Japan's youth break tradition by embracing perfume

Japan has traditionally been seen as a market where perfumes, deodorants and other scent-based products did not sell well.

However, analysts say attitudes have "fundamentally changed" in a short space of time, and the allure of scent is being embraced by consumers.

"Fragrances only account for around 1.6% of the Japanese beauty market, which is very small in the third largest beauty market in the world," said Yoriko Oka, senior manager in the fragrance and cosmetics division of luxury product importer Bluebell Japan Ltd.

"But it is clear there has been a change in consumers' mindsets," she told DW.

A study by the Fuji Keizai Group, a market research firm, indicated that Japan's domestic perfume market will be worth 54.7 billion yen (€338.9 million/ $376 million) in 2024 — up more than 30% from 2020 — with additional growth anticipated.

There are several identifiable reasons for the growing popularity of fragrance products, said Oka.

"Definitely, the influence of social media has contributed to interest in fragrances," she said. "The X [formerly Twitter] social media platform is extremely influential in Japan and small comments there have gone on to trigger trends." 

Cultural shifts and social media influence

Ken Masuno, account manager for market research analysis firm Tokyoesque, agrees with that assessment.

"I think Japanese culture has been 'where East meets West' for decades and this new movement is just another shift in the cultural mix. Since social media is so popular in Japan, it is much easier to have a cultural impact by having the right platforms or channels today," he told DW.

Other brands have made new inroads through their links with Korean pop stars — hugely popular in Japan — while the market was also boosted during the coronavirus pandemic, when the majority of people in Japan were working from home and unable to socialize with friends.

With money but little to spend it on, younger women started experimenting with online perfume purchases.

Yet another factor is the weakness of the yen against most other global currencies, which has encouraged tourists to splash out on scents to take home with them.

As a consequence of all these elements driving sales, department stores are expanding the amount of space they allocate to scent products, and domestic beauty firms are releasing new products designed to tap into the trend.

But why did Japanese previously shun fragrances in their day-to-day lives?

"Japan is probably the only culture in the world where having no smell means smelling good," said Oka, who pointed out that while perfumes became popular in Europe from the 16th century primarily as a way of concealing the unpleasant odors of people who bathed infrequently, a daily bath and scrupulous attention to cleanliness has long been a Japanese habit.

"One of the main reasons that the fragrance market did not evolve in Japan is because of the lifestyle of the population of major metropolitan areas," she said, adding that these urban areas are also where people often had to endure crowded trains during their daily commutes to work.

"And as it is the nature of Japanese to always have concern for other people's comfort, people opted not to wear scent and to 'bother' the passengers around them."

There is also a lingering sense among older, more conservative Japanese that wearing a scent is "flashy" and inappropriate in formal settings, such as the workplace.

This generation of Japanese is retiring, however, and being replaced by younger workers keen to express their individuality through the perfume they wear.

Emi Izawa, a 21-year-old university student, purchased her first bottle of high-end perfume — Chanel N° 5 — at duty free as she returned from a summer trip to Europe.

"It's true that I rarely notice other people wearing a fragrance here in Japan, but it was so common when I was in France and Italy — and every time they smelled nice," she told DW.

European elegance rubbing off

"I find European women very elegant in the way they dress and it seemed to me that the perfumes they chose were part of their overall style," she said.

"Many young Japanese also dress well, but a subtle fragrance also adds something different. I do not know if I will be able to wear a perfume when I join my first company, but I think attitudes are changing."

According to Oka, the largest domestic consumers are women in their 20s with a disposable income, with female consumers accounting for 80% of the total market for fragrances and men accounting for the remaining 20% — an unthinkable figure a generation ago.

And while male consumers tend to be loyal to one brand, "women of any age, but especially the younger generations, tend to be driven by new launches rather than staying loyal to one brand," she added.

There has also been a spillover into parallel sectors, she said, with the market for scented bath items, home-use products and even scented candles all surging. 

"I think it may be a little too early to say that what is presently a trend will become a firm part of Japanese culture because it depends completely on both companies and consumers," said Tokyoesque's Masuno.

"However, for some people — the more affluent and the younger generations — I would say that there has been a fundamental change in attitudes already."

Edited by: Keith Walker