Sue Phillips, CEO of Scent Enterprise and creator of fragrances for global luxury and celebrity brands, explains how perfume has evolved into a $60 billion industry driven by personalization rather than designer labels. She highlights the shift from European and American fashion houses to celebrity scents, and now to bespoke fragrances that express individuality.
Modern consumers want scents that align with identity and emotion, and the old gender rules no longer apply. The pandemic accelerated this shift as millions lost their sense of smell, leading many to realize how deeply scent affects confidence, social connection, and wellbeing; Sue’s scent-healing work and book The Power of Perfume helped people recover both smell and self-identity.
She notes that major beauty conglomerates now acquire niche brands because innovation and creativity live there, and her vision is to maintain high-quality, personalized perfume experiences.
Sue encourages people to choose scents based on lifestyle and personality — fresh, floral, spicy, or woodsy — and to “celebrate who you are,” reinforcing that fragrance is both art and neuroscience.
