Smellscapes of Japan - Part THREE

Continuing to design the smellscape of Japan, today we are going to explore Japan's natural sources. if you missed the previous articles click on the link for JAPAN I, JAPAN II

BAMBOO - TAKE

Bamboo is deeply rooted in the Japanese culture due to its structure, roots and abandance and it has several meanings to the Japanese people such as flexibility, strengh, properity, purity and innocence.

FINE BAMBOO HANDCRAFT - JAPAN

It is a perennial evergreen in the grass plant family and it can literally be found everywhere in Japan, and because it is strong, fast-growing and a readily available source it not only became a symbol in Japan, but also vastily used for handicraft, construction, Japanese cuisine, religious rituals and many other modern applications. As you will find everywhere, the scent released from bamboo will also be capture by your nose all the time. It is one of the most natural smellscapes of Japan for sure!

SAGANO BAMBOO FOREST - ARASHIYAMA, KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

The most magestic and peaceful way to appreciate bamboo in Japan is visiting the Sagano Bamboo Forest in Arashiyama, Kyoto.

Walking through one of the lagest bamboo groves of the world can be really an unique experience. You will be very lucky if you get there during a windy day like I did. You will hear and watch very long green swaying in the wind and creaking and its leafs rustling.

Just out of curiosity, remember the 100 Sites of Good Fragrance of the Ministry of Environment of Japan that I mention in my first article about Japan? Well, the same Ministry has also catalogued the 100 Soundscapes of Japan - where local population can appreciate "the wonders of the ear", and Sagano Bamboo Forest is one of them. Not listed in the 100 Kaori Landscape list thou...

BRIDE TO BE IN SAGANO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Sagano Bamboo Forest is also the darling location of the brides-to-be.
You will see many couples having their pre-wedding photo shoot there, as bamboo is the symbol of purity and flexibility :-)))

Walking through the long path you will also capture the greeny, fresh, grassy, straw-like scent spread by the wind. I take it it smells differently each season of the year. I came in the end of winter and beginning of spring, so it was cold and humid (it had rained earlier that day, but when we got there the sun was coming out). We capture a very heavy smell of wet straw, wet soil and a hint of leaf-y green scent.

BAMBOO SCENSE PACKAGE - JAPAN

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

There is also a bamboo handcraft souvenir shop close to the entrance where you will not only find beautiful objects made of bamboo, but also a woody, incens-y smell that is really very relaxing! They sell bamboo-scented incence, which I purchased and I love it very much.

PIERIS JAPONICA - SUZURAN - SPRING SNOW

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

"Suzu" means bell and "Ran" means orchid in Japanese. So, Suzuran are little orchid bells. They are also the symbol for hapiness, unconscious beauty and purity and they smell DIVINE.

These waxy, milky-translucid, almost transparent, little bells are heavenly scented!!!
It is like finding French luxurious perfume in clusters hanging on a bush. As French muguet is greener, jasmine-like and sorta indolic scented, the Japanese Spring snow has less green quality, more flowery-honeyd accent. 

You will find them everywhere in Japan blooming during spring. I think gueishas wore them in their hair once. They are unique to Japan, so it is most likely to be marked as a smellscape just as Sakura.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOSSOM

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - TOKYO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Cherry bloom season change every year and it depends mostly on the weather. The first bloom - kaika - starts in Japan usually at the end of March, but most blooms lasts till the end of April.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - OSAKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

It is not a secret that my trip to Japan was all about the cherry bloom experience - hanami - or "flower viewing". I travelled all over Japan in the hunt for the most beautiful cherry tree blooms and frankly, it is really hard to choose which location I loved the most. I was mesmerized by the Himeji Castle site. The Castle is surrounded by 100s of cherry trees and the combination of the 1000s delicate flowers and the white splendor of the castle construction was really amazing.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - HiMEJI - HIMEJI CASTLE

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

One single tree in Kyoto really touched me for its beauty. Unfortunately it touched also the heart of 1000s of other Japanese that were almost killing each other to take the better shot.

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

More blooms...

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - TOKYO KAIKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

SAKURA - CHERRY BLOOM - OSAKA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

To tell the truth not all cherry trees are fragrant. Some have a almost unperceptible smell. The ones that do have a scent it smells more or less like freesias or crushed almonds.

