As December’s countdown to the biggest fragrance shopping days of the year is in the final homestretch, we remain cautiously optimistic as fragrance continues to resonate with an increasingly engaged and expanded consumer base. 2025 saw hundreds of fragrances launch from the big brands to the indies that connected emotionally with consumers across all age groups, driving shoppers in stores and online across the country. 

It has been a stellar year for TFF, starting on a high note with a record number of nominations for The Fragrance Foundation Awards and closing out with a record number of media appearances to showcase our members.

With the holiday shopping season top of mind, TFF’s annual holiday gift-giving media tour reached more TV markets than ever with perfume tips and trends on radio too. Featuring all the year’s newness plus the classics, our TV & Radio tours reached consumers in their homes and in their cars in over 130 markets. TFF also appeared in more digital magazines and newspapers from Harper’s Bazaar and People to The New York Times.

TFF continues to engage our members based on our mission and objectives, expanding initiatives and events.

Engage consumers: TFF’s first-ever pop up shop became a reality and a destination on Madison Avenue for fragrance enthusiasts as we celebrated our 8th anniversary of Fragrance Day. Bringing fragrance to the forefront for consumers to discover and appreciate the perfumer’s craft, has been our mission. We welcomed over 3,000 consumers to experience the season’s exciting scents in an art gallery setting.

Create experiences: Our signature annual awards are epic and first class. The Fragrance Foundation Awards bowed once again at Lincoln Center to a sold out crowd of over 1000 attendees as we honored the very best of our industry. With more media and influencers in attendance, our community continues to grow. Of course, our Awards season kicked off with the Finalists Luncheon in April, always a highly anticipated moment on the fragrance calendar. As a special honor during the luncheon, we presented the inaugural  TFF Leadership Award for 2025 to Dr. Joyce F. Brown for her immeasurable impact in advancing academic programs in fragrance.

Nurture talent:  Scents of Success^® continued reaching the next generation through on campus workshops, career fairs and panels with TFFadding new colleges such as Morehouse College and Fordham University to expand our educational reach. Our commitment to education has been a priority for TFF, launching our online course Fragrance Escentials^® to members this year with an incredibly enthusiastic reception. 2026 will see the rollout to non-members, media and students, as TFF continues to be a resource.

Give Back: Our partnership with God’s Love We Deliver continued through contributions of volunteer time and funds.

Enhance Membership: Core to our mission is enhancing membership and we continue to connect the community for resources and mentoring opportunities as well as expanded media opportunities. TFF proudly added a new role of Brand Ambassador at the TFF offices who will liaise with our members and be a point of contact for all things TFF to support member initiatives.

Grow & Expand our Community: As we look to 2026, we are excited with the new members of all sizes who will be joining us from all parts of the fragrance industry from fragrance houses and manufacturers to  iconic brands and a host of indies plus stores including regional department stores and fragrance boutiques, many whom you will meet in our January issue of Accords.

Throughout our past ten editions, we have covered everything from new members joining to member milestones and new ways our members are elevating the artform of perfumery.

As we look to 2026 which will mark the 250th anniversary of the USA, please enjoy this holiday edition that celebrates iconic seasonal scent notes to a celebration of color and scent that is truly uplifting, capped by a December anniversary.  

Wishing you all joy for the coming New Year.

Our Circle of Champions event was epic and the headliner for November. Surrounded by friends and family, and supported by the fragrance community, TFF celebrated our very own Board Chair, Jerry Vittoria, as the 2025 Champion. A sold out event with those whose lives and careers were made better by working with Jerry were gathered to cheer a champion of our industry. The evening was filled with tributes, laughter, tears and joy for all the work he has done behind-the-scenes that has touched the lives of countless consumers every day. During the program, we also took time to pay tribute to our first Champion of 2000, Mr. Leonard A. Lauder, announcing plans to donate our new online course, Fragrance Escentials^Ⓡ, in Leonard’s honor. In 2026,TFF will donate the course to colleges and universities where we have strong relationships through our Scents of Success^Ⓡ program.

We are proud to announce that Fragrance Escentials has officially launched to our membership with plans to open registration to the broader fragrance community of enthusiasts, students and more in early 2026. There will be a lot more to come as we begin our rollout of this incredible educational program that has been a passion project for all of us at TFF and led by Sharné Jackson. After taking the course, beauty editor Jamie Wilson talked with Sharné about the curriculum and what she envisions for its future.

At TFF, we always love a great fragrance story and celebrating a milestone, and who better to capture that special moment than Accords editor, April Long? Set against the immersive backdrop of Guerlain’s exhibition for Shalimar’s 100th anniversary in NYC at The Waldorf Astoria, April spoke with Perfumer Delphine Jelk who was entrusted to reimagine the classic and reinterpret it for a new generation of fragrance enthusiasts.

Until our December issue …

The intersection of scent, sound and storytelling is at the heart of a new creative wave of multi-sensory experiences led by perfumers, musicians and brand founders that takes immersive fragrance exploration to a heightened experiential level. Transporting us through varied senses, the complementary art forms speak a similar language of notes and accords. Our guest beauty editor and writer Jamie Wilson talks to two innovators in the fragrance community pushing the boundaries of fragrance and music via live events.

