dsm-firmenich transforms Pantone’s color of the year into mood-shaping scent

Pantone has revealed its color of the year for 2026, a bright white called Cloud Dancer. The fragrance industry is already rolling out scents inspired by the shade.  

dsm-firmenich has created a fragrance collection that translates Pantone’s 2026 color of the year into scent. The health and beauty company has been the official sensory partner of Pantone Color of the Year since 2001. 

Utilizing dsm-firmenich’s creations, smart home fragrance brand Pura has released a scent inspired by Cloud Dancer. The fragrance was developed with perfumers Clement Gavarry and Erwan Raguenes from dsm-firmenich.

The mood of color

dsm-firmenich’s Cloud Dancer fragrance collection was inspired by rhythm, tempo, and emotion. It features ten fragrances in various formats, including eau de parfum, eau de toilette, candle, body mist, face and body cream, room spray, and liquid hand soap.

“The partnership fuses science with the art of color and fragrance, resulting in scents that unite delight and care, bringing a new dimension to serenity and well-being,” says dsm-firmenich.

Color and fragrance meet in Cloud Dancer. The Cloud Dancer collection aims to evoke the mood of the color. To do so, it implements dsm-firmenich’s proprietary EmotiOn neuroscientific program. EmotiOn combines neuroscience, behavioral science, data, AI, and consumer research to create scents that evoke specific emotional states.

The range also incorporates EmotiCode focus, a set of “fragrance design rules” that help consumers achieve increased mental performance. 

\dsm-firmenich’s ingredients, Patchouli Heart Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Coconut NaturePrint, and Clearwood Prisma are used in the formulations. 

Supercritical Fluid Extraction is an extraction process that preserves the natural profile of an ingredient. NaturePrint is a proprietary collection of fragrance materials that uses headspace technology to capture the essence of an ingredient while preserving biodiversity. Clearwood Prisma is a biotech ingredient with a woody-patchouli character, enhanced oakmoss, and facets of amber.

“It is a color that expresses serenity and calm, like white florals that express the same emotional tone. From top to bottom, these scents are imbued with a feeling of serenity, a calming influence in a fast-paced world,” says the ingredients company.

Emotional experience

Pura has collaborated with Pantone and dsm-firmenich perfumers to create a home care scent that invites the user to “slow down.” The product is available for a limited time. Pantone’s 2026 shade inspires new fragrances. 

Tapping into the mood-evoking scent experience, Pura’s fragrance aims to disconnect consumers from the world’s busyness. 

“Scent, like color, has the power to shift emotions,” says Mara Dumski, Pura’s chief fragrance experience officer. “With Cloud Dancer, we wanted to create a sensory interpretation of calm, a moment of quiet amid the noise.”

The fragrance features top notes of bergamot, freesia, magnolia, and solar bloom. It is balanced with soft musk, amber, and sandalwood.