Black Consumers Drive Fragrance Sales. Now HBCUs Are Helping Build The Industry

As fragrance sales surge, a pipeline launched at Spelman College is working to put more Black talent in the rooms where the industry’s biggest decisions are made.

Black consumers have long been among fragrance’s most committed customers. Now, an HBCU-focused career pipeline is working to ensure they have a bigger hand in shaping the multibillion-dollar industry behind the scents they buy.

U.S. prestige fragrance sales reached $5.9 billion during the first nine months of 2025, according to the Global Cosmetic Industry. Fragrance was also the fastest-growing category in mass-market beauty, climbing 17%. But sales tell only part of the story. Sharné Jackson, the first African American executive director of The Fragrance Foundation, wants to address who gets access to the careers, leadership positions, and entrepreneurial opportunities driving that growth.

Jackson launched the Scents of Success program at Spelman College in 2021 after hearing a recurring story from industry professionals: Many had “simply fell into it before discovering their passion for the category.”

For Jackson, that pointed to an industry awareness problem. “It was then that I saw a need for more education, representation, and access,” she told ESSENCE.

The opportunity is significant. A 2022 report from NPD Group, now part of Circana, found that more than 85% of Black and Hispanic consumers wear fragrance, compared with 78% of the overall U.S. population. More than 60% of consumers in both groups said they do not leave home without wearing fragrance.

Yet that purchasing power has not always translated into representation among perfumers, founders, and executives.

Black entrepreneurs have also faced structural hurdles, including limited access to capital, retail shelf space, raw materials, and traditional European perfumery training. For aspiring professionals, Jackson says another barrier can be simply knowing that fragrance offers careers beyond working behind a retail counter.

“It’s not knowing what is out there,” she said.

Scents of Success aims to broaden that view by exposing students to opportunities in marketing, sales, product development, operations, management, and finance. The program has also expanded its educational efforts through Fragrance Escentials, an introductory online course designed to make the industry more accessible.

For entrepreneurs already building brands, the landscape is shifting, too. Chris Collins launched his Harlem-inspired fragrance company in 2018. Octavia Morgan’s namesake company became the first Black- and woman-owned prestige fragrance brand sold at Ulta Beauty, while Teri Johnson’s Harlem Perfume Company has expanded into retailers including Nordstrom and Bluemercury.

For Jackson, those milestones demonstrate what can happen when access expands.

“Seeing new brands in this space serves as an inspiration for others to see what’s possible,” she said.

The goal ultimately extends beyond getting students through the door. Jackson wants today’s participants to become tomorrow’s executives, founders, and mentors.

“We are planting seeds,” she said. “There is still a lot of work to be done.” And the broader objective is straightforward: “about building community.”