Bell Flavors & Fragrances is excited to announce the 2021 Spark platform. Spark is Bell’s trend toolkit that provides a multi-faceted understanding of the consumer with a comprehensive knowledge of the global culinary influences, market dynamics, olfactive landscape and innovations that are shaping how consumers behave, what they consume and what the future of flavors, fragrances and ingredients will look like.

This year’s platform has been reimagined, including macro and micro level trends identifying both the fads we see today in popular culture, but also the core behavior values, market drivers and technology advancements that will last into next year and beyond.

These macro trends serve as the foundation of consumer behaviors that help us shape the micro trends that manifest themselves differently by geography, category, demographic, etc. Under each of the five core macro trends, falls a series of micro trends that take a deeper dive into the specific ingredients, flavors, fragrances and current cultural influences as it pertains to the greater macro trend.

The Micro trends are the current or future years to come fads that consumers experience and help to create based upon what is happening in the world today. They are identified by specific actions or changes in market or consumer dynamics and are seen in current day culture. Micro trends evolve from the larger macro trends and are tied to specific markets, categories, flavors, fragrances and botanicals.

This year’s macro and micro trend buckets are as follows:

Finding Silver Linings

Every moment in life offers the opportunity to learn something about the world, including the silver linings that make people feel comforted, worthwhile, rewarded and even whimsical in the most unexpected times.

MicroTrends:

• Nostalgia: Throwbacks from the most iconic eras are becoming prominent as people are curious to experience whimsical and familiar favorites in an immersive landscape.
• Enjoying Rewards: 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.
• Home-style: Home is where the heart is. The idea of home-style can make anyone feel happy—whether across the border or across the street.

Well Balanced

The beloved wellness trend is continuously evolving as consumers focus more on holistic & self-optimized nutrition, personal care, fitness, and mindfulness.

MicroTrends:

• Moods and Emotions: As consumers continue to gain a better understanding of holistic health, mood and emotions play a key role in ones focus, memory, creativity and overall wellbeing.
• Self-Care: With individuals continuing to experiment with, and improve upon diets, products and practices aside from food are sought after for desired effects on the body.
• Functional Ingredients: The strategic use of functional ingredients can dramatically improve efficacy and intended benefits as consumers look to incorporate them in their food and personal care products.

Escapism

Curious consumers engage and escape through the senses; by the transporting power of technology or of the mind, blurring the boundaries between real life and fantasy.

MicroTrends:

• Inward: The power of the mind has been explored on many different aspects. Whether focusing on fantasy and imagination, performance, learning, experience, or wellness; it becomes undeniable that the state of our mind alters drastically our perception of the world around us.
• Get Away: The prospect of escaping somewhere new, triggers the senses and the need to find out more about different places around the world.
• Multi-Sensorial: The interconnectedness of the senses allows amplifying experiences that would otherwise seem one-dimensional become magical and captivating.

Global consciousness

Daily choices have a major impact on the world and a consumers’ role is to pay it forward to Mother Earth, protecting her from harmful practices, while preserving cultures, traditions and what makes humans, human.

MicroTrends:

• Diverse Humanity: Exploring the vast culture amongst humans. It is a harmonious celebration of how humans differ, yet are the same.
• Sustainability: Sustainability is a multifaceted system. From the foods consumed, to the products used, all of this contributes to the sustainability of the Earth.
• Preservation: Championing rare & endangered ingredients and plants of the Earth and celebrating ancient stories and folklore that humans can work to practice and preserve.

Together apart

While the physical and emotional distance between humans has increased, connections have become more robust as technology has shaped the future to be worlds apart, but closer than ever imagined.

MicroTrends:

• Connectivity: Communication, sharing experiences and bonding over personal triumphs with the world have allowed people to connect in beautiful ways.
• Joy of Missing Out: With more time on hand and fewer places to go, an appreciation of enjoying alone time is reemerging. Slowing down and staying in is becoming a preferred and joyful option.
• Innovation: The use of technology comes into play for consumers looking for ways to make tools more efficient, time spent to be made more impactful, food taste more delicious, aromas smell more pleasant, and life, in general, made more comfortable.