She also had a discussion with Courtney Somer of Lake & Skye about the brand’s 10th anniversary this year. For the brand to reach a decade milestone is a testament to the power of the people and products behind the brand. It is always a great moment for the entire fragrance community to rally and celebrate as it shows the strength and breadth of our industry. With its foundation in numerology, Lake & Skye was destined to celebrate this moment.

The month draws to a close with another celebration, Diwali, The Festival of Lights. At TFF, we always look forward to celebrating our membership and community, and this joyous occasion shines the light on the Indian and Indian-American perfumers and brands who share their glorious heritage with us through their creations and culture.

Enjoy this celebratory edition.

Our monthly magazine is back just in time for fall’s fabulous line-up of fragrance launches. The first few weeks have been the busiest and buzziest with back-to-back fragrance events that coincided with New York Fashion Week and the start of the fall season. The sheer scale, the crowds and a feverish schedule all made this September one of the most memorable months on the calendar, and the celebrations are still going strong. What an exciting moment in time to be in fragrance and part of our growing community. Fueling this excitement is the roster of new members that have joined TFF, making the world of fragrance more dynamic than ever before.

Our spotlight story by our guest beauty writer Jamie Wilson will take us around Manhattan as fragrance news made splashy, bold headlines during NYFW. From campaigns and activations at legacy retailers to redesigned flagships and revivals of legendary discos, fragrance was at the heart of it all. The artistry, the passion and the creative spirit that connected us all together.

At the top of September, we announced our very own Board Chair Jerry Vittoria as the 2025 Circle of Champions Honoree. We cannot wait for November to present him with this prestigious award and spotlight his incredible impact on the fragrance industry in our November edition of Accords.

Over the summer, TFF took time to refresh our office. Reimagining our midtown space, we created a Community Room to welcome our members, host media, influencers and events from seasonal press previews to IG Lives. We look forward to welcoming the brand new season with a renewed spirit and excitement of what’s to come.

Lincoln Center set the majestic stage once again for our 52nd Annual Awards that ushered in a triumphant night for all 1,000 attendees as well as for thousands more following us on social media. The enthusiastic audience was engaged the moment the lights dimmed and the dynamic presenters whose passion for fragrance was authentic took the stage, reflecting our inclusive fragrance community. 

The reviews from our members and media are in. We are very proud that TFF Awards created an exceptional, visually artistic experience on stage through our collaboration with award-winning cinematographer Louie Schwartzberg who took fragrance ingredients to another level with his creative AI touch. 

From the glamorous arrivals underneath the portico to the buzz inside of the David H. Koch Theater, each moment of the 2025 Fragrance Foundation Awards was memorable and magnificent. The mood was infectious as the energy resonated throughout the lobby only heightened by the elation inside the Theater. 

It was truly a festive night for fragrance and is the biggest night for the industry in the USA. The cinematic presentations preceding the honors for Ralph Lauren as Hall of Fame Honoree and Daniela Andrier as Lifetime Achievement Perfumer were each equally awe-inspiring, emotional  and breathtaking. 

We had a lot to celebrate this year from the number of 2024 launches to the number of nominations that resulted in the Finalists in our varied award categories. We all appreciate the creativity and passion of the people in our community, with each year growing stronger, broader and more inclusive.

A big Congratulations to our 2025 Honorees, Winners and Finalists for making this one of the best years in TFF Awards history!  We extend a heartfelt Thank You to our incredible Presenters who made the night more spectacular than ever, and to our TFF Members and Supporters who joined us to create an extraordinary and majestic evening.

Please enjoy this last issue before we sign off for the Summer highlighting our honorees and check out the photos from the event plus listen in on some Red Carpet conversations here.

Regina Fleming Photography

Getty Images – Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Kevin Mazur for The Fragrance Foundation

The excitement around fragrance continued into May with new launches, Mother’s Day and, of course, the prelude to the 2025 TFF Awards, Consumer Choice Voting that spanned most of the eventful month. To make sure the consumer got the chance to cast their vote for Fragrances of the Year, TFF did another successful TV tour de force in 12 cities across America from Tampa to Phoenix. 

Spring trends of citrus and florals blossomed with new fragrances just in time for the Mother’s Day celebration. With Spring in full swing, TFF is now heading towards our highly anticipated iconic gala with this year’s Awards ceremony.  

Next week will see 19 Winners receive the ultimate accolade on one of the world’s greatest stages in Lincoln Center here in NYC. It will be a night of magic with industry icons and legends coming together and a guest list of luminaries from fashion, entertainment, and of course, fragrance. 

On June 5, we will honor one of America’s most revered brands and most esteemed business visionaries who redefined the American Fragrance landscape and lifestyle, Mr. Ralph Lauren who will join the Hall of Fame echelon. Continuing our celebration of industry icons, TFF will bestow the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer honor to one of the most prolific perfumers today, Daniela Andrier, for her extensive portfolio of fragrance. To share the excitement with our fragrance community, we will have Live IG reports from beauty editor and expert Deena Campbell on our Red Carpet experience. Follow us on Instagram to get updates on winners and all the glamour and fun from the night. #TFFAwards!

