Escapism is the act of seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy as a distraction or relief from unpleasant realities.
In 2020, the pandemic and resulting social distancing, lockdowns, isolation and travel bans contributed to the trend of escapism. People got tired of the movement restrictions and boring routines.
Many people had a need to escape the bleak reality and recall pleasant feel-good memories. Some even needed to create mental pictures of places they have never been to. Anything just to take off the mental stress and imagine having a good time somewhere else apart from where you’re currently stuck.
As a result, people watched movies, spent a long time on social media, redecorated their homes and tried to simulate outdoor experiences while indoors.
What are escapist perfumes?
Due to the incredible relationship between scents and memories; traveling or escaping via scents isn’t really that hard.
Fragrance producers simply had to create scents that are reminiscent of certain locations. The perfumes could just have certain notes that are dominant in a certain holiday destination. When consumers smell the fragrance, it instantly takes their minds to that holiday destination.
This resulted in the increased demand for escapist fragrances during that period. Now you know why the perfume industry recorded even more sales during the pandemic.
Escapist Perfumes Work In Two ways
Escapist perfumes help you escape either to different location or to a different time. Shocked at perfume time travel? Well, it is simply when the perfume brings back memories of a particular period in your life. Such fragrances incorporate notes that are dominant in childhood or past experiences. Gourmand perfumes with sweet notes are particularly effective for this purpose.
Escapist Scents To Take you to New Places
To get the feeling of escape, the vibes that consumers favoured the most were: marine notes, tropical vibes, and exotic locations.
To create tropical notes, perfumers incorporated notes of tropical fruits like papaya, mango, coco water & milk, pineapple, peach, sea salt, watermelon, e.t.c.
Exotic floral notes were also available for consumers to purchase. Floral notes like ylang-ylang, frangipani, orchid are combined with fresh notes or with spicy ones. This category easily reminds one of a day out in the gardens or fields. A romantic might even start feeling like someone gifted a bouquet of fresh flowers after smelling these fragrances.
Marine, Citrus and Tea notes were in demand because they effortlessly remind you of a day at the beach.
Escapist Fragrances That Let You Travel Through Time
Escapism was not to only exotic outdoor locations. For some, the best form of escape via scents is finding a scent that reminds them of parents, past homes and childhood. These familiar scents are meant to be comforting and dispel anxiety.
A recent study of consumers has shown that they are most attracted to and comforted by the following scents:
Clean: notes reminiscent of clean fresh sheets, crisp air and bright days.
Lavender: it inspires serenity and it’s aromatherapy benefits cannot be underrated. It also helps improve sleep.
Gourmand Perfumes: the smell of sweet edibles easily helped many recall their childhoods and happy periods.
RELATED: Your Guide To The World Of Gourmand Perfumes
Some gourmands like coffee and vanilla were also perfect for people aiming to sate their food cravings through fragrances.
Green notes: fresh cut grass and herbal notes easily takes your mind to a stroll in the park or basking in the sun in an open field.
