Trade Talks Tuesday: FYG Home on Fragrance, Wellbeing & Storytelling

Home fragrance has evolved far beyond candles and diffusers. Today, consumers are increasingly using scent to create atmosphere, establish daily rituals, and bring a sense of wellbeing into their homes.

For this edition of Trade Talks Tuesday, we spoke with Demi Pendakis, founder of FYG Home, about the growing role of fragrance in modern living, why storytelling has become essential for lifestyle brands, and how retailers can create stronger emotional connections with customers.

About FYG Home

Founded by Demi Pendakis, FYG Home (Find Your Glow) creates home fragrance collections designed around mood, memory and emotion. From candles and diffusers to innovative fragrance concepts, every collection is created to help customers transform everyday spaces into places of comfort, calm and connection.

Website: https://fyghome.com/

Home fragrance has grown significantly in recent years. Why do you think consumers are investing more in scent and wellbeing products today?

I think consumers are investing more in home fragrance because the home has become so much more than just a place to live. It is now our sanctuary, our workspace, our place of rest, our social space and, for many people, the one environment they can truly control.

Scent plays a huge part in that. A candle, diffuser or fragrance oil can instantly shift the feeling of a room. It can help someone feel calmer, more focused, more uplifted or more comforted. That emotional connection is incredibly powerful.

Wellbeing has also become more everyday and accessible. Consumers are no longer saving small luxuries for special occasions; they are using them to create daily rituals. Lighting a candle, running a bath, applying a beautifully scented hand cream or changing the fragrance in a room can become a simple moment of pause in a busy day.

At FYG, we have always believed that scent and emotion are deeply connected.

Fragrance can transport you to a memory, a place, a person or a feeling, and I think that is why consumers are continuing to invest in products that make their homes feel more personal and emotionally supportive.

What role does fragrance play in how people experience their homes?

Fragrance is one of the most immediate ways to change how a home feels. You can walk into a room and, before you have noticed the furniture or the colour of the walls, you notice the atmosphere. Scent is a huge part of that atmosphere.

It can define a space. A fresh, citrus scent can make a kitchen or hallway feel clean and energising. A warm, woody fragrance can make a living room feel cosy and inviting. A soft floral or spa-inspired fragrance can make a bedroom or bathroom feel calm and restorative.

For me, fragrance is also deeply tied to memory. It has the ability to take you somewhere else instantly, whether that is a holiday, childhood home, garden, coastline, hotel lobby or festive moment. That is what makes it so special.

At FYG, we design fragrance around mood, memory and ritual. It is not just about making a room smell nice. It is about helping people create a feeling in their home and making everyday moments feel more considered, comforting and personal.

Consumers have more choice than ever before. What makes someone choose one candle or diffuser brand over another?

Choice is huge now, so I think consumers are looking for more than just a pleasant fragrance. They want a brand they can connect with.

The scent itself is still incredibly important, but the full experience matters: the story behind the fragrance, the quality of the ingredients, the design of the packaging, the price point, the sustainability message and how the product makes them feel when they use it or gift it.

People also want to feel that a brand understands their lifestyle. A candle or diffuser is often on display in the home, so the vessel, label and packaging need to sit comfortably within modern interiors. It needs to look as good as it smells.

For FYG, the point of difference is the emotional storytelling behind each scent.

Every fragrance has its own mood, memory or character, from our Back to Basics wellbeing-led fragrances to our new Signature Collection, which allows customers to personalise the vessel with mood-led labels. We want customers to feel that they are not just buying fragrance, they are choosing a feeling.

How important is storytelling when building a fragrance or lifestyle brand today?

Storytelling is essential. In fragrance especially, the story is what helps people understand and emotionally connect with a scent before they have even experienced it.

A fragrance called by name alone can feel quite flat. But when you describe the mood, the memory, the place or the feeling behind it, suddenly the customer can imagine where it belongs in their life. They can picture the room, the moment, the person they might gift it to or the feeling they want to create.

For FYG, storytelling has been part of the brand from the beginning. The business was born from my own connection to scent and memory, and that still runs through everything we create. Whether it is a fragrance inspired by a place, a mood-led Back to Basics scent, or a festive collection built around nostalgic Christmas moments, the story gives the product meaning.

It creates loyalty, recognition and emotional value. Consumers may buy a candle once because they like the scent, but they come back when they feel connected to the world behind it.

Are consumers shopping differently for home fragrance compared to five years ago?

Yes, definitely. Five years ago, many consumers were still shopping home fragrance quite simply: they might choose a candle because they liked the scent or needed a gift. Now, the decision is much more considered.

Customers are thinking about mood, room-setting, sustainability, ingredients, packaging and value. They want fragrance that fits into their lifestyle. They might choose one scent for working from home, another for winding down in the evening, and another for entertaining or gifting.

There is also a growing appetite for formats beyond traditional candles and diffusers. Wax melts, fragrance oils, refillable options and reusable concepts such as Candle Pearls are becoming more relevant because consumers want flexibility, longevity and new ways to fragrance their home.

At the same time, customers are still looking for accessible luxury. They want products that feel special, but they also want to feel they are making a considered purchase. That balance between beauty, quality, purpose and value is very important now.

What role do trade shows still play in helping brands grow, particularly in a sector like home fragrance where scent is such an important part of the product experience?

Trade shows are still incredibly important, particularly for a category like home fragrance. Scent cannot be fully understood through a photograph, catalogue or email. Buyers need to smell the product, hold it, see the packaging, understand the range architecture and imagine how it will sit in their store.

For brands, trade shows also create the opportunity to tell the story properly. You can explain why a fragrance was created, how a collection works, which products are bestsellers, how to merchandise them and where the commercial opportunities are.

Home fragrance is very emotional, so the in-person experience matters. A buyer may smell a fragrance and immediately connect it to their customer, their store environment or a gifting occasion. That moment is difficult to recreate digitally.

Trade shows also help build trust. Buyers want to know the people behind the brand.

They want to understand your passion, your reliability, your product knowledge and your vision.

If you could give one piece of advice to a fragrance brand exhibiting at a trade show for the first time, what would it be?

With fragrance, buyers need to understand why the range exists, who it is for and how it will work in their store. It is not enough to have a beautiful candle or diffuser on a shelf. You need to communicate the mood, the customer, the gifting opportunity, the price architecture and the commercial reason for the buyer to believe in it.

I would also say be prepared. Know your bestsellers, your margins, your lead times, your minimums and your merchandising options. Buyers appreciate creativity, but they also need confidence that the brand can deliver.

Most importantly, invite people into the world of the brand. Let them smell, touch, ask questions and connect emotionally.

If a buyer walks away remembering how your product made them feel, you have done something right.

Key Takeaways

• Home fragrance has become part of consumers' everyday wellbeing rituals, not just an occasional luxury.

• Today's customers buy into stories, emotions and experiences as much as the fragrance itself.

• Beautiful design, sustainability and strong branding are now expected alongside quality products.

• Retail buyers increasingly look for brands with a clear identity and a compelling story they can share with customers.

• For fragrance brands, trade shows remain invaluable because buyers need to experience products in person.

• The most memorable exhibitors don't simply showcase products—they immerse buyers in their brand story.

As consumer expectations continue to evolve, brands that create emotional connections, build memorable stories and deliver meaningful product experiences will be best positioned to stand out. For FYG Home, fragrance is not simply about scent—it's about helping people create moments, memories and spaces that make them feel at home.

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