Finally, as we head into the second to last edition of Accords before we sign off for the summer, TFF wanted to spotlight members who saw major milestones and captured the essence of a legend with a new fragrance introduction. Congratulations to Robertet as they celebrated their 175th anniversary with a new Creative Center at their NYC office. With a customized scent experience, Robertet took us on an artistic journey of their heritage to the future. And in a very exciting launch, Harlem Perfume Co. Teri Johnson launched Eartha to celebrate the iconic Eartha Kitt in collaboration with Eartha’s daughter Kitt Shapiro and Takasago Perfumer Catherine Selig. This ode to her mother’s love was a fantastic reminder of mothers everywhere as we took the time to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Enjoy this month’s Accords, and join our countdown to the Awards! And make sure to check out the upcoming issue of Accords that will share all the excitement from the fragrance industry’s biggest night.

It was a sold-out crowd at Cipriani 42 for our annual April Luncheon where we announced the finalists for the 2025 Awards in 19 categories and presented five winners with their trophies. A major announcement of the day was also the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, Daniela Andrier, Master Perfumer at Givaudan. If the heartfelt elation from our five winners was any indication, the Awards ceremony is going to be one of the most electrifying nights for our fragrance community. From here on out, the countdown to the June Awards is on, with the excitement sure to crescendo in the coming weeks. 

Each year, we want to make the Awards Luncheon more special and memorable than the year before. And this year, it is safe to say that we certainly achieved that  as we presented our first-ever TFF Leadership Award to the incomparable Dr. Joyce F. Brown, President of The Fashion Institute of Technology. Dr. Brown has not only been the longest serving President but the most passionate educator advancing fragrance studies at a public college. Her vision and impact has left such an indelible mark on our industry that it was only fitting for TFF to bring our community together to honor her legacy. What a moment to share the stage with such a remarkable person and leader.

This week, Consumer Choice Voting begins May 1st. And the countdown officially begins!

A creative vision five years in the making became a reality on March 21st, as the first ever TFF Fragrance Gallery & Pop-Up Shop debuted on Fragrance Day. And what a day it was to make a long awaited TFF dream come true that started with Jerry Vittoria TFF Board Chair and I talking over coffee and croissants. Originally set to premiere in 2020, the pandemic sidelined our planned pop up. But on Fragrance Day 2025, the TFF Pop-Up took its bow on Madison Avenue bigger and better than ever imagined as part of Fragrance Week on Madison, a creative collaboration with the Madison Avenue Business Improvement District to celebrate fragrance along the Avenue.

Over three days, the TFF Pop-up welcomed over 1,000 fragrance lovers to our gallery, bringing our growing fragrance community together to smell and sample the season’s scents and meet the perfumers and brand founders behind them. It was so exhilarating to see consumers walk in each day, with some days waiting on line to get in, and be wowed by the experience!

TFF’s Pop-Up was the heart and soul of the five-day fragrance promotion (March 18-23) along Madison from 57th to 86th Streets, with fragrance boutiques celebrating inside of their stores and spilling out onto the sidewalk with special events and activations. It was an incredible way to herald in Spring and celebrate Fragrance Day 2025. Please enjoy the great stories captured by beauty editor Jamie Wilson as she covered our Pop-Up, round-the-clock.

To view and download photography for the event:

Credit: Getty Images by Kevin Mazur for The Fragrance Foundation (March 20th & March 21st)

Credit: Regina Fleming Photography (PIN 2341)

February opens with the month-long salute to Black History Month, a celebration we at TFF embrace each and every day. At the fabulous IFF offices in NYC, we inducted a new class of Notables to the growing roster of leaders in the fragrance industry. From celebrating a new cohort of Notables to Fashion Week, we went straight to the celebration of love with Valentine’s Day which this year coincided with the culmination of Lunar New Year celebrations.

We are now in TFFAwards season. Nominations hit a record high, with so many fabulous launches and creativity in 2024. We look forward to announcing the Finalists April 8th at the annual luncheon, along with 5 winners and other exciting Awards news. From the excitement of the luncheon, it is on to the BIG June Awards. For those who cannot join us in person, please do so on TFF social media and our Youtube channel.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

We start the New Year coming off of a robust holiday season for fragrance. Scents were gift giving favorites in the USA more than ever across multi-cultural and multi-generational consumers. 

While the holidays were filled with definite positives, our friends, families & colleagues in LA have suffered devastating losses; so we all join together with support in all ways possible for now & the long recovery ahead.

With January marking the start of new beginnings, we dedicate this special edition issue to the new members of TFF and to the growing roster of brands joining the Entrepreneur Committee. We will invite back those in LA who could not participate now for a future issue.

Enjoy our digital celebration of who and what’s new at TFF for 2025!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

All the collective creativity, hard work and passion of our industry throughout the year reaches a  crescendo every December with the spirited start of the holiday shopping season. This is a very exciting holiday season as Chanukah & Christmas are celebrated on the same date this year! One of the brightest lights of the season is the continued excitement around fragrance gifting or splurging on oneself. With consumer demand still strong and sales in the final countdown, we in the fragrance industry are fortunate to be in a space where scent trends continue to captivate consumers of all ages. Brands big & small all have great stories to share & fabulous scents from talented perfumers.

TFF’s Annual Holiday Media Tour

While the holidays bring bright lights and dazzling decorations, they also bring a host of predictions as the media cycle spins to what’s new, what’s trending and what’s selling. It’s prime time for the media to cover our industry paying close attention to our fabulous gifting category.  The Fragrance Foundation is featured across the USA once again speaking to the fragrance wearing and buying consumer through our seasonal TV and radio tour. 

