Imagine spritzing your favorite fragrance onto your pulse points in the morning and still smelling it on your skin as you settle into bed at night. No midday touch ups needed — just a fragrance that blends into your unique skin chemistry and follows you from dawn through dusk. Well, that fantasy is fast becoming a reality with the launch of dsm-firmenich’s new Haloscent® Pure You, technology created to enhance fine fragrance.

The “pro-fragrance” innovation in Haloscent Pure You is defined as something that releases perfumery molecules once triggered by the microbiome, over time. “It’s not just about making the scent last longer,” says Lauren Rooney, Vice President of Global Strategic Marketing for dsm-firmenich. “It’s also about reactivating the fragrance at key moments, so it remains noticeable and engaging.”

At the heart of the new technology is a unique molecule that controls the release of fragrance notes. “A pro-fragrance is made by combining a highly volatile fragrance molecule with an odor-neutral one or, in some cases, another volatile molecule. This bond stays odorless until it’s triggered by things like air, water, or even the natural enzymes on your skin,” explains Rooney. In the case of the new Haloscent Pure You, the trigger is the latter: your skin’s own microbiome.

Why Haloscent Pure You is poised for impact

It’s a crowded fragrance market, and it’s only getting more so, which means that anything you can do to make your scent stand out — by lasting longer, among other things — is key. In fact, according to Mintel research, 39% of U.S. fragrance users would buy fragrance products they haven’t smelled in person if it was long-lasting. 

“We’ve found that consumers can perceive the difference with Haloscent,” says Frank Voelkl, a Principal Perfumer at dsm-firmenich. “They notice their fragrance in waves, over hours, without the typical fading that happens with traditional formulations.” 

The reactivation process, known as the “fragrance amplification effect,” doesn’t just keep the scent alive — it also enhances the wearer’s emotional connection to it. This is a clever strategy when you consider that, ever since the pandemic, consumers have looked to fragrance to impact their mood. “Haloscent helps amplify the positive feelings people associate with their fragrance,” says Rooney. “Whether it’s feeling more confident, calm, or energized, the scent signals, released over time, reinforce those emotional benefits.”

What inspired the technology

Haloscent Pure You’s time-release technology works somewhat like a therapeutic patch placed on the skin. Just as medicine in a patch might be released gradually over several hours, Haloscent Pure You holds back its full impact until the moment it’s needed. “It stays in place, unnoticed, until it’s triggered. When it is, you experience the fragrance in its full effect,” says Voelkl.

This control over the scent’s release also gives perfumers incredible creative freedom, allowing them to design fragrances that evolve throughout the day, rather than delivering all their notes at once. “Haloscent allows us to craft more complex fragrances,” explains Voelkl. “We can build in layers that reveal themselves over time, creating a richer, more engaging fragrance journey.” 

Why slow release improves personalization 

Since Haloscent Pure You is designed to be activated by enzymes generated by the skin’s microbiome, “the fragrance evolves uniquely on each person, offering a personalized experience,” says Rooney.

This feature is perhaps most attractive to Gen Z consumers, who place an especially high value on personalization in their beauty products. “Haloscent adapts to you in a way that traditional perfumes can’t by being tailored to how your skin reacts,” says Voelkl.

In addition to its technical advancements, “the Haloscent Pure You formulation is 57% renewable carbon, vegan-suitable, and biodegradable,” says Rooney.

As for what’s next? The dsm-firmenich pro-fragrance portfolio already includes seven different Haloscent categories designed to work in specific fragrance profiles (e.g. fine fragrance, hair care, even laundry), amplifying specific olfactory elements of the fragrance (e.g. fruitiness, floral notes, freshness). And there are more profiles in development. “The future lies in expanding the range of triggers and scent signals that can be used across different products,” says Rooney. “We’re only scratching the surface of what’s possible with Haloscent.”

For more information on dsm-firmenich and its fragrance innovations, visit dsm-firmenich.com.