By Creezy Courtoy, IPF Founder and Chair
A Country With a Perfume History Looks Toward a New Olfactory Future
On 15 October 2026, the Principality of Andorra will welcome the Andorra Beauty Congress 2026 – The Omnichannel Beauty Innovation Congress, bringing together professionals from cosmetics, perfumery, beauty, retail and personal care.
But there is another reason why holding such an event in Andorra makes particular sense.
Andorra already has a history with perfume.
Perfume and beauty have played an important role in the Principality’s commercial development for generations. In 1939, at just 17 years old, Andorran entrepreneur Júlia Bonet opened her first beauty business in Escaldes-Engordany. Travelling to France, she brought back perfumes and cosmetics that were difficult to find in the region at the time. What began as one young woman’s entrepreneurial vision would eventually develop into an important perfumery business and become part of Andorra’s modern beauty story.
Over the decades, perfumeries became a familiar part of Andorra’s shopping landscape. Even Andorra’s official tourism information describes perfumery and cosmetics establishments as having a particularly strong presence in the Principality’s commercial areas.
Andorra even created a place dedicated to preserving perfume culture. The Museu del Perfum – Fundació Júlia Bonet, inaugurated in 2004, told the story of perfume through thousands of essences and objects, with a collection reported at around 39,000 pieces. Although the museum closed its doors in 2021, its existence illustrates the special place fragrance has occupied in Andorra’s cultural as well as commercial history.
From Perfume Shopping to Perfume Experience
Today, the relationship between consumers and perfume is changing.
People no longer discover beauty exclusively at the perfume counter. They move between physical retail, e-commerce, marketplaces and social commerce, discovering a brand online, following its story through social media and ultimately wanting to experience the product in person.
This is precisely where perfume presents an interesting challenge for omnichannel retail. You can discover a perfume brand digitally, but you cannot smell a perfume through a screen. Scent requires experience.
The Andorra Beauty Congress will explore this meeting point between technology and physical experience, with particular attention to sensory retail, neuromarketing, ritual, test & try and stimulus design.
For Natural Perfumery, these questions are especially relevant. When consumers meet the perfumer, smell natural materials, discover where ingredients originate and understand the story behind a composition, perfume becomes much more than another beauty product. It becomes an experience.
Turning Andorra into a Living Beauty Destination
The Congress takes place within Andorra és Bella, a week of activities transforming Andorra la Vella into a living stage for beauty.
The experience will therefore extend beyond the conference room and into the city itself.
From 16 to 18 October, brands will have opportunities to meet consumers directly through activities and booths in the streets.
This combination of professional exchange and public experience is particularly interesting for the future of perfumery.
It connects B2B with B2C, digital discovery with physical experience, and international brands with a destination.
Natural Perfumery Joins the Story
The International Perfume Foundation (IPF) will participate in the Andorra Beauty Congress, bringing Natural Perfumery into this conversation about the future of fragrance, retail and consumer experience.
IPF Founder and President Creezy Courtoy will speak at the Congress about Natural Perfumery and the opportunity to reconnect the future of fragrance with nature, craftsmanship, authenticity and perfume heritage.
And October may only be the beginning.
A larger event is already being envisioned for May 2027, creating the possibility of developing an even stronger relationship between Andorra and the international perfume community. IPF member natural perfume brands will be been invited to participate in the public activities surrounding the Congress, giving visitors an opportunity to discover Natural Perfumery directly.
Perhaps, then, the question is no longer simply why perfume should come to Andorra.
Perfume has been part of Andorra’s story for decades. Now the opportunity is to write its next chapter — and to make Andorra a new destination for perfume.
Join us for the Andorra Beauty Congress 2026 on October 15
More info
But there is another reason why holding such an event in Andorra makes particular sense.
Andorra already has a history with perfume.
Perfume and beauty have played an important role in the Principality’s commercial development for generations. In 1939, at just 17 years old, Andorran entrepreneur Júlia Bonet opened her first beauty business in Escaldes-Engordany. Travelling to France, she brought back perfumes and cosmetics that were difficult to find in the region at the time. What began as one young woman’s entrepreneurial vision would eventually develop into an important perfumery business and become part of Andorra’s modern beauty story.
Over the decades, perfumeries became a familiar part of Andorra’s shopping landscape. Even Andorra’s official tourism information describes perfumery and cosmetics establishments as having a particularly strong presence in the Principality’s commercial areas.
Andorra even created a place dedicated to preserving perfume culture. The Museu del Perfum – Fundació Júlia Bonet, inaugurated in 2004, told the story of perfume through thousands of essences and objects, with a collection reported at around 39,000 pieces. Although the museum closed its doors in 2021, its existence illustrates the special place fragrance has occupied in Andorra’s cultural as well as commercial history.
From Perfume Shopping to Perfume Experience
Today, the relationship between consumers and perfume is changing.
People no longer discover beauty exclusively at the perfume counter. They move between physical retail, e-commerce, marketplaces and social commerce, discovering a brand online, following its story through social media and ultimately wanting to experience the product in person.
This is precisely where perfume presents an interesting challenge for omnichannel retail. You can discover a perfume brand digitally, but you cannot smell a perfume through a screen. Scent requires experience.
The Andorra Beauty Congress will explore this meeting point between technology and physical experience, with particular attention to sensory retail, neuromarketing, ritual, test & try and stimulus design.
For Natural Perfumery, these questions are especially relevant. When consumers meet the perfumer, smell natural materials, discover where ingredients originate and understand the story behind a composition, perfume becomes much more than another beauty product. It becomes an experience.
Turning Andorra into a Living Beauty Destination
The Congress takes place within Andorra és Bella, a week of activities transforming Andorra la Vella into a living stage for beauty.
The experience will therefore extend beyond the conference room and into the city itself.
From 16 to 18 October, brands will have opportunities to meet consumers directly through activities and booths in the streets.
This combination of professional exchange and public experience is particularly interesting for the future of perfumery.
It connects B2B with B2C, digital discovery with physical experience, and international brands with a destination.
Natural Perfumery Joins the Story
The International Perfume Foundation (IPF) will participate in the Andorra Beauty Congress, bringing Natural Perfumery into this conversation about the future of fragrance, retail and consumer experience.
IPF Founder and President Creezy Courtoy will speak at the Congress about Natural Perfumery and the opportunity to reconnect the future of fragrance with nature, craftsmanship, authenticity and perfume heritage.
And October may only be the beginning.
A larger event is already being envisioned for May 2027, creating the possibility of developing an even stronger relationship between Andorra and the international perfume community. IPF member natural perfume brands will be been invited to participate in the public activities surrounding the Congress, giving visitors an opportunity to discover Natural Perfumery directly.
Perhaps, then, the question is no longer simply why perfume should come to Andorra.
Perfume has been part of Andorra’s story for decades. Now the opportunity is to write its next chapter — and to make Andorra a new destination for perfume.
Join us for the Andorra Beauty Congress 2026 on October 15
More info
RSS Feed