With analysts and market researchers analyzing online and in-store consumer data points from what they are buying to how much they are spending, fragrance sales, trends & gifting recommendations are always a hot topic of conversation. For business and retail reporters, TFF sheds light on consumer sentiment and shopping behavior. The multigenerational consumer and the impact of the Gen Z girl who was driving the growth in hair and body mists, and young boys who were buying designer fragrances, will be an audience to watch. Fragrance forms became the story for consumer magazines, turning their editorial focus on the format from fragrance oils to body lotions. We celebrated all formats and the art of layering.

Following the media blitz of Black Friday and Cyber Monday with press reports of 11% increases in fragrances and more shoppers in stores this year (approximately 126 million), TFF took its media tour and the latest fragrance news to 13 cities across the country, talking trends and spotlighting some of the scents of the season. 

Reaching over 47 million consumers nationally and in cities such as Atlanta, New York, Phoenix, and Sacramento and more, we engaged the in-studio anchors to sniff along with us as we highlighted new fragrances of TFF members.

I returned for my annual podcast at  the NYC studios of Bloomberg Businessweek for a live on-air discussion with anchors Carol Massar and Tim Stenovec who kicked off the segment with their most recent stats that the global fragrance market was predicted to reach $64 Billion by 2030. With holiday numbers so far showing a strong start to the season and the numbers of shoppers in stores on the rise, fragrance has been the fastest growing segment in the beauty industry. With the greatest fragrance sales happening during the holidays and just coming off of Super Saturday, it’s no wonder that the media has a vested interest in our industry.

TFF & Giving Back

As a season marked by gifting, giving back and giving thanks, TFF is embarking on a new partnership in 2025 with God’s Love We Deliver. Before closing out 2024, the TFF team headed down to the Soho headquarters of God’s Love We Deliver to help out for the holidays, packing Melba’s famous Braised Beef with Red Wine and Roasted Vegetables. Melba popped in to check on our progress and spread cheer as only she can. The partnership, presented at TFF’s Board meeting, was to officially kick-off in the New Year for Fragrance Day, but why wait to give back, especially during the Holidays. The day before our visit, they celebrated their 40 millionth meal! Read on to learn more about this great organization and the team who shepherds its mission to bring food to those suffering long-term illnesses. 

TFF Milestones & Looking to the future

Coming off of this year’s high notes from the biggest Fragrance Day yet and a long line of fragrance launches, to the 75th Anniversary of The Fragrance Foundation, 2025 will be another exceptional year. We welcome new members, new give back partners, an expanded Entrepreneur Committee and usher in a brand new year to collectively celebrate and advance our industry. 

Going strong and going forward will be our dedication to DEI, advancing our mission and passion to create a sense of inclusivity and belonging in our industry, #FragranceForwardTFF.

Wishing you and your families a happy holiday season and all the best for great health, world peace & a very fragrant New Year.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

As November ushers in the start of the holiday season with festive decor taking over city streets and stores, it also is a month that shines a spotlight on the impact of Entrepreneurs with National Entrepreneur Month. What excites me about this national observance and more so this year, is that we get to celebrate the entrepreneurs that make up TFF’s first-ever Entrepreneur Committee launched this past January. Chaired by Chris Collins founder of The World of Chris Collins, the inaugural committee includes the entrepreneur brands – House of Bō, Harlem Candle Co., The New Savant, Arquiste Parfumeur and Brown Girl Jane. Together, Bernardo, Teri, Erica, Ingrid, Carlos and Malaika have created their own support system that only another fellow fragrance entrepreneur can truly understand and appreciate.

These founder-led brands continue to invigorate our industry, and we at TFF know that it is imperative that we continue to nurture them. The thrill of building a brand from the ground up to not only survive but thrive is a testament to the opportunities that exist in the fragrance industry and the community that we have created together. Their shared experience of launching a fragrance brand only makes them stronger and our industry, more vibrant. I am excited to see what their passion, high level of constant energy and dedication will bring to our Committee and our industry.

This month we also are proud to share the podcast featuring TFF Executive Director Sharné Jackson in this issue who has been instrumental to elevating our events and making The Foundation more impactful. Driving #FragranceForwardTFF to leading Scents of Success and being featured on Black Enterprise’s podcast for her give-back to students, Sharné has been an amazing force of creative energy with positivity. For five years now, Sharné continues to create new TFF initiatives and the results are ground breaking.

Enjoy this issue as you celebrate Thanksgiving & continue to express your gratitude throughout the entire year! Looking forward to fabulous fragrance filled holidays with all!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

October is one of the busiest months for the fashion and fragrance communities, and for TFF. What a month October has been, coming off of two very successful TFF events. After three years of presenting our DEI panel virtually, we were proud to host it live the 1st week of October for the first time in NYC and have it be on our most passionate of TFF topics – diversity, equity and inclusion in the fragrance industry. 

Last week we inducted the 2024 Champion into our Circle with Macy’s Chief Merchandising Officer, Nata Dvir, welcoming her to our list of retail luminaries who are elevating the fragrance experience for consumers. What a night of community and camaraderie as we celebrated Nata as the 2024 Circle of Champions Award honoree. Aligned with our mission to promote DEI from her team to the stores, Nata has been an ally to TFF and a force for fragrance!

