As the chief “nose” for Bath & Body Works, Ms. Testa-Gough is in charge of finding the next Japanese Cherry Blossom. That single scent has generated more than $1.5 billion in sales over the last 20 years, filling millions of homes with the aroma of Asian pear, white jasmine and basmati rice. [...] Sales at Bath & Body Works have slipped to $7.3 billion last year from a pandemic-era peak of $7.8 billion, pushed down by competitors marketing on TikTok and consumers increasingly suspicious of chemicals in fragrances.

— Read more in Bath & Body Works Is on a Quest for Another Billion-Dollar Scent at The New York Times.

[Japanese Cherry Blossom's] timelessness (and genuinely delightful scent) is part of what’s made it one of the top three best-selling fragrances at Bath & Body Works — and one that hasn’t been reformulated in 20 years, which is rare. “You have people who have loved it forever. It’s really one of the true icon statuses in the brand’s assortment that has withstood the test of time,” says Lewis. “And it’s able to not only appease our existing customer, but bring in new ones as well.”

— Read more in Behind The Mall-Era Fragrance That Outlasted Everything Else at Bustle.

According to Bath & Body Works, the Japanese Cherry Blossom pillar has generated more than $1.5 billion in lifetime sales. In 2025 alone, the company sold more than 11 million units across the Japanese Cherry Blossom franchise, which includes formats such as fine fragrance mist, eau de parfum, body lotion and more. 2023 represented a peak in Japanese Cherry Blossom’s popularity as a home fragrance, with formats such as candles, where it drove more than $8 million in sales.

— Read more in Beauty Briefing: The billion-dollar business of Bath & Body Works’ Japanese Cherry Blossom at Glossy.