The store is bustling with people on a mission to design their own fragrances. I’m here on perhaps the weirdest, and definitely most pungent, assignment I’ve ever gotten at NPR: to make a signature scent for Morning Edition and Up First.

The process at Olfactory NYC requires a lot of sniffing, and with the help of a personal scent-ologist, customers leave the store with a personalized bottle of perfume for $85.

— Read more in We designed a 'Morning Edition' fragrance – and learned why perfume sales are up at NPR.

Consumers are attracted to luxury fragrances for many of the same reasons as luxury fashion: quality, craftsmanship, and the emotional and aspirational elements for which these types of brands are known. Designer and artisanal fragrance brands account for over 80% of the sales revenue within the U.S. prestige fragrance market and boasted double-digit growth rates in 2023, according to Circana data. Similarly, 7-in-10 fragrance consumers are willing to pay more for higher concentrations, which are stronger, longer lasting, and higher priced.

— Read more in Why EDPs and Parfums Are Outperforming the Rest of the Fragrance Market at Beauty Packaging.