In the spirit of celebrating all the people who reflect the USA, we continue our coverage of Hispanic Heritage Month with a special spotlight on two of our industry’s next generation perfumers.

As we get ready to fall back again this weekend, we look forward to an exciting 4th quarter of holiday fragrance sales, special events and more consumer engagement.

Enjoy the Diwali holiday this week & happy Halloween to all! Enjoy this edition of Accords & watch our #FragranceForwardTFF Now and Beyond: The Future of Industry DEI panel this weekend for inspiration & the great discussion.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

September brings a renewed energy to the start of the Fall season as it welcomes the arrival of new fashion and fragrance launches. It is one of the most dynamic months on the calendar, and this month’s edition of ACCORDS captures its momentum. And yet, amidst Fashion Week in NYC the entire USA stopped to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of 9/11.

The month has been a fragrance lover’s dream come true with fragrance launches, fashion shows & our TFF Board of Directors meeting & dinner at Melba’s Restaurant in Harlem. From new introductions from the venerable fashion houses to reintroductions of reimagined, cult-status classics, fragrance has taken hold of the season in the most magnificent of ways. 

TFF loves to celebrate our fragrance community. In this month’s Spotlight feature, we turn our spotlight on Cosmo International’s Fragrance’s C3 Innovation Lab in New York City, which takes the concept of building community to a new level. After reading this in-depth look, take a moment to reflect on the industry impact that giving back and innovation can have on growing our fragrance community by championing emerging brands & helping them capture their essence in a bottle.

With the mid-month kick-off of Hispanic Heritage Month, the contributions of iconic Hispanic and Latine designers and creators such as Carolina Herrera, Oscar de la Renta, Paco Rabanne to contemporary counterparts such as Narciso Rodriguez, Francisco Costa and Bernardo Möller & Giancarlo Perez continue to bring excitement and energy to our category while infusing their cultural heritage, from ingredients to inspiration, into every bottle. 

Enjoy September’s digital pages, as I will be reading all again as I fly home from my marathon of fabulous meetings & reunions in Paris.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

June is Awards month at TFF! And it is by far our biggest celebration of the year, it’s the night where we bring everyone and everything together that we as a community have achieved for fragrance, and celebrate! These Awards are truly the pinnacle for our industry spotlighting how our creativity, artistry and passion connects with the consumer.

With 1000 attendees, the TFF 2024 Awards were bigger and more extraordinary than ever before. Making it even more special, this year was the 75th Anniversary of the Foundation. On the spectacular stage at Lincoln Center in NYC, the ceremony inducting 2 honorees and presenting 19 awards, was a great reflection of #FragranceForwardTFF with our Presenters & Finalists & Winners as well.

The theater was buzzing from the “blue-carpet” arrivals to the sit-down dinner for over 500 in the Promenade to the after-party that spilled onto the Terrace overlooking the plaza at Lincoln Center. Julianna Margulies to Christie Brinkley added star power while fragrance & fashion icons Vera Wang, Anna Sui and Narciso Rodriguez joined us to celebrate.

A huge congratulations to all of our 2024 TFF Awards winners, the finalists, and of course our incredible honorees. From heritage brands to indies, and perfume pioneers to legacy leaders, the spectrum of excellence on stage was unparalleled from the awards handed out to the honorees inducted including Givaudan CEO Gilles Andrier as Hall of Fame honoree and Bvlgari and Louis Vuitton Master Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud as Lifetime Achievement Perfumer. 

A special feature of the night was the creative collaboration between Rhael LionHeart Cape and Louie Schwartzberg bringing poetry & photography together, elevating fragrance discovery to new heights.

With the glow from the Awards still shining, we will be busy throughout the summer planning a fantastic line-up for the fall season filled with great TFF programming. From Scents of Success to launching Fragrance Escentials, plus media tours, TFF will be reaching more & more people who share a love & passion for fragrance as we do. 

Please enjoy this special TFF 2024 Awards edition of ACCORDS!

Have a wonderful summer.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Always one of my favorite features in Accords is when we shine a spotlight and welcome new members to TFF.  It signals that our industry is thriving with new brand introductions and fragrance launches, and that our membership & fragrance community is growing. Every day we celebrate our #1 priority to expand our membership with new brands of varied sizes & diverse brand stories, as these six certainly illustrate. We are happy to welcome all to the TFF family & community.

May also signals one of our most important spring time gift-giving holidays, Mother’s Day. Fragrances remain a top go-to gift, from the finest florals to the fruit forward scents of the season. We reached the consumer in cities across America from Atlanta & Miami to Las Vegas & Washington, DC at this all important time to shop through TV.  

These TV shows also allowed me to encourage Consumer Choice voting across the USA. We reached of over 9 million via TV & with huge support from our 18 Finalists across the 3 categories, the # of consumers voting this year increased by over 60%. Through social media and press, we had the biggest activation yet!

We are in the final countdown to our June 5th, 2024 Awards Ceremony! It will be a spectacular night when the fragrance community gathers together for the industry’s most illustrious honors. We have so much to celebrate this year including the 75th Anniversary of The Fragrance Foundation to all of our winners & honorees and the achievements we have accomplished together.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

The April issue of ACCORDS captures the spirit and kicks off of our annual Awards season. From the Luncheon on, TFF is now officially in countdown mode to the June ceremony extravaganza.  

