ParfumPlus

main sponsor and fine fragrance partner of Next in Fragrance, a platform dedicated to industry knowledge sharing. In addition, Düllberg sponsored, organised and participated in the programme with two talks by our perfumer Rebecca Krichemeier and myself as Managing Director of DK MEA. We also hosted our first exclusive customer and partner gathering—a Poetry and Perfumery evening at the 25hours Hotel, set against the Museum of the Future. PP: BASED ON YOUR OBSERVATIONS, WHAT WERE THE MOST NOTABLE MARKET AND OLFACTIVE TRENDS OF THE YEAR, AND HOW HAVE THEY INFLUENCED YOUR CREATIVE AND COMMERCIAL APPROACH? MZ: Amber continues to be the new oud, captivating both souls and senses. Amouage has played a defining role in elevating frankincense as a protagonist ingredient in ultra-luxury perfumery, most notably through its Odyssey collection— Purpose, Guidance, Search, Decision, Existence and beyond. At the same time, the industry has been swept up by a fascination with intense, unexpected tropical notes. Mango, passion fruit, guava, pomegranate and raspberry are taking centre stage, often paired with powerful oriental elements such as oud, woods and spices. Standout examples include Black Guava by Born to Standout, Oud Maracuja by Maison Crivelli, Nectar Oud by BDK, and Gods of Fire by Stéphane Humbert Lucas. PP: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FRAGRANCE AND BEAUTY MARKET—ITS CHALLENGES, ITS SHIFTS AND ITS OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH? MZ: I don’t think there was ever a time when the fragrance market wasn’t evolving. Today— and looking ahead to 2026—the real challenge, and excitement, is the speed of change. We’re constantly racing to keep up with trends, new packaging ideas and shifting formulations, with little stability in ingredients or concepts. This puts pressure across the entire value chain—from R&D and perfumers to marketing, commercial teams, supply chain and logistics. The demand for new creative ingredients and captives is stronger than ever, often driven more by marketing stories than true differentiation. At the same time, increasing regulations and newly restricted or banned materials continue to create reformulation challenges linked to health and well- being concerns. Another emerging shift, seen in a few markets and niche segments, is the move away from “beast mode” scents toward “no-fragrance” concepts. Whether this will scale remains to be seen—but I hope the desire to smell great, not just good, will always remain. PP: LOOKING AHEAD, WHICH EMERGING TRENDS OR CONSUMER BEHAVIOURS DO YOU EXPECT WILL SHAPE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND BRAND STRATEGY IN 2025 AND BEYOND? MZ: 80% of brands today are simply following— copying, cloning, replicating and iterating. Very few truly innovate or create products that genuinely resonate with real consumer needs and desires. To truly disrupt, I envision a new concept I call CGB or CGP—consumer-generated brand or product. In this model, consumers are directly involved in the creation process itself, contributing to the narrative, storytelling, design preferences, packaging and, of course, the scent. P A R F U M P L U S 14