Feeling fragrance

London – LS:N Global sat down with Illuminum fragrances creative director Asakala Geraghty to talk about the changing role of olfaction in beauty.

• ‘Smell is the only sense directly linked to the brain’s limbic lobe,’ explains Geraghty, an area also largely responsible for emotion and creativity
• Illuminum’s Dover Street location changes interior three times a year in an exploration of the creative potential of fragrance

Speaking to LS:N Global senior journalist Rowland Manthorpe at this year’s Beauty Futures Network Evening, Geraghty explained the manifesto behind the brand, and the creative inspiration behind its captivating Dover Street store. ‘We see fragrance in a slightly different way, as more of an art form,’ Geraghty told LS:N Global.

Illuminum is about exploring fragrance as a creative medium, using its Dover Street location to explore the relationship between smell and other senses. The space features more than 30 fragrances, which appeals to the growing consumer desire for hyper-personalisation and sets it apart from traditional retailers that stick to a core range of perfumes.

‘We want people to unlearn all of the associations they have with graphics, with bottles and colour, and just smell with their own interpretation,’ said Geraghty.

The Big Picture: Discover the endless possibilities of fragrances from product design to events and retail with our microtrend Sensory Splurge. For more on the latest insights from the rapidly innovating world of beauty, buy a copy of our Beauty Futures 2015 report.