You will find cherry scent extract in many other places thou.

At cherry blossom season many Japanese treats are made with cherry flowers, such as Sakuramochi - a cherry blossom rice cake; Sakura manju - a cherry blossom bean dough; Sakura yokan - cherry blossom jelly cake; Cherry Higashi- a dried cherry sweet among many others.

Frankly I didn't find Japanese desserts that good, but they are beautiful to look and to smell.

SAKURA - CHERRY FLOWER SWEETS - SAKURA-AN - KYOTO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

SAKURA - CHERRY CHEESE CAKE - HIROSHIMA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

Although you will find cherry blooms only once a year in Japan, the scent of cherry trees and cherry treats must be marked in Japan's smellscape.

Smellscapes of Japan - Part TWO

Dedicated to Masahiro Kamiya, my dearest friend from Japan!

One can find many ways of experiencing a new country. To me, intimate sensing is crucial to the experience. Through smells I found a way to deepen the experiences of my travels and perpetuate them in my mind.

Smells played a more important part of my experience in Japan than in other countries I have already visited due to the fact that Japanese people are very reserved and formal when compared to other civilizations.  

Just as a curiosity: The average interpersonal distance (personal space) in Japan is 360 cm, while in Europe is 240 and in Spanish speaking countries like Cuba is 120cm.

Being a well behaved tourist, I used my self-control and I took my distance. I touched less than I am used to and I stared less than I am used to. But proper etiquette diminishes quite considerably the experience when you reduce tactile understanding of things. 

Although smells are invisible and they come and go in the most ephemeral way, they make a substantial contribution for our understanding of the world around us. If you are really aware of its representations, you can also translate them into the cultural background of its surroundings.

So, using the sense of smell played a significant part of my visit to the country of the rising sun.

STEAMED COOKED RICE - 

Rice is the most important crop of Japan and it has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. Japanese white rice is not one of the pillars for the Japanese diet, but it is also so important and representative of their culture that once it was used as currency. Also, GOHAN, the word for cooked rice, became a synonym for meal (in a general way).

ONIGIRI IN OYESTER BAR - KYOTO MARKET

Photo credit - +Q Perfume Blog

A bowl of steamed cooked rice is served in every Japanese home, restaurant or any other place serving food, but this is not the only way Japanese enjoy rice. The grain can be processed into different products such as Sake (rice wine), rice vinegar, rice flour or bran (nuka), and enjoyed in rice cakes (mochi), onigiris (equivalent to rice balls or "sandwiches"), domburis, sushis and many other Japanese dishes, including desserts and sweets.

SUSHI IN TOKYO

Photo credit - +Q Perfume Blog

White Japanese rice is short, sticky and softer in texture and once cooked they aquire a translucency and glossiness quality that no other rice does. Its appearence is so important to Japanese culinary that in fact a sushi master has to know his rice more than anything else -  how to purchase, prepare and store it. Some even grow their own crops.

Flavor (taste and aroma) in the grain is the highest valued grain quality traits in rice. It is the key factor in determining its market price, although Japanese prefer less scented grains. For them appearance, texture, color and degree of gelatinization with cooking is much more important than fragrance.

A Japanese white rice contains 200 volatile compounds therefore, as simple as a bowl of Japanese cooked rice looks to you, it is in fact a very complex mixture of odorous compounds that needs a very complex sensory evaluation to determine its aroma.

Rice aroma has been already described as starch-y, nutty, slightly flowery, popcorn-y, baked-bread scented, hay-like scented...Truth is that the aroma of rice is mainly cause by the presence of the 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline.

RICE STORE - TOKYO MARKET

Photo credit - +Q Perfume Blog

As I mentioned before, you will find rice steamers in use absolutely EVERYWHERE in Japan. When that lid opens and the cloud of fragrant humid vapor is released and spread in the air you will know you are in Japan. There is nothing more delicate, more comforting and more peaceful than this aroma. A bowl of fresh cooked steamed rice in front of you is a deep plunge into the millenar traditional culture of Japan. 

The aroma of steamed cooked rice is definitely the trademark of Japanese olfactory culture.

TATAMI - 

Tatami mats are a traditional flooring unique to Japan. They are made of several rice straw core (doko) that are covered with compressed rush grass straws (Igusa - juncus effusus); filled with wood (fuchi) and laced with decorative cloths. Straws are woven and cloth is used to cover the woven ends. They are green when new, maturing to a yellow tone with age.

