12 Days of Holiday Insights

Season’s Readings, delivered weekly by DAASH

THIS WEEK’S FRONT PAGE: FRAGRANCE

Fragrance is one of the biggest gifting categories of the season, and this holiday the growth is coming from some new places. October units are up about 4% vs. last year, led by Ulta at +9%.

Last week we covered gift sets. This week’s front page: fragrance.

❄ THIS WEEK’S FRONT PAGE: FRAGRANCE ❄

✨ Designer houses are leading the season

Eleven designer houses grew 14% in units, adding about 131K units vs. last October. That’s roughly 92% of fragrance’s total gain. Prada (+45%), Armani (+41%), Jean Paul Gaultier (+35%) and Marc Jacobs (+26%) are out front.

🧴 Minis are winning over holiday shoppers

At Ulta, 10ml minis of Valentino Born in Roma, Billie Eilish Eilish and Burberry Goddess now make up about 40% of those scents’ units, up from about 5% last October. Shoppers want a $30–40 way to try (or gift) a favorite scent, and it’s changing which sizes brands should push this December.

🍊 Fresh notes are having a moment

Brighter scents are growing fastest this season: orange +45%, cedar +35%, mandarin +31% and bergamot +21%. Vanilla is still the most popular note, on 55% of fragrance units, while shoppers are adding fresher scents to the mix.

YOUR HOLIDAY WISHLIST, CHECKED BY DAASH

Fragrance is just one category. Here’s what beauty teams track in DAASH all season, for your brand and every competitor:

Which brands, products and sizes are gaining week to week
The trends, ingredients and notes shoppers are moving toward
How competitors’ holiday sets and launches are performing
Black Friday results for your competitors by Monday, Nov 30
One view across Sephora, Ulta, Amazon, Target and TikTok Shop

That means you can adjust December’s assortment, sizing and holiday plans while shopping is at its peak.

Want to see what’s moving in your categories before December? Grab a time and we’ll walk through it together.
🎁 Grab a time

❄ NEXT WEEK’S FRONT PAGE: TOP PERFORMING CATEGORY ❄