On July 24, The World Taste & Smell Association will present Future Trends in Taste and Scent, an online presentation offering an insightful look at how we’ll engage with smell and flavors in the future, and what innovations will be part of the consumer products of tomorrow.

Stephanie Feuer interviewed journalist Carla Seipp, who will be moderating the panel.

SF: You cover a range of topics on BeautyMatter, from pumpkin-themed products, to trans inclusivity to animal testing in China. Tell us about your background.

CS: My professional journey began in fashion journalism. I have always loved the interview process and getting to have a peek inside the mind of creatives, entrepreneurs, and all types of innovators. I was lucky enough to intern at and write for the publications that inspired me from the very onset like Twin and Dazed & Confused. As part of my Bachelor’s degree I created a fragrance magazine called Aldehyde and through it met some of the people that gave me my first opportunities in the industry: Grant Osborne of Basenotes and Lizzie Ostrom of Scratch and Sniff events.

After writing about niche fragrance for a few years, I transitioned into trend forecasting, working as a writer for The Future Laboratory. During this time I was asked to co-edit The Essence by gestalten, thanks to the generous recommendation of Karen Orton who I knew through my Dazed days. After finishing the book I reached out to Kelly Kovack on LinkedIn after attending one of the BeautyMatter webinars during lockdown and here we are three years later! All my experience, from the fashion to the fragrance writing to the trend forecasting, amalgamated into the writing that I do today. I would like to think my writing sits somewhere between journalism and pop culture analogy.

SF: So much of beauty is about image. Where do you think scent fits in?

CS: As fragrance journalist Lee Wallick once told me, scent is the ultimate invisible accessory. It’s the final finishing touch you dress yourself in before leaving the house. The fact that scent is something you experience, not see, makes it even more complex of an image-crafting tool in my opinion. You can see someone’s clothes from a mile away but their scent you only witness up close. How close that is of course depends on the sillage of course—there are definitely scents you can smell before someone enters the room—but for your average consumer, I predict they will go with something more subtle. Just like a fashion designer is selling you a story when they present a collection, so too does the perfumer. I am very much a fan of the fragrance wardrobe which changes according to mood and style, but completely understand people who prefer the comfort of a signature scent as well. Scent is the underdog of beauty image creation; it doesn’t shout the loudest, but it nonetheless has a powerful impact.

SF:There’s always something new trending in scent and flavor - the scent of tomato, everything mushroom, customized candles. Some fade, and some endure. Is there a recent trend in scent or flavor that you hope will stick?

CS: While not a trend per se, I am highly intrigued by the potential of biotech innovation when it comes to ingredients on the sustainability front. I don’t know if all our fragrances or foods will be made with lab-grown ingredients only in the future, as I think there is an inherent romanticism attached to the concept of the flower going from field into fragrance bottle, or comfort in knowing your food grew in the ground rather than a Petri dish, but given the vast size of the industries and climate fluctuations, I also don’t think 100% all natural is a viable option either.

As for consumer trends, I do love the more abstract fragrance concepts, such as Steamed Rainbow by D.S. & Durga, or the recent wave of pistachio-scented creations, but because perfume is such a personal choice, I don’t think trends are as inherently necessary to the future of its consumption as they might be to other industries such as fashion. People will continue buying fragrances, yes #perfumetok is a huge sales driver for which brand some might buy, but ultimately it boils down to how you like the fragrance drydown on your skin. That is something no algorithm can predict.

SF: One goal of The World Taste and Smell Association is to elevate our appreciation of our senses of smell and taste. What’s one way people can enhance their appreciation or understanding of smell?

CS: Incorporating mindfulness into your daily scent and taste rituals is one approach. If you are sitting down for a meal, eat without distractions and explore the different tastes and textures of the meal. If you like incense or candles, light one when you get home to unwind. There is so much beauty to discover if only we take the time to stop the everyday hectic hamster wheel and consciously experience it. As for one’s understanding of scents, I have found scent-making workshops really helpful where you get to sniff all the raw materials in their purest state. I was astounded by what actual vanilla smelled like versus how my nose had been trained to smell it from consumer products. But most important of all, stay perpetually curious!

Carla Seipp will be moderating Future Trends in Taste and Scent on July 24 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM (EST) on Zoom. Tickets are $25 and available here.