Bell Flavors & Fragrances will release the 2022 Spark trend toolkit to identify contemporary trends in the flavors and fragrances industry. The toolkit includes both macro and micro trends in order to make projections about what’s next, according to the company.
 
The platform identifies five key consumer macro-trends that serve as foundational components of consumer behavior. Micro trends, within the five macros, are year-over-year fads that consumers experience, and are more tied to the world today, according to the company. They are identified by specific consumer actions or changes in market and are seen in current-day culture. Micro trends evolve from the larger macro trends and can be tied to specific markets, categories, flavors, fragrances, and botanicals.
 
The new foundational macro and micro trend structure is new to the Spark toolkit this year, and Bell will combine these with further category and market data to choose the right combinations and trends that will resonate with consumers.
 
Finding Silver Linings
 
The first macro-trend Bell covers involves the silver linings consumers are finding that make people feel comforted, worthwhile, rewarded, and whimsical even in unexpected times. Microtrends include:
 
- Nostalgia, as throwbacks from the most iconic eras are becoming prominent as people are curious to experience whimsical and familiar voices in an immersive landscape;
 
- Enjoying rewards, as the resurgence of sensorial indulgences is making its appearance across categories as consumers are yearning to break free from solitude and experience the next level of life;
 
- Homestyle, as “home is where the heart is. The idea of homestyle can make anyone feel happy, whether across the border or across the street.”
 
Well Balanced
 
Consumers are focused on holistic and self-optimized nutrition, personal care, fitness, and mindfulness. Microtrends include:
 
- Moods and emotions, with consumers gaining a better understanding of the role that focus, memory, creativity, and overall wellbeing play in holistic health;
 
- Self-Care, as individuals experiment with and improve upon diets, and products and practices aside from food are sought for desired effects on the body;
 
- Functional ingredients, as the strategic use of functional ingredients can improve efficacy and intended benefits.
 
Escapism
 
Curious consumers engage and escape through the senses, and both technology and the mind are blurring the boundaries between real life and fantasy. Microtrends include:
 
- Inward, as it becomes undeniable to consumers that state of mind can drastically alter perceptions of the world around us, especially when focusing on imagination, performance, learning, experience, or wellness;
 
- Get Away, as the prospect of escaping somewhere new, triggering the senses, and finding out more about different places around the world becomes appealing;
 
- Multi-Sensorial, as the connections between more than one sense amplify experiences that would otherwise seem one-dimensional.
 
Global Consciousness
 
Consumers are tuning into the daily choices they make, especially in regard to paying it forward to the environment while preserving cultures and traditions. Microtrends include:
 
- Diverse Humanity, as people begin to celebrate the differences and vast culture among humans;
 
- Sustainability, which is becoming central in foods consumed, products used, and all else within the multifaceted approach to sustainability seen today;
 
- Preservation, as support grows for championing rare and endangered ingredients and plants, and celebrating ancient stories and folklore that humans can work to practice and preserve.
 
Together Apart
 
Technology allowing for people to connect in spite of physical and emotional distance between them growing is an important part of consumer culture today, Bell reports. Micro trends include:
 
- Connectivity, with communication, sharing experiences, and bonding over personal triumphs becoming an important way for people to connect;
 
- Joy of Missing Out, as consumers have more time on hand and fewer places to go, causing an appreciation of alone time to reemerge. Slowing down and staying in is becoming a preferred and enjoyable option;
 
- Innovation, as the use of technology comes into play for consumers looking to make tools more efficient, time spent to be made more impactful, food made to taste more delicious and aromas more pleasant, and life in general, to be made more comfortable.