arsenal. In September, Target gained access to Dossier, a buzzy brand that offers dupes and also its own creations. Target offers the brand nationwide in stores and its online platform supported by impactful displays.
Dossier delivers an impressive resume—it was launched in Walmart before rolling out to CVS and Target this year. Dossier is the number one fragrance brand currently at Walmart and its version of Baccarat Rouge 540, Ambery Saffron, is the top moving scent, per Ines Guien, COO and Head of the Creative Lab at Dossier.
Target is also a pioneer in the lifestyle fragrance realm with Being Frenshe, which features scents across its portfolio in conjunction with Ashley Tisdale.
Gen Z is served by Daise, created by Monday haircare founder Jaimee Lupton. Nusz added that Target is expanding the use of fragrance in hair perfumes such as Kitsch and Blake Lively’s Blake Brown.
“We’re noticing men are more interested in fragrance,” Nusz said. The retailer has Men’s World, a curated area for men’s products in select stores. “One of the launches we did this summer is a brand called Tone.”
Target teamed up with AMP (Any Means Possible)—Duke Dennis, Kai Cenat, Fanum, Agent 00, ChrisNxtDoor, and ImDaviss—to create that line which includes colognes and body mists. It was launched with Target’s first in-store livestream with 65 million views.
Target’s success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Competitors are making their own claims by adding dupes and burnishing the fragrance assortments.
“A lot of growth is being derived from Sol de Janeiro and other brands that are duping their scents,” said Raina Vaughan, Vice President of Sales for team direct management.
Holler & Glow is a brand she pointed out that is bringing sales to Target and Walmart with its versions of items such as Sol de Janeiro items Cheirosa perfume mists and body cream.
CVS has added Brite, a collection of prestige-inspired fragrances such as Tom Ford Lost Cherry and Prada’s Candy, which have received favorable influencer reviews. Walgreens has its own version of Sol de Janeiro’s body cream as well as a range of dupes from NatureWell.
Brands are waking up to the potential of moderately priced scents as shoppers struggle under increasing prices. Harry’s, for example, just launched a line of fragrances priced at $35.
Industry veteran Joel Ronkin is behind Squishmallows Fragrances, inspired by the toy brand. Ronkin has a cadre of fragrance successes under his belt including Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber. The brand bowed at Ulta Beauty.
Ulta Beauty is selling Sweet Tooth by Sabrina Carpenter and a new men’s scent from Snif called Notewrks.
An unexpected boost to mass marketers with pharmacies is coming from the explosion of GLP-1 users, and it is a trend that dovetails with the link between scent and mood. “Fragrance is a category connected to physical wellness,” said Larissa Jensen, Senior Vice President and Global Beauty Advisor at Circana. “Consumers are interested in fragrances that offer benefits such as de-stressing. About three quarters of consumers agree fragrance is helpful in enhancing their mood which she dubbed the “wellification” of fragrances. “Consumers want their fragrances to do something, provide some sort of physical benefit.”
Apparently, GLP-1 users seek comfort from scents rather than food. NielsenIQ data showed that perfume sales are up 23% as people seek sensory inputs they no longer get from food. Pharmacies can benefit from the link between filling prescriptions and selling scents as more people reach for the perfume instead of the plate.
