Fragrance makers IFF and Givaudan are investigating whether people taking GLP-1 medicines, used for weight loss, become more interested in perfume. IFF told Reuters that its research suggested these users may seek more sensory pleasure from scent. Givaudan said it had observed an overall increase in their interest in fragrance. Reuters (source, opens in new tab)
ReutersCherry or tabasco? Perfumers test weight-loss drug users' appetite for food-inspired scentsOpen source (opens in new tab)
Givaudan also said it was expanding its gourmand perfumes: fragrances that evoke food, including cake and vanilla. Its observation about GLP-1 users concerns fragrance overall, however, rather than a demonstrated preference for these food-inspired scents.
The public reporting provides no methods, sample sizes or detailed results for the company research. It therefore offers an early account of what fragrance businesses are exploring, without establishing that the medicines cause a change in scent preferences.
The proposed connection begins with appetite. GLP-1 medicines can change appetite, prompting the question of whether some users might seek elsewhere the enjoyment they previously found in food. Laetitia Toupet, global brand president of beauty brand L’Oréal Paris, told Reuters that users compensate for reduced pleasure from food or taste with other forms of enjoyment. Personal Care Insights reports that this pleasure-substitution idea has not been studied specifically in GLP-1 users. Personal Care Insights (source, opens in new tab)
Personal Care InsightsAre GLP-1s fueling the gourmand fragrance boom?Open source (opens in new tab)
Gourmand perfumes, meanwhile, have existed for decades. Reuters links the category’s growth to online retail and younger consumers as well. For fragrance makers, the question is whether GLP-1 users represent an additional audience for an established trend. The available reporting cannot yet show how much, if anything, the medicines contribute to that demand.
- Reuters · News reportCherry or tabasco? Perfumers test weight-loss drug users' appetite for food-inspired scentsreuters.com · opens in new tab
- Personal Care Insights · News reportAre GLP-1s fueling the gourmand fragrance boom?personalcareinsights.com · opens in new tab
