Now in its 14th edition, Esxence, The Art Perfumery Event, aims to unfold vibrant energy with a line-up of new brands and olfactory experiences. The annual gathering, held at Allianz MiCo in the city life district of Milan, hosts both the national and international artistic perfumery industry for four days of exploration into the world of fragrance.
Each edition of Esxence strives to foster the highest level of olfactory culture to a diverse audience of both professionals and enthusiasts. Throughout the event, visitors are presented with an engaging schedule of meetings, workshops and sensory journeys led by esteemed international experts, scholars, and researchers. Notable figures at Esxence include Annick Le Guérér, an anthropologist, historian, and perfume expert, along with Calice Becker, director of the Givaudan Perfumery School and copresident of the International Society of Perfumers-Creators.
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This year’s theme, Metamorphosis, will guide visitors through a journey of transformation and natural evolution of perfume from the raw materials shaping fragrance over time to the enjoyment of new sensory emotions that the transformation of the surrounding environment evokes.
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“Esxence is the most important global meeting to celebrate the essence of high-quality olfactory culture,” said Maurizio Cavezzali, cofounder of Esxence and chief executive officer of Equipe Exhibit. “It serves as the stage for the debut of the most promising emerging brands and enhances the whole industry by shaping new trends.”
Attendees at Esxence, including distributors, buyers, industry professionals and fragrance enthusiasts, will be invited to attend presentations that will exclusively feature Milan’s preeminent artistic production in the industry. Additionally, the new venue, which nearly doubles the size of last year’s event, will highlight explorations of brands alongside spotlighted emerging and innovative brands.
Highlighted this year will be contemporary topics including initiatives that will dive into the perception and diffusion of research perfumery in Eastern markets, with an emphasis on the Middle East and China. Other topics of conversation include artificial intelligence, sustainability and olfactory education. CFF Creative Flavours & Fragrances will host a special workshop where participants can explore distinctive blends and raw materials with expert guidance.
Esxence’s annual commitment, Maurizio said, is to curate an experience that offers visitors the best of the world’s artistic perfumery. “We strive to evolve, drawing on our established experience and exploring key industry trends through ongoing work on research. This year, our focus is to consolidate the international promotion of Esxence activities in key countries, a journey started in 2022 through a valuable collaboration with the Italian Trade Agency (ITA).”
Exhibitors at Esxence represent well-established and emerging brands that epitomize excellence within the artistic perfumery industry. This year, the upcoming event will feature 360 brands from 30 different countries including new participants from Australia, Korea, the Netherlands, and Estonia joining brands from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Austria, Czech Republic, Sweden, Switzerland, U.S. and Japan, among others.
According to the company’s research, data shows that the share of global artistic perfumery is nearly two percent. In the Italian market, specifically, the turnover volume of artistic perfumery in 2023 was estimated at over 310 million euros, corresponding to 2 percent of the Italian beauty business on the domestic market, showing the rapid transformation of niche perfumery.
Cavezzali points to collaborations in recent years as valuable partnerships for Esxence as Milan has “become the reference capital of artistic perfumery worldwide” and “has become an important city for the national cosmetics and perfumery supply chain.” He expressed gratitude to ITA for its valuable support in facilitating the internationalization process of the event. Looking ahead, Esxence will also partner with Milano Beauty Week in late September 2024 and will collaborate with Cosmoprof which he says, “will further help us in the process of growth and development of Esxence, both nationally and internationally.”
As Esxence continues to grow, Silvio Levi, cofounder of Esxence said he sees that Esxence has marked its evolution into a distinctive international benchmark within the perfumery sector. For the first time and in collaboration with the American Art & Olfaction Awards, Esxence will now host the minoritè Chinese Artistic Perfumery Awards, which he says is telling of the bridge between cultures, histories and creativity that is Esxence.
“We have successfully bestowed an identity upon an industry that has significantly contributed to the enhancement of quality perfumery consumption,” said Levi. “Many new companies and activities were created as a result of international connections, and we are proud to have offered these opportunities. The extreme vibrancy of acquisitions by investors and multinational groups involving our exhibitors is a clear sign of how art perfumery is growing and expressing its potential. The number of applications and emerging brands is growing exponentially, and we are pleased to notice more and more nations and cultures being represented.”