This year’s luncheon had more members and media attend than ever before. The afternoon was filled with memorable moments and the room with a sold-out crowd. With finalists for 19 categories announced and five winners revealed, the energy was dynamic. Awards winners included categories from the Indies to the Innovations & from the Editorial to the Packaging,  which will be celebrated again at the June event. The much anticipated announcement of the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud, Master Perfumer of Bvlgari & Louis Vuitton, was also made.

Our special guests at the luncheon touched a chord with guests. Alka Joshi’s story was heartfelt. Weaving in her homeland and heritage, she recounted her personal journey to learn about the fragrance industry and celebrate India’s influence from the scents she called home.

We welcomed a legend of fragrance to the stage, the one-and-only Michael Edwards. Michael’s impact on our industry has been immeasurable. On a global tour, his stop at our luncheon coincided with the launch of his iconic book, American Legends. 

Celebrating the incredible industry and impact of American fragrance, TFF & The FIT Foundation co-hosted a special evening with Michael Edwards for the students of FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology). Michael took us through the storied journey of American fragrances with milestones marked by 40 iconic fragrances.

As the month ends, the start of May will bring the Consumer Choice categories to the public for voting. These Awards are one of the most anticipated as the finalists and ultimate winners have captured the hearts and minds of the consumer.

See you all soon in person or on TV or social in May as we promote Consumer Choice Voting along with influencers, retailers & brands.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Our March issue of Accords is a great platform to welcome back Bath & Body Works to TFF & shine a spotlight on Gina Boswell. Gina & I met decades ago, so it is both heartwarming on a personal level as well as professionally exhilarating to reconnect officially in her 2nd year as she leads BBW to bring a huge business to its next level. BBW shares TFF’s objectives & values so together we will be able to reach millions in the USA population expanding #FragranceForwardTFF, highlighting perfumers, educating associates & inspiring all to discover fragrance in new ways.

Earlier in March, TFF kicked off The Fragrance Day with a new media dinner event highlighting the connection of fragrance to food & wine with focus on perfumers, sustainability, & spring ingredient trends. Thanks to our Fragrance House Sponsors: Givaudan, Takasago, MANE, Robertet and dsm-Firmenich & an extraordinary dinner by Executive Chef Fariyal Abdullahi at the Marcus Samuelsson restaurant Hav & Mar.

The Fragrance Day March 21, 2024, expanded to the entire month as TFF members focused on fragrance launches, perfumers, sustainability & major activations. After several years of experiencing fragrance often in isolation, we all got back out there where the return to shopping in stores & gatherings of the community with consumers resulted in pure joy as well as a monetization of sales on the calendar.

We at TFF extend a huge thank you to all our members & the community for the support & excitement that brought The Fragrance Day expansion to Fragrance Week & Fragrance Month across the USA! Together we can accomplish so much more than we can do alone & this proved it! Video recaps will be shared as the month concludes so be on the lookout for each week’s Noteworthy & on our website.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This issue of Accords provides an opportunity to celebrate our newly elected Board Director Chris Collins who was also named Chair of the new Entrepreneur Committee. Creating this committee with its Chair on the board is a natural next step in the evolution of #FragranceForwardTFF & will add a significant voice & role of entrepreneurial brands in our community.

Chris was unanimously endorsed by the board for these roles & TFF’s full membership voted to add him officially to the board. This endorsement of Chris in these roles is based on the significant World of Chris Collins brand he created plus his major contributions & actions for #FragranceForwardTFF. He is a true leader who teaches us that aspiring young professionals need to see someone who looks like them & not just recognize but to celebrate diversity.

Accords features the 14 2024 Notables, providing each of them the opportunity to express what this recognition means to them & how they will pay it forward at TFF & beyond. The new Notables event received rave reviews based on these up & coming professionals celebrating with the entire community & setting their sights on initiatives individually as well as a group too.

While world events continue to challenge all of us, let us always be a united community & celebrate our creativity & achievements within & even more significantly with consumers.

We look forward to celebrating The Fragrance Day on March 21 with all as we drive consumers into stores to discover the artistry & passion of fragrance.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

Accords 5 Year Anniversary

Our Spotlight in this issue features Debbi Hartley-Triesch, Nordstrom EVP GMM Accessories & Beauty, who joined TFF’s Executive Committee as of 2024. We welcome Debbi who has served as a Director on our Board & Chair of our Customer Engagement Committee & has been an enthusiastic supporter of TFF for decades.

With 2024 marking the fifth anniversary of the debut of our digital magazine, ACCORDS, TFF expands our coverage with exclusive editorial content focusing on TFF members, fragrance and the future. Guest writers covering the fragrance world with success reaching consumers will bring new, forward-looking and in-depth takes on industry forecasts and trends, and innovative member initiatives.

Debuting with this issue, ACCORDS feature editor Pia Velasco brings her unique global and journalistic perspective to our digital pages. This extra special content debuts in our Scents & Sensibility section creating newsworthy narratives that capture the essence of the fragrance industry in a feature-length format, written with an insider’s look.

Pia Velasco is a seasoned beauty journalist with over a decade of editorial experience. She has held positions at outlets such as Vogue, Good Housekeeping, People en Español, and InStyle, where she served as the senior editor, leading the beauty coverage. She also has bylines in Allure, Byrdie, Latina, Elle, and more. Currently working as a freelancer, Pia also provides consultancy services for Fortune 500 companies, including Dove and SnapChat. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from New York University and a Master of Science in journalism from Columbia University. She is also an advisory board member at Sparks & Honey, a cultural intelligence consultancy in Manhattan.

