We’ve distilled the highlights from Esxence in Milan, the premier event for artistic perfumery, plus a magical night beforehand
Why Niche and Artistic Perfumery Are More Popular Than Ever
In the post-pandemic world, as people began to stop wearing masks and rediscovered their sense of smell, there was a growing interest in fragrance. Not only did individuals want to smell appealing to others, but they also started to see fragrances as tools for comfort and as markers of identity and personal style as the world shifted back from screen to reality.
Scent is one of the most personal aspects of our identity, making it natural for people to want to smell unique or at least different from those around them. As social media has accelerated trends and diluted individuality, fragrance has become a stable marker of identity—it’s invisible to the eye and, therefore, hard to replicate.
This shift has led to a rise in popularity for niche and artistic perfumery, which focuses not on mass appeal but on storytelling, uniqueness, and using the highest quality ingredients with an artisanal appeal—qualities that can’t be found on the shelves of mainstream retailers like Sephora. Many perfume enthusiasts go as far as to consider niche brands to be the only ones worthy of attention, viewing designer names as mere playthings for the masses, a la “Baby’s First Fragrance”.
Where to Discover the Emerging Trends and Brands in Artistic Perfumery: Esxence 2025
Whether you’re a fragrance expert, a scent enthusiast, or simply curious about perfumes, Esxence offers something to pique your interest.
Many people are familiar with Milano Fashion Week, the biannual event that takes over the city. However, fewer people are aware of the week that precedes it in February: Esxence, which I like to call Fragrance Week.
Esxence is the world’s leading fair for niche and artistic perfumery, held annually in Milan. Each year, fragrance brands from around the globe come together to showcase their latest releases to the press, potential buyers, stockists, and perfume enthusiasts.
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With fragrance being the fastest-growing sector in the beauty industry and the niche market becoming “niche” only by name, this fair is an ideal opportunity to scope out new and upcoming trends that will soon captivate our senses.
This year’s theme, “Masters of Dreams,” emphasises the evocative power of fragrances, from bringing back memories to transporting us to far-away places, including imaginary realms—transforming the fantastical into reality. This unique quality of perfume is linked to scent being the sense that’s most directly associated with the amygdala, the brain’s centre for emotions and memories.
What Do Music and Niche Perfumery Have in Common
My “Esxence experience” actually started the evening before the fair opened, during an event hosted by Istituto Marangoni Milano called “The Night of Perfume: A Sensory Experience in the Dark.” This immersive event featured a multi-sensorial talk with experts from the fragrance industry, including writer Marco Martello, Bernard Nazaire, the associate director at Alchimie Paris, Fabiola Bardelli, the creative director of the artistic perfumery brand In Astra, and the renowned niche perfumer Meo Fusciuni.
As the lights dim, our other senses heighten, so as we entered the dark space on Via Verri, we embarked on a sensory journey. “Black Notes” by Nils Frahm played softly in the background as we were handed tester strips infused with one of Meo Fusciuni’s signature creations, “Buio.” This fragrance served as an olfactory representation not only of nighttime but also of one of the darkest periods in Fusciuni’s life, along with the light at the end of the tunnel.
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The connection between the scent and the soundtrack was both thematic and technical. “Black Notes” by composer and electronic music artist Nils Frahm is from his album “Empty,” aptly named because it focuses on working by subtraction—much like Meo Fusciuni’s approach to fragrance. While most fragrances contain between 70 and 120 ingredients, Fusciuni used only 24 for Buio, concentrating on maximising the impact of a select few high-quality natural ingredients.
The synesthetic approach is becoming increasingly central in the world of perfumery. Music and fragrances share many similarities, both semantically and conceptually. Ingredients in perfume are referred to as “notes”, and a perfumer’s desk is called the “organ”. Both perfumers and musicians work to organise the elements of nature to create something new—something capable of moving us and inspiring our dreams. They literally craft dreams out of thin air.
Writer Marco Martello, author of “La Formula del Sentire: Atlante Psicoemotivo del Mondo delle Fragranze,” points out a notable shift in the fragrance world that mirrors the changes in music brought about by dodecaphony in the early 20th century. Since the pandemic, our relationship with fragrance has evolved. It’s no longer just a tool for smelling good for others; we are starting to appreciate fragrance as an art form. We now seek not only bestsellers but also unique and intriguing scents—fragrances that can tell a story and evoke emotions, even if just for our personal enjoyment.
How Citrus Scents Stole the Spotlight at Esxence 2025
And that brings us to the first day of the fair. The weather outside was grey and windy, as is typical for Milan in late February. However, as I walked into the show space, I felt as if I had stepped into a dreamlike nightscape, complete with a glowing moon suspended over the entrance hall.
My tour began with European brands, including Etat Libre d’Orange, known for their provocative marketing strategies and unique scent concepts—just a quick look at their bestsellers reveals their bold approach. Another standout was the Dutch brand Fugazzi, which featured a memorable booth designed as a fruit stall, along with a vending machine that dispensed samples of their latest launch, Orange Crush. This year, there was a secondary theme centred around citrus fragrances, with many brands introducing new scents inspired by this classic and significant ingredient family in the world of perfumery.
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Citrus has emerged as the biggest trend of the year, and my personal favourite among the scents I’ve encountered is Coreterno’s Hypnorange. This fragrance blends the essence of oranges and their blossoms with notes of coconut, tobacco, and benzoin, creating a richly layered scent that’s perfect for summer evenings—or even a midsummer night’s dream.
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Neo-Gourmand Fragrances Continue to Lead the Way in Niche Perfumery
Another important trend worth noting is the rise of Neo-Gourmands—fragrances that may not necessarily be sweet but possess a distinctly edible quality. These scents are becoming increasingly prominent in today’s market, particularly in the post-pandemic world, as they, along with clean, skin-like fragrances, have been scientifically shown to calm the mind and evoke comforting memories. However, unlike the overly sweet gourmands of the early 2000s, which featured praline and cotton candy notes, today’s Neo-Gourmands are fresher, more complex, and often incorporate savoury or herbaceous nuances.
Mango, Tomato, and Peach: New Cult Notes for Scents That Reject the Mainstream
This year, mango has also emerged as a significant trend, appearing frequently in my fragrance explorations. I also encountered several peach-themed releases, among which Sarah Baker’s Peach Trilogy stood out. Each fragrance in the trilogy imagines the peach as a different femme fatale through various dessert-inspired interpretations. Additionally, Chromodoro by Astrophil & Stella made a strong impression with its retro-futuristic optimism expressed through notes of tomato leaf, basil, gin and absinthe.
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The Korean Perfumery Brands You Need to Know, Listed
Last but not least, at Esxence 2025, it was certainly worthwhile to explore the Korean brands on display: Sisology, which draws inspiration from shared moments and the photographs that capture them, recently debuted at Campomarzio70; Pesade, known for its balanced yet innovative compositions; and Borntostandout, a brand that challenges traditional Korean perfumery with bold concepts and daring creations.
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What surprised me about these Eastern brands was their distinct cultural approach to perfumery. The fragrances tend to be more intimate and balanced while still being complex, unlike the crowd-pleasing styles often found in the West, which prioritise “sillage” above all else.
After immersing ourselves in more fragrances in a week than most people do in an entire year, Esxence has come to a close. We emerged from this dreamlike experience, gratefully carrying a bag full of samples that will help us transition back to reality.
Francesco Fava
MA in Marketing and Communication Management for Fragrances & Cosmetics, Milano