Victoria KirbySponsored Content
We’ve long relied on fragrance to ignite romance, but could it also spark social bonds, helping us engage more with each other in person? That’s the idea behind EmotiOn Social Connection, a new, proprietary fragrance innovation from bioscience company dsm-firmenich — a leading global manufacturer of fragrances, flavors, and ingredients driving innovation across beauty, health, and nutrition.
Introduced in September, this first-of-its-kind innovation helps brands develop scents that are, according to the company, “scientifically proven to foster human connections,” inspiring meaningful face-to-face interactions over digital exchanges. It’s a direct response to what’s been deemed the loneliness epidemic, with approximately half of U.S. adults reporting feeling lonely, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Once considered more a factor of old age, loneliness has increasingly become a hallmark of modern life, fueled by remote work, online dating, and text threads that replace real conversations. Today, Americans under 45 report the highest rates of loneliness, with nearly one in four 18- to 29-year-olds saying they feel “frequently” or “always” lonely. In a recurring annual consumer study run by dsm-firmenich, 41% of Gen Z consumers in over 20 countries reported feeling more “alone” or “disconnected.” With the neurological link between scent and emotions well established — and consumers increasingly interested in fragrances that support emotional well-being and ease anxiety, according to a September 2024 report from Euromonitor — the launch of EmotiOn Social Connection ushers in the next frontier in fragrance, where scents can not only help elevate people’s mood, but also influence behaviors that foster emotionally healthier lifestyles
Rooted in more than 30 years of neuroscientific research and developed in collaboration with leading academic institutions, the innovation marks dsm-firmenich’s latest pioneering step in the world of functional fragrances. To understand how EmotioOn Social Connection works, who it’s for, and the science behind it, CEW sat down with Lauren Rooney, VP of Marketing Excellence & Scent at dsm-firmenich, and Gabriela Chelariu, the company’s Principal Perfumer, for all the details.
CEW: What inspired dsm-firmenich to develop a fragrance innovation centered around in-person human connection?
Lauren Rooney: Despite living in a digitally hyperconnected era, many people — particularly Gen Z — report feeling emotionally distant and anxious about real-life interactions. Research from Harvard University and the CDC [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] shows that loneliness and social isolation can increase the risk of everything from dementia and depression to premature death. Specifically, a 2016 research study suggests that loneliness and poor social relationships increase the risk of coronary heart disease by 29% and the risk of stroke by 32%. Insights from DSM-Firmenich’s global “New Next Now Barometer,” an in-depth annual recurring global study reveal that strong social relationships are vital for well-being, yet many say that socializing is stressful and intimidating. Notably, 61% of respondents believe scents can help combat feelings of isolation. Through EmotioOn Social Connection, we aim to the bridge emotional gap and support people’s well-being, addressing a fundamental human need that is increasingly unmet in today’s society.
CEW: How can fragrance help enhance in-person human connection?
LR: Fragrance directly affects our brain’s limbic system, which is our emotional and memory center. Scent can trigger feelings of warmth and belonging, helping people feel open and comfortable in social settings.
CEW: How was the EmotiOn Social Connection innovation developed?
LR: We conducted a rigorous, multi-step validation process to demonstrate the effectiveness of the innovation. We began by analyzing emotional responses to social connection using a large-scale consumer study and our proprietary AI model, trained on over 40,000 fragrances and 1 million consumer insights. This enabled us to identify specific olfactive patterns and create design guidelines for perfumers. To ensure these guidelines deliver real benefits, we partnered with the Fraunhofer IVV [a German research institute] to develop a unique behavioral testing method. This approach measured human reactions to social situations under different fragrance conditions and proved that fragrances featuring EmotiOn Social Connection innovation significantly increase a person’s motivation to approach social interactions. The result is a set of proprietary fragrance design guidelines, validated by both data and behavioral science, that reliably deliver the benefit of social connection across categories and regions.
CEW: What makes the EmotiOn Social Connection innovation unique?
LR: The proprietary innovation is the first scientifically proven fragrance innovation that makes human connections feel easier and more natural, helping consumers feel more at ease in real-life interactions. It’s the first-ever fragrance innovation validated through behavioral science and consumer testing, proven to enhance social connection. The innovation opens the door to entirely new rituals around fragrance and connection. It enables a wide variety of formats and products that appeal to today’s consumers — particularly Gen Z, who seek playful, meaningful ways to share and connect. For example, fragrances could be offered in charms or necklaces, allowing people to gift or exchange scents as a gesture of connection. Ultimately, it encourages creative new ways for people to use fragrance as a tool for bonding and self-expression in daily life.
CEW: What does a fragrance built around connection smell like?
LR: It isn’t one single, specific scent. Rather, it’s a tool for perfumers to use in their creative expertise, allowing them to seamlessly blend EmotiOn Social Connection’s emotional design rules within their vision of a fragrance. The innovation is designed to be incorporated into a scent during development, enhancing feelings of closeness and emotional resonance when someone smells it, while still allowing the formula to reflect the identity and values of a brand and its target audience. The result is a fragrance that’s both emotionally impactful and deeply aligned with a brand’s values.
Gabriela Chelariu: As a perfumer, it’s very exciting to be able to craft fragrances that go beyond aesthetics and truly serve a purpose. It’s incredibly meaningful to create a scent that can inspire confidence or spark a moment of closeness, helping people feel more open, confident, and connected. EmotiOn Social Connection allows us to design fragrances with emotional intention, blending creativity with neuroscience to make a real difference in people’s lives.
CEW: Explain how a sense of connection is part of a person’s emotional programming.
LR: Connection is best understood as an emotional state or experience — a bridge between the individual and the collective. While it may not be a single emotion like joy or sadness, connection represents a territory within our emotional landscape, shaping how we relate to others and ourselves. This is why connection is included in emotional programming: it captures the feeling of social confidence, belonging, and the shared experience that is fundamental to our well-being. And we know that consumers are looking for more benefits, such as connection, from their products.
CEW: Is the belief that human connection can be influenced by scent as much as it is by words and physical touch?
LR: Fragrance is uniquely powerful in this regard, often surpassing the impact of words or touch. Unlike language or physical contact, scent has a direct pathway to the brain’s limbic system, which governs emotion and memory. This privileged access means fragrance can evoke feelings of closeness and belonging instantly, even when words fail or touch are not possible. Advances in behavioral science and neuroscience allow us to scientifically measure how specific scents influence people’s motivation to connect, which we can outline using AI models, large-scale consumer studies, and behavioral testing. The evidence shows that fragrance can reliably foster emotional openness and social connection, making it a potent tool for bringing people together in ways that words or touch alone cannot.
CEW: What is the goal for EmotiOn Social Connection to bring to consumers?
LR: In a world where genuine connection is more important than ever, we hope this new solution empowers consumers to feel more socially confident and emotionally open, bringing them closer together and helping them experience the true power of fragrance. Our aspiration is that it enables more frequent and authentic connections, allowing individuals to engage with each other in meaningful ways that truly enrich their lives
