The Fragrance Foundation US: History, Awards, and Education

We are a resource for the industry.

— Linda G. Levy (2017)

The name The Fragrance Foundation Awards sometimes appears on perfume boxes and in advertisements. Often called the Oscars of the perfume world, these awards are only part of the work of the organization behind them.

The Fragrance Foundation is a nonprofit trade organization connecting perfume businesses, fragrance houses, retailers, media, and others in the United States. How should perfume be communicated to the world? How can the people who do that work be trained? And how should the industry’s creativity be celebrated? Awards, education, networking, and public outreach offer different answers to those questions.

The history of the organization, founded in 1949, includes Annette Green’s revival of a body that had almost ceased to function. She sought to change more than how perfume was sold. Her challenge was to make wearing fragrance a more familiar everyday habit.

At a Glance
Its Founding, and How Annette Green Changed Fragrance Habits
Key Dates in the History of TFF US
What Does a Trade Organization Offer Businesses and Fragrance Enthusiasts?
Opening Doors to Fragrance Careers Through Education and Development
Public Outreach and Opportunities to Meet Perfumers
1. Turning Fragrance Day into an Occasion to Smell and Learn
2. Accords: Sharing the Voices of Fragrance Makers
Additional Note
References

At a Glance

Name: The Fragrance Foundation. This article concerns the US organization, TFF US.
Founded: 1949, New York
Companies involved in its founding: Chanel, Coty, Elizabeth Arden, Guerlain, Helena Rubinstein, and Parfums Weil
Organization: A nonprofit membership organization for companies in the fragrance industry
Current leadership: Linda G. Levy is President. Sharné Jackson is Executive Director, overseeing events, education, and Give Back.
Membership: More than 100 companies, including fragrance brands, fragrance houses, retailers, and media businesses
Official website: The Fragrance Foundation

Roles and membership figures follow the official information available in October 2026. Organizations of the same name also exist in Britain and France, but their awards, educational activities, and organizational histories should not be substituted for those of the United States.

TFF US is neither an independent, neutral consumer-testing body nor a public regulator. Its role is to communicate the creativity and value of fragrance and support the industry. Understanding that position is the starting point for taking an informed interest in its activities and awards.

Its Founding, and How Annette Green Changed Fragrance Habits

1949: Growing the Market Beyond Competition Between Brands

The founding companies included French perfume houses and American cosmetics businesses. Companies selling individual perfumes came together to establish an organization that would broaden understanding of fragrance itself.

At the time, encouraging everyday fragrance use was a challenge in the United States. Green later recalled women dressing up on Saturday nights and dabbing a little perfume behind their ears. They owned one fragrance and rarely changed brands. Perfume was reserved for special occasions and was strongly associated with luxury gifts from men to women.

This market needed more than advertising claiming the superiority of a company’s own perfume. It needed efforts to increase the occasions on which people wore fragrance. More users and more occasions would enlarge the shared market on which competing companies depended.

A trade publication from the founding year preserves an outline of this cooperation. In December 1949, TFF chairman J. S. Wiedhopf appointed five committees: planning, finance, trade relations, membership, and promotion. On the planning committee, his own affiliation was listed as Parfums Ciro, while Jean Despres of Coty headed trade relations. H. Gregory Thomas of Chanel and Warren Kane of Lanvin were among the other participants. The membership committee included a representative of the fragrance house Firmenich, while promotion brought together representatives of businesses including Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein.

The six founding companies and the companies that joined subsequent committees were not the same group. Even at this early stage, the organization extended beyond brands alone to connect fragrance materials, sales, and publicity.

From Editing to Perfume Public Relations

Annette Green was not one of the founders in 1949. She was the person who later rebuilt the organization and shaped its direction for around 40 years.

Born in 1924, Green studied journalism at New York University and the New School and began her career at Hearst’s trade journal American Druggist. She worked as an editorial assistant and wrote a column for young women. She subsequently gained experience with a beauty-education newsletter, sales training, beauty magazines, and newspaper women’s pages.

It was Jacques Mohr, president of Lentheric, who brought her into a perfume company. Green became its director of public relations. Writing was joined by communicating products and supporting the people who sold them. She entered the industry not as a specialist in the chemistry of perfume creation, but as someone connecting products with people’s lives.

She eventually established her own marketing and public-relations agency, Annette Green Associates. The request to rebuild TFF came after she had gone independent.

1962: Rebuilding a Struggling Organization

By the late 1950s, TFF had lost industry support and was struggling to operate. Mohr approached Green about rebuilding it in 1961. She became Executive Director in 1962.

Green took on TFF as a pro bono account of her agency. Simply saying that the organization was needed would not bring members back. She gathered longstanding contacts, including Edouard Cournand of Lanvin and Gregory Thomas of Chanel, alongside newcomers, and compiled a directory identifying businesses in the industry.

Rebuilding the organization began with reconnecting people and information. Green then brought changes in American life into the industry’s discussions. Her seminars for businesses addressed women’s entry into the workplace and new cultures emerging on the street.

For Green, the fragrance market could not be understood by looking only at high-fashion salons. She saw hippie culture and the interest in musk as examples of perfume ideas moving from the street into the industry.

Making a Fragrance Wardrobe Part of Everyday Life

In the late 1960s, Green introduced the idea of a fragrance wardrobe. Just as people choose clothing and colors for an occasion, she proposed choosing fragrance to suit the season, mood, and situation.

My goal was to relate the wearing of fragrance to fashion.

— Annette Green (2000)

This did not mean rejecting a lifelong signature scent. It was an