Metaverse Image from Shutterstock

Attendees at the World Perfumery Congress 2022 saw quite a few images of abstract electronics and computer generated people as speakers mentioned the importance of recognizing the role of the metaverse in their business practices. Social connections and online worlds support a universe of virtual reality, what we might call the Metaverse, where users can spend time with their peers all over the world playing games or watching movies. It also provides a world of information for people interested in a huge variety of topics including perfume and fashion specifically. For some, it is a chance to enter virtual worlds through technology like headsets that allow them to immerse themselves in the experience. Companies see this space as a place where users can inform, create, and sell goods.

Metaverse and sniffing  perfume collage by Michelyn using a picture from Elise

Fragrance Creators Association announced themselves as the first association to join the Metaverse at the 2022 WPC in Miami with President and CEO Farah K. Ahmed saying: “By becoming a first entry trade association to join the Metaverse, Fragrance Creators is well positioned to shape policy in the virtual world and to influence on new frontiers. I am excited to engage in this new platform and discover novel, digital ways to advance industry stewardship in aspects we have yet to imagine.” Fragrance Creators Association has also developed the Fragrance Conservatory with reams of information about perfumes, ingredients, and safety. Proctor & Gamble’s Herbal Essence has developed BeautySphere where participants can take a virtual walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in London and learn more about the plants they use in their products. I virtually walked through their demonstration and, at the end, learned that they had planted a tree “because of me” for completing the journey.

In an interview with Rachel Ng, Teacher at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa and Sponsor of The Fragrance Club, she helps me understand how her students might use the Metaverse to learn more about fragrance and perfumery: “The world of perfume has traditionally been centered in places like Grasse, New York City, etc.  What about the one person in every small town or small city who wants to learn about perfume or how to become a perfumer?  Perhaps those people (who don’t have connections or traditional routes of access) can find education and community through the Metaverse.”

Heart Leaf by Elise Pearlstine

Nearly inseparable from the technological and social aspects of the Metaverse is the ability to understand responsible sourcing and sustainability of ingredients. It may be possible to find specific information on a product’s website or through searches of botanical pages. Online communities or social media sources may also help to research a company’s esthetic and history. Again, Rachel helps me to understand, saying “The students I speak with are highly interested in sustainability.  They want a healthy planet for their future and mankind’s future, in general. Many are genuinely concerned for the future. They are interested in slowing down growth and would like to see companies focus on degrowth.  They want to see fewer things of better quality.  My students are often interested in how humans are treated during all parts of the manufacturing process. They are interested to see if farmers, factory workers, etc. are treated well. When my students talk about self-care, they often refer to mental well-being, rather than physical comfort. “

What Etat Libre d’Orange Afternoon of the Faun might look like in the Metaverse @nicoleta and Stefan© using midjourney

Rachel continues: “These kids are smart and observant! I see that they conclude: “these kind of all smell the same” during some smelling sessions. I see that they really enjoy celebrity fragrances. They really like niche fragrances and gravitate towards the bold ideas found in the independent & artisanal houses.  They find sweet fragrances in low concentrations easy to wear.  They want to support sustainable brands.”

Some brands are working within the Metaverse to develop and market new fragrances and new concepts. Rtfkt, a digital fashion startup, and fragrance brand Byredo are collaborating on a Metaverse-inspired fragrance. The concept includes a visual rendering of 26 ingredients representing emotions rendered digitally and wearable by Rtfkt’s “avatar ecosystem”. Rook Perfumes has created The Scent of the Metaverse: Verse 1 that is “first NFT perfume ever created. There is only a limited batch of this original scent as only 100 bottles were made. You will receive either the rose motif label or nova 1 label version depending on availability.” It has notes of White Smoke, Warm Circuitry, Digital Rose, and Celestial Incense.

Playing World of Warcraft from Shutterstock

Perfumes still remain an in-person experience but the rise of the Metaverse and the response of companies to the concept means that a person, a group of friends, a gathering of individuals from around the world can explore fragrance, ingredients, purpose, sustainability, within their own universe.

Elise Vernon Pearlstine, Senior Contributor and Author

Please leave a comment with what you learned from this article and how you feel about perfume in the Metaverse. Special thanks to our reader and teacher Rachel Ng for her insights

Instagram: @cafleurebonoffical @elisepearlstine @scentnaturalhistory @rachel.k.ng @fragrancecreators @fragranceconservatory @rtfkt@rookperfumes @perfumer_flavorist #Perfumerand Flavorist #worldperfumerycongress