Within the framework of the Barcelona Olfaction Week 2026, the Beauty Cluster celebrated a new edition of Barcelona Perfume Day, a professional day that brought together more than a hundred professionals from the perfumery sector at the Palau Robert in Barcelona.
The meeting gathered perfumers, researchers, innovation experts, fragrance companies, and professionals from across the sector's value chain to analyze the main trends, challenges, and opportunities that will mark the future of the industry.
The day began with the welcome from Patricia Gisbert, Innovation Manager Perfumery of the Beauty Cluster, who highlighted Barcelona's capacity to become a strategic meeting point for olfactory innovation and collaboration between companies, science, and creativity.
The first presentation of the morning was led by Agustí Vidal, perfumer, with the presentation, “Creative or not creative? Is that the question?”, a reflection on the role of creativity within the perfumery process and its evolution in a context increasingly marked by technology and data.
Next, Jorge Miralles, F&F Ingredients consultant in collaboration with Lluch Essence, presented “The essence of leadership: Spain, cradle of production and distribution of aromatic ingredients for world perfumery”, where he highlighted Spain's strategic positioning as one of the great international benchmarks in the aromatic ingredients industry.
Subsequently, Belén García, Master Perfumer of Eurofragance, offered the presentation “Arabian Reverie”, focused on the influence of the Middle East on new olfactory trends and on the growing prominence of intense, sophisticated, and emotional compositions within global perfumery.
The morning continued with Judit Dorda, Marketing Executive, and Montse Cuadradas, Marketing & Project Development Manager of CPL Aromas, who presented “Désir Nomade - A Journey Through Neogourmand Scentscapes”, a session dedicated to the rise of neogourmand fragrances and to the new sensory experiences that are redefining contemporary fine perfumery.
After the coffee break, the day resumed its scientific focus with Cristina Guillem, R&D project director at Aitex, who delved into “Neurosensor innovation: how cosmetics and fragrances awaken our senses”, exploring how neuroscience is increasingly integrated into the development of cosmetic products and olfactory experiences.
Subsequently, Laura López Mascaraque, researcher at the Cajal-CSIC Institute in Madrid and president of ROE and ECRO, offered the presentation “Neuroscience of smell: what we know today (and what's coming)”, an intervention focused on scientific advances in olfactory perception and on future applications of neurosensory research in the fragrance industry.
The international dimension of the market was reflected in the session by Sandra Lucas, perfumer at Iberchem, who analyzed “Trends in fine perfumery: the influence of Colombia in the Latin American market”, focusing on the evolution of the Latin American consumer and the growing cultural impact of the region on perfumery creation.
One of the distinguishing moments of the day came with the presentation and tasting of the project “Aromas that inspire: creating gastronomic experiences”, developed by the students of the CETT Barcelona School of Tourism, Hospitality and Gastronomy. The experience proposed a dialogue between gastronomy and perfumery through culinary creations inspired by olfactory accords and emotions.
The afternoon session began with Alejandra Rivas, director of Rocambolesc, who presented “Desserts of noses”, a presentation in which she explored the relationship between aromas, memory, and gastronomic creation from a sensory and emotional perspective.
Subsequently, professor Xavier Carbonell, from ESCI-UPF – MANGO Chair, offered the talk “Sustainable future: lessons from the textile sector and new perspectives for the perfume industry”, addressing environmental challenges and opportunities for sustainable transformation applied to the fragrance universe.
The closing of the day was led by Karin Bredenberg, Sr. Account Manager - Citrus Lead at LMR Naturals · Inquiaroma, who presented “The future of fragrances: innovation based on renewable ingredients”, focusing her intervention on the development of sustainable and renewable raw materials as one of the great levers of innovation for the sector.
The Beauty Cluster closes a new edition of the Barcelona Perfume Day and invites its attendees to a next edition of the Barcelona Perfumery Congress next year, which will feature a conference program by the main experts in the sector.