TATAMI ROOM - WASHITSU - NARA

                                             Photo credit - +Q Perfume Blog

The 4000 to 7000 rushes in the tatami mats  is what brings to it an unique pleasent, refreshing and relaxing smell. Specially when it is brand new it releases a herbal, greeny, grass-y, slightly sweet smell that is very unique to Japan. 

To sleep in a futon on a tatami floor is the ultimate Japanese experience! I never slept better in my entire life!

Tatami rooms smell of tradition, royalty, austerity and most of all, of peace.

Just as a bowl of rice, you will have the impression that tatami mats are simple. Well, not really. They are in fact a luxury that once was enjoyed only by royalty. In addition, tatamis are not cheap at all and its constrution and placement is really not a simple task. Like everything in Japan, it is a process following many rules, tradition and rituals.

FUTON BED AND TATAMI - NARA

Photo credit:  ＋Q Perfume Blog

Although they are in decline in Japan (many homes are now using other types of flooring), as a tourist visiting many traditional houses, temples and tea rooms you will certainly agree with me that the tatami smell can be considered a national olfactive identity of the Japanese smellscape.

COFFEE - 

I know you must be confused right now. Probably asking yourself "shouldn't she be mentioning green tea instead of coffee?" To answer to to this question I must say that first of all,  +Q Perfume Blog is not famous and followed worldwide for bringing the obvious. Second, I will mention green tea at some point of course, but my main concern when mapping a city or country is to understand the complexity of its olfactive identity. When I mentioned the globalization of smells as a disturbing factor of the original smellscape of a country I could not leave Japan out of the picture. Indeed the aroma of coffee is present in Japan today corrupting its traditional scent-based spacial experience. 
Brewed coffee aroma became an everyday smell detected EVERYWHERE in Japan. It is altering the sensory perception of the country by replicating the culture of others.

But is this really a new habit among the Japanese?

STARBUCKS AND KIMONOS AT KAPPABASHI, TOKYO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog 

I found some interesting data regarding the culture of coffee in Japan, published by the Japanese Coffee Association.

History

A limited amount of coffee was drunk by Dutch residents of Nagasaki at the end of the eighteenth century. However, coffee was not generally sold until the last quarter of the nineteenth century with the first bulk imports in 1877. 
The first coffee shop was opened in Tokyo in 1888 and the coffee drinking habit spread slowly with imports peaking at 140,000 bags in 1937. 
Global conflict of the World War Ⅱ prevented significant imports of coffee during 1940s and the requirements of post-war reconstruction dampened consumption during 1950s.

Coffee imports were liberalized in 1961 and some 250,000 bags were imported in this year. Coffee remained a minor drink compared with the traditional green tea and initially it was drunk only among richer adult urban dwellers. 
Consumption of soluble coffee widely spread and regular coffee was consumed at coffee shops, eventually coffee has become increasingly popular over all the country. 
The introduction of canned ready-to-drink coffee in both hot and cold forms in 1969 and the expansion of vending machines helped to promote coffee consumption among younger generations and consequently coffee consumption increased rapidly by the synergistic effect.

Japanese coffee consumption has soared during last 40 years. The country is now third in terms of total consumption among importing countries. The rapid increase of consumption was realized mainly due to following reasons:

*A marked change in society with some “Westernization” of consumption habits;

* A marketing, with the initial emphasis on soluble coffee then extended to roasted and ground coffee;

* The initial growth of attractive coffee shops (The number of coffee shops reached to 162,000 outlets peaking in 1982);
*A process of product innovation including the vigorous promotion and sales of canned ready-to-drink coffee (now more than 5 million vending machines exist all over Japan and half of which serve for sales of beverages, including coffee).

BREWING COFFEE AT NARITA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

It is easy to understand why coffee has a significant presence in Japan. Knowing a little bit of chemistry of human vices I tell you: caffeine and nicotine walk hand in hand just as Romeo and Juliet. They simply LOVE each other! Japanese are heavy smokers, therefore they are also heavy coffee drinkers.

Another factor is the pressure to perform. Japanese have crazy working habits. They need this boost of energy not to crash. Which at one point they do and kill themselves by jumping into holes in the forest. Google it...It is creepy shit.

