Key Takeaways:Mass market fragrance sales soared 17% in the first half of 2025, per Circana, the fastest-growing beauty category in the channel.Dupes and lighter mists propelled the sales growth.Despite the sales gains, not all mass channels are enjoying the same level of sales gains.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 Stores visits to many mass merchants find fragrances in dusty corners with outdated merchandise.Many prestige manufacturers also cracked down on selling to secondary markets where prestige scents filtered onto mass shelves.Target was one of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.