Enjoy this 2024 premiere issue & thank you to our contributors as well as our talented TFF ACCORDS editor since we debuted 5 years ago, April Long.

As a community of creators and storytellers, these new special features will be a place where the art, science, and business of our industry will converge and be celebrated through compelling content. We are beyond thrilled to have Pia share our mission of inspiring the world to discover the artistry and passion of fragrance through her stories.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

All of us at The Fragrance Foundation are grateful for our Board of Directors, members & those in the community who supported us throughout the year. As a team, we achieved more than ever & I am grateful to Elina, Allison, Sharné, Chelsea & Cheryl.

We are grateful for our united commitment to #FragranceForwardTFF and The Pledge which is more important than ever: We commit to being fragrance forward by holding ourselves & our company accountable at all levels to drive diversity, equity & inclusion.

In this year, I became comfortable being uncomfortable & learned to celebrate TFF success marking my 6th year in my position. I was deeply grateful for being honored as the first ever Catalyst Champion by The New York Urban League in February & in October as an inductee to TFF’s Circle of Champions.

Next year we have set even higher goals & with your support we will achieve them together.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

Our TFF Catalyst Initiative officially launched with The New York Urban League in late August & is now moving forward with monthly activations & communications. In the Spotlight section of Accords, the leaders at NYUL share how & why we are now officially connected & it makes us so very proud to join together as #FragranceForwardTFF.

In our early stages now, we are spending time getting to know each other. We know it is important to share who we are as well as our missions & objectives, translating these to our actions that unite us to bring diversity to the fragrance community. Our emphasis is focused on actions so that students & young professionals are welcomed, celebrated & recruited for roles throughout the fragrance community & industry.

In Scents & Sensibilities, we asked new TFF Board members to share their perspectives of the new Fall season. Also, each executive explains how important both creativity and gratitude are in their leadership roles.

We are thrilled to also feature some of the next generation of Perfumers who share how their travels this summer have inspired their outlook going forward and how fragrances can transport us to new destinations. They also enjoy sharing what excites them and will affect their future creations.

As we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month officially through October 15th, we recognize the major contributions this important part of the fragrance community makes every day of the year. We value the talent that is brought to the industry as well as the consumers across the USA!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy
@fragrancefoundation

This year marks the 50th year of our signature event, The 2023 Fragrance Foundation Awards which was held June 15th at Lincoln Center. Over 900 attended the awards presentation in person & thousands joined us on social media. We all agreed it was more spectacular than ever.

The ceremony, a creative collaboration with award-winning artist and filmmaker Louie Schwartzberg, revealed winners across 14 categories and highlighted the winners from 5 categories previously awarded at the 2023 Awards Luncheon held in April where finalists for all 19 categories were announced.
Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal was inaugurated into The Fragrance Foundation Hall of Fame with actress Cate Blanchett presenting him the award. Anne Flipo, master perfumer at IFF, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award.

Our star lineup of presenters from the worlds of design, entertainment, ballet & small fragrance brand founders all shared their passion for fragrances as the TFFAwards announced the winners.

We celebrated TFF Awards in a magnificent way, but what has affected this signature event, and what I am most proud of, is the diversity of people and creations we are celebrating. #FragranceForwardTFF

Enjoy this special June issue of Accords by our Editor April Long. To experience more of our TFF Awards event, view the Awards winners, & see photos that capture our iconic evening, CLICK THROUGH HERE!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

courtesy of @gettyimages @fragrancefoundation

TFF proudly celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in this issue of Accords! By featuring individuals in our fragrance community who share how their heritage, culture and experiences contribute to their creative vision and fragrance success, we recognize our diversity makes us all stronger together in the fragrance world.

Vera Wang’s drive and evolution from figure skater to editor to designer and on to fragrance creator and more, is truly exceptional! In this interview, our editor April Long prompts Vera to share inside personal stories that perhaps only the Veragang have heard before and allows our audience to truly get the inside scoop.

For all she has achieved so far and for all that is still ahead the culmination was during March, Women’s History month, when President Biden honored Vera Wang with the National Medal of Arts. Click here to see the ceremony at the White House!

The very talented AAPI Perfumers and brand creators share their visions and fragrances based on their history, while each and every one is extraordinary and unique. Enjoy the journey we take you on in May Accords!

#FragranceForwardTFF

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

The Fragrance Foundation 2023 Awards season kicked off April 4th at our annual Luncheon event which was bigger and better than ever! At elegant Cipriani 42 on a magnificent Spring day, we had an exciting event celebration with 300+ guests. I shared the big reveal of Anne Flipo, Master Perfumer at IFF, as this year’s Lifetime Achievement Perfumer. Anne will be honored at our TFF Awards ceremony on June 15th at Lincoln Center. 

In addition to announcing the Finalists in all 19 Awards categories and 5 category winners, Indie brands were highlighted with fragrance demonstrated before the luncheon from:

Amouage Opus XIV Royal Tobacco 

Arquiste Parfumeur Indigo Smoke     

Marc-Antoine Barrios Encelade 

Parfums Quartana Lerofante Extrait de Parfum 

Perfumehead Cosmic Cowboy 

Taffin Fragrance Le Gris

Veronique Gabai Ready for Rose 

The Phluid Project INTENTION Eau de Parfum 

Matiere Premiere Crystal Saffron  

 A great surprise for the guests was our multi-talented Emcee Cheryl Wills, Author and TV Personality on Spectrum News NY1, who shared the story of her great great great grandparents Emma and Sandy Wills. Now Emma’s story continues to be shared as the books have already been passed on to TFF’s community of children, schools in NYC and more.

As sustainability is a major priority for all at TFF, members celebrated in store and online on Earth Day and more with a myriad of activities.

We look forward to a fabulous Mother’s Day in May as well as the exciting Consumer Choice Voting.

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

This year The Fragrance Day and surrounding days were BIGGER than ever! We are growing participation beyond the fragrance community by engaging consumers through our online events, retail events and major TV exposure across the USA!

TFF premiered on March 21st to an online audience of nearly 8,000 pre-registered viewers of which half were consumers! TFF members’ exclusive content includes participation by brands, Fragrance Houses, Perfumers, The Monell Center and so much more! All this great content continues to be accessible, so please visit our Youtube Channel to view all the fabulous Fragrance Day content on demand! 

As we celebrate the final days of Women’s History Month, Sabrya Meflah of IFF and Tricia Butler of LVMH share how they inspire their teams in this issue of Accords, with further insights based on their Fragrance Day discussions with me. Dr. Pam Dalton from the Monell Center provided further updates on the sense of smell research.

My TV tour was an exciting Fragrance Day marathon with 8 MILLION media impressions, with 10 in market and national TV interviews + 7 online features. While I was in person in the studio here in New York City for NY1 Spectrum with Cheryl Wills In Focus series for Women in Business, the Spring TV Tour from TFF’s office studio included appearances covering several states across the nation.

Fragrance Day’s major activities also included student interactive events to celebrate with our Scents of Success partners at The City College of New York, Spelman College, Florida State University and the Fashion Institute of Technology. TFF’s Sharné Jackson and Cheryl Fried partnered with brand teams from Givenchy, NEST New York and more bringing Fragrance Day to the campuses.

We look forward to more scent journeys with you this Spring as The Fragrance Foundation Awards season gets underway!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

What a great way to celebrate Black History Month! 

The New York Urban League honored me and The Fragrance Foundation for its first-ever Catalyst Award. The Champions Awards symposium and luncheon at The Plaza in NYC was attended by many TFF Board members and members of the fragrance community. The half day event gave all attendees an opportunity to learn about NYUL programs and meet their talented team. This was the official launch of The Fragrance Foundation Catalyst Initiative, which will benefit NYUL’s Diversity & Inclusion Lab and provide training, career development, mentorship and job opportunities for professionals of color interested in careers in the fragrance industry. 

Thank you to Arva Rice, NYUL CEO, and Helen Shelton, Chair of this event and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Finn Partners. Helen and our Executive Director Sharné Jackson at TFF have been valued partners for their vision, guidance and implementation of TFF’s DEI initiative #FragranceForwardTFF. 

There was huge media outreach, as well as many in the media reaching out to us, with results that are monumental. The TV coverage, as well as far reaching media online, brought our industry initiative to the forefront. Now #FragranceForwardTFF has been amplified to the entire USA big time, and we will continue to galvanize the community uniting all for our #1 priority DEI.

February was also a milestone for the first in person Notables event after the last two years celebrating virtually. With L’Oréal Luxe as our generous hosts at their Hudson Yards Le Café, the evening celebration was fabulous and each 2023 Notable shared their passion for fragrance and their personal dedication to #FragranceForwardTFF. In this issue of Accords, you can learn more about these truly Notable individuals who we value to join the Notables Think Tank and contribute to our TFF future!

Next month we look forward to celebrating The Fragrance Day on March 21st and the weeks around that date, as well as International Women’s History Month!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation

The New Year 2023 has begun with a major lift off as we all are moving forward at a velocity we have not been able to activate or maintain for the past few years. While challenges will continue and possibly accelerate, growth and reinvention are key to our success.

We at TFF are welcoming new Directors to our Board, with several featured in this issue. Some we have known for years, and all are in exciting positions for which we value their fresh perspectives and appreciate their support and contributions. 

Starting this month, together with all of the Board, we are formulating plans and exchanging ideas to build the future together based on our mission and objectives. New initiatives will unfold in the coming months and our newly formed TFF Committees will define strategies and action plans for DEI, Education, Sustainability and Consumer Engagement. All we achieve will include #FragranceForwardTFF expanding our community; welcoming and celebrating all! 

This issue also includes the forecast and commentary from Fragrance Houses who share their 2023 visions for ingredients and consumer fragrance habits. The trends and ingredients evolve based on scientific discoveries, cultural shifts and ever changing lifestyles, so while we find some shared predictions, each of the houses also have unique insights.

All of us at TFF look forward to in person events in the next months with you all, as well as all you can share socially online to keep us updated. As we celebrate the Lunar New Year we look to the year of the Rabbit which predicts longevity, peace and prosperity, which we wish for all in the fragrance community and beyond!

President, The Fragrance Foundation

@linda_g_levy

@fragrancefoundation