Forget logo-heavy bottles and celebrity endorsements, Vivaan Shenoy takes you through why Gen Z’s fragrance game is all about identity, not influence. A growing wave of young consumers in the UAE and beyond are swapping mainstream designer perfumes for small-batch, niche scents that feel more like a personality extension than a product.
What’s behind the shift? For starters, niche fragrances promise originality. While designer perfumes are often mass-produced and easily recognizable, niche brands like Le Labo, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and UAE-born Arcadia offer complex, layered profiles that feel intimate and custom. Some even allow buyers to tweak ingredients or blend their own.
Social media has helped, too. On TikTok, #PerfumeTok is flooded with haul videos and scent breakdowns, not just from Sephora but from off-the-radar perfumeries and online labs. Gen Z’s curiosity and love for deep-dives makes niche fragrances the perfect playground.
And in a region like the Gulf, where perfume is already deeply cultural, this shift toward individuality feels more like a revival than a rebellion. One spray at a time, Gen Z is proving that your scent says more about you than your sneakers ever could.