Anyways, back to scents...

You will smell coffee in the air all day long coming from coffee vending machines - where you will find canned or bottled hot/cold coffee; from coffee shops like Starbucks or Japanese brands; from coffee shops selling beans or imported grinded coffee and many coffee tasting at the streets and shopping malls.

COFFEE SHOP - KAON SHOPPING MALL AT NARITA

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

The coffee vending machines are simply everywhere. Hotels, bustops, shops and more shockingly - sometimes in the corner of every block in the streets of smaller towns. Sometimes these towns have absolutly nothing to offer. But you will find the coffee vending machines in the main road or in the back yard of a house!

I brought a video of an exquisite type of coffee vending machine that shows customers how the coffee is brewed:

Although coffee is not an original Japanese treat, you will find the Japanese touch in every experience they offer, so your coffee experience would not be different! It is nothing like elsewhere.

MOCHA CAT CAFE BUILDING IN HARAJUKU, TOKYO

Photo credit: +Q Perfume Blog

We found a very exquisite café in Harajuku: The Cat Cafe Mocha which is a café for cat lovers. You must know that Japanese are so crazy about cats that they even sell the scent of cat head. 

MOCHA - HARAJUKU

Photocredit: Hub Japan

So, loving coffee and cats you won't be surprised that Mocha is a place where you get to sit to sip a cup of coffee surrounded by many many cats! We tried to get in to experience this feline coffee experience, but unfortunatly the line was so long that we had to give it up due to our tight schedule for that day.
Mocha offers cat feeding time when not only you sip your coffee but you can also feed the little balls of fur. Only in Japan, believe me!

TO BE CONTINUED...

Stay tunned for more Japanese scented experiences!

WINTER SMELLS

Embracing the winter season is a positive way of experiencing what the season has to offer. Instead of complaining about the short, greyish and snowy days, think about how chic winter is. You get to wear many accessories such as gloves, hats, warm scarfs. You get to savor hearty soups, stews and fondues...you have a good excuse to eat chocolates and high calorie desserts... not to mention ice skating and all these amazing winter sports! The landscape turns white, the air is crisp and clean and we get to hold our most beloved person in front a fire place...how romantic is that?  So cheer up!

In my past articles related to winter I offered fragrances that are more fashionable during cold weathers; fragrances that brought coziness and warmth; and uplifting perfumes to improve winter blues. I love these lists. But this year I wanted to add a different group of fragrances. The ones that either embrace or enhance the winter experience. I guess this time I don't want to offer you a scape route to false happiness. 
Fully embracing what Nature bring us brings real happiness and teach us how to adapt and grow.

Photo credit: Daniela Yaroslavsky* - Central Park NYC

I also thought that it would be interesting to bring a bit of science for a change. After all, here you will find much more than just perfume reviews!

Have you ever wondered why winter smells different than summer?

According to olfactory scientist Pamela Dalton from Monell Chemical Sense Center in Philadelphia it has to do with the speed of the movement of the molecules that tend to be slower when temperatures drop. That is exactly why your perfume seems to have less diffusion during winter than on a hot summer day, therefore we also tend to use heavier compositions such as orientals.

She also explains that we are less sensitive to smell and odors during the winter because our receptors inside our noses "seems to bury themselves deeper inside the nose" during this season. Neurologist Alan Dalton from Chicago explains that this is a protective response of our body against cold.

Being both neurologist and psychiatrist he adds "What you think a smell will be impacts whether you like it and what you perceive it to be. So, if you go outside in the winter and you are used to smelling snow or chestnuts in the fire or whatever you happen to smell outside, that's what you will interpret smells to be. Of course, the smells that are available to be smelled differ as the seasons change. Summer brings flowers and dirt and barbecue smoke. In the most wintery of places, there isn’t much outside on cold days except snow, blustery wind and cars warming up. To cope with the smell deprivation of winter, many people compensate by burning more scented candles, cooking more aromatic stews and baking more cookies. That creates a greater contrast between the indoor and outdoor environments.

"You probably have an uptick of indoor scents in the winter," Dalton said. "Homes are closed up, windows are closed. We concentrate the smells of cooking and living."

Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hoboken - NJ

Fragrances capturing cold

Snow by Demeter Fragrances - "Our Snow fragrance captures the scent of cold air and silent moments in the forest, after fresh snowfall.

Snow comes from water vapour in the air. If the air is cold enough the water vapour crystallizes around a speck of ice or dust and falls to the earth as snow. If there is no speck for the water vapour to crystallize on, it will remain in the air as a cloud. 

After years of effort, we were able to capture the essence of snow in a chilling, cool, clean and fresh scent, with just a touch of dust (necessary to form flakes) and earth (upon which to rest). The Fragrance Foundation USA recognised this unique fragrance as the Best Fragrance in America in 2000, awarding Snow two FiFi Awards – the fragrance version of an Oscar".

Walking in the Air by CB I Hate Perfume - The scent of new fallen snow.

Winter 1972 by CB I hate Perfume - The smell of untouched new fallen snow, hand woollen mittens, covered with frost, a hint of frozen forest and sleeping earth. 

 Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hudson River 

Fragrances capturing the the winter atmosphere:

Lago Del Desert by Fueguia 1883 - "Perhaps the only fragrance ever designed to recreate the scent of an immense body of ice. Named for a lake near the border of Argentina and Chile, this beautiful area near Mount Fitz Roy features forests, wildlife and a hanging glacier, which inspired this scent. Lago del Desierto is a frozen aquatic, with sweet melon-like watery notes laced with a bracing dose of ozone over clean musk and native Patagonian woods. While this shares some attributes with other aquatic scents, there is something very distinctive about the proportions of sweet, salt and ozone in this blend and the unusual woods and musk create a sense of a specific forest. We can testify that this smells frozen and wild and somewhat otherworldly. However, we have no idea if it actually smells like a glacier, having never encountered one in real life. We are happy to take the word of its creator that it does. A tribute to a place far away from anywhere else". Fragrance Notes: musk, lenga wood and coihue wood.

Winter Woods by Sonoma Scents - "A cozy perfume featuring ambered woods with a touch of smoke, perfect for fall and winter. The long-lasting drydown of amber, woods, musk, and oakmoss is slightly sweet and gently smoky". Fragrance Notes: Guaiacwood, cedar, sandalwood, birch tar, cade, oakmoss absolute, castoreum, amber, labdanum absolute, vetiver, ambergris, musk.

Fire Intense by Sonoma Scents - " This smoky woods fragrance captures the oddly satisfying scent of smoked woods carried by the crisp fall air or emanating from an evening campfire. Fireside Intense opens with a fairly strong leather and smoke accord that mellows into a drydown of beautiful smoky woods, soft leather, and a touch of deep agarwoood. The fragrance has a very high percentage of natural oils and resins that provide a soft but lasting natural, outdoorsy dry down. Fragrance Notes: Guaiacwood, nagarmotha (Cyperus), Texas cedar, Himalayan cedar, Indian sandalwood, agarwood, birch tar and cade, leather, oakmoss absolute, castoreum, amber."

König by YOSH - "This elegant masculine scent captures the dual nature of man - gentleman and hunter, an alpine fragrance that evokes a king on a hunt, racing through the Bavarian forest with aromatic bitters and crisp red apples in the air. Beneath a layer of snow flowers, it opens into a white musc and deepens into the scent of saddle leather and smoky firewood. KÖNIG, is the second fragrance in the “M” Series by San Francisco perfumer, Yosh Han. “The “M” series is a departure from the ethereal quality of her previous collections and explores fragrances that evoke our deepest nature. KÖNIG embodies the archetypal King in the mature masculine bringing the qualities of mythology into present time.” The modern man who wears KÖNIG embraces his primal instincts while honoring the king within". Fragrance Notes:  bitters, sage, cypress, apple, smoky papyrus, snow flowers, bois d'landes, vetiver, white musc, saddle leather, amber, firewood.

Albaho by Sulékó - "As if transported to a distant country beyond the mountains, where the sky is always pure, an icy freshness of mint and eucalyptus takes hold of you. The atmosphere is one of icy purity. Traversing the immensity of the forest, a woody scent takes you to the highest treetops. The spicy freshness of pine, the dry hardness of cedar and the smoky finish of guaiac wood open you to unexplored horizons. Majestic and powerful, you smell the distant scent of balsams, benzoin, tolu balm, labdanum. These warm and suave resins portend the presence of a life being created. And you know that, in the same way the snow covers the earth, cradle of life, the swan’s plumage is hiding a living thing. The swan is a being coming into life. It metamorphoses itself, hidden from all eyes, far away through forests and over mountains, in the most complete tranquillity. It is focusing on the essential – seeking harmony and inner peace".

 Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Hoboken - NJ

  Photo credit: + Q Perfume Blog/Ramat HaGolan - Israel

Photo credit: Daniela Yaroslavsky* - Central Park NYC

Past winter lists:

Winter Blues

Furry, leathery, cozy

Rainy & Cold

Trends:

Fall & Winter Part I

Fall & Winter Part II

Fall & Winter Part IV

Fall & Winter Part V

You can also search in the blog search engine WINTER and you will get many articles related to this season and many perfume options!

*Daniela Yaroslavsky is a Brazilian amateur photographer who captures the most beautiful landscapes of NY and NJ and who was kind enough to lend me some of these spectacular moments of her life abroad.

FRAGRANCE LABEL TRENDS - PERFUME PACKING

VISUAL AUTHENTICITY TREND

The visual authenticity trend has been in the market for a while now and it will continue to shine in 2016. As this trend has evolved, it has moved beyond small artisan brands and is becoming more mainstream itself. With the rise of niche perfumery consumers are fleeting away from mainstream products looking for more emotional and personal experiences with their fragrance (check my last article about NICHE) That said, visual authenticity is one response to shifting perfume consumer values to desire more real, quality and honest products. Products with uncomplicated appearance, yet are crafted; maybe even vintage inspired. Fragrances that can create inadvertent human connection.

The digital age is fostering a decline in human connection which is most prevalent office Gen Z consumers. Because of this, these shoppers are not responding to traditional established corporate brands. They want more. They demand more. They desire a real, trusted, human connection to the products and the brands that they consume. This connection can be expressed in different ways, from a connection to nature, to the written word, to the past, or to simply to other people. This is beyond hipster. This style is a rejection of technology. A pre-
computer era style, if you will.(Andrew Gibbs).

Some perfume brands have this in mind. To reconnect with perfume consumers. They do this by showcasing the craft, quality, and skill in both the product and the packaging design. Some of this trend's characteristics are: handwritten, raw, freeform or sketchy typography/ hand rendered, simple illustrations/ may include vintage inspired references or typography/ natural color palettes.

I have selected a few examples for you:

Le Labo manifesto defines that the idea that luxury relies on craftsmanship. In their website you will find the community craft which shows all craftsmen and craftswomen involved in the creation of a Le Labo fragrance. Le Labo labeling relies on customised labels with personal messages. All fragrances of the brand come with a Lab type of label with typewriter fonts, with the list of the ingredients, and all fragrances are mixed and labeled in front of the customers, so they can have a real and handcrafted experience. They are the pioneers of this type of uncomplicated and yet luxurious fragrance production.

Fragrance brand Demeter tries to capture real experiences and bottle them for you.

Their mission is "to create environments where people can rediscover the wonderful world of scents that is too often overlooked or forgotten in our modern multi-tasked world". In terms of labeling Demeter provides a simple label with little phrases such as "pick me up" Cologne spray suggesting a "conversation" with the consumer.

Maison Margiela is bringing a different type of labeling where you will find the inspiration, a fragrance description and a suggestion of the style on the bottle itself. Like Le Labo you will see here the trend of using typewriter font and simplicity.

Leo & Harper are innovating with a simple label that talks to you. It asks you questions!

Olfactive Studio chose labels that look like a cut piece of tape with handwritten typography. Very simple; very chic.

Swedish perfume house Agonist is now offering a new bottle and label design that brings just a list of the ingredients composing the fragrance and by that they are also bringing a clearer communication with consumers.

Authenticity and human touch is trending now due to social medias because they are allowing brands to be more accessible and more approachable and this type of connection is now extended to packing.The handcrafted look is brought by unique designs and handwritten fonts. The overwhelming amount of information that social media is offering is also overloading consumers in a way that they are longing for a simpler, clearer, easier and quicker way to communicate. Simple minimalistic designs are reflecting this need to quickly understand if the product fits their needs.

Like I have been saying for years "Less is always more!"