The fragrance market is transforming. Regulatory shifts to lower VOC content (Volatile Organic Compounds, including alcohol) to reduce emissions are accelerating the move toward other types of formulas across beauty categories. 

Consumers are also embracing more gentle formulations with natural ingredients and added skincare benefits, pushing brands to rethink traditional approaches to perfumery.

With the “skinification” trend, the rise of alcohol-free fragrances ,and the microencapsulated fragrance market, new generation formulas raise compatibility issues and technical challenges. 

Aptar Beauty’s Applied Sciences team based in Le Neubourg, France, has been working on next-gen fragrance formulas for over three years. 

They implemented a preventive development strategy to support brands exploring innovative fragrance formulas, including proactive investments in:

• Advanced in-house testing for pump/formula compatibility on next‑gen bulks
• Strategic collaborations and partnerships with several ingredients and formulation specialists
• Direct collaboration and co-creation with fragrance houses 

Thomas Clemence, Scientific Material and Formulation Manager, Aptar Beauty, said,

“Fragrance formulas are evolving, and the fragrance pumps need to adapt. We have been preparing for this shift and have worked to optimize the pumps and formula combination for optimal efficiency.”

With hybrid fragrances, the pump plays a key role in achieving a premium and sensorial user experience. 

Aptar’s HDS INUNE and HDS VP4 fragrance pumps are expertly designed to overcome the technical challenges of alcohol-free formulations. These high-performance fragrance pump and insert combinations dispense a wide-angle, homogenized spray that maintains the premium, sensorial experiences consumers expect of traditional fragrances. 

The biggest challenge with suspended fragrance capsules is that they must remain intact inside the bottle and pump. To preserve the formula’s freshness and integrity, the concentrated fragrance is released just before dispensing. 

Upon actuation, the pump must dispense the gel and the capsules simultaneously, in a well-balanced ratio, without clogging the pump system.

The Aptar Applied Sciences and R&D teams have found the perfect balance to ensure fragrance cartridges and inserts offer seamless diffusion of hybrid formulas, even with suspended caps.

In working with Guerlain’s Aqua Allegoria Perle, and Swiss start-up company Microcaps, Aptar’s R&D team has to optimize the initial formulation by determining the optimal ratio between capsule density and gel viscosity. 

The definitive solution, paired with Aptar’s VP4 fragrance pump, features a smooth spray output and gentle, clog-free actuation, with Aptar’s High-Definition Spray (HDS) insert to deliver a fine mist with a wide-angle diffusion.