The women’s U.S. prestige fragrance industry is experiencing a shift in the types of scents being purchased, according to a recent report by The NPG Group. Overall, total industry dollar sales declined to $2 billion in 2013; however, during that same time period sales of woody oriental scents and smaller segments increased.

“Floral fragrances aren’t fading away, but less traditional scents are gaining more of the attention from female consumers than ever before,” said Karen Grant, Vice President and Senior Global Industry Analyst, The NPD Group, Inc. “Fragrance is a powerful tool that can exude an image and even empower an individual as an expression of personal preference. With the emergence of more artisanal scents on the market, women are welcoming the opportunity to experiment and explore different options.”

Although still a small portion of the market with just 7% of women’s fragrance dollar sales, standalone oriental, woods, citrus, and fruity fragrances are growing at the expense of the larger segments, including the top selling fragrance family, floral. In U.S. prestige women’s fragrance dollar sales performance for 2013, oriental had a 2% dollar share, up 2%; woods had a 2% dollar share, up 11%; citrus had a 2% dollar share, up 6%; and fruity had a 1%, up 123%.Woody oriental, the second largest fragrance family, is the only one of the larger blended fragrance families to experience growth in 2013 with a 19% dollar share, a 4% increase versus last year.

Ranked in order of 2013 dollar sales, the top 5 US women’s prestige fragrance brands were Coco Mademoiselle (wood oriental); Chanel No. 5 (soft floral); Light Blue (floral); Flowerbomb (woody oriental) and Beautiful (floral).

“The recognizable classics remain strong, but new players are important rising stars to watch,” said Karen. “Today, the opportunity for reinvention afforded by a novel scent coexists with the instant indulgence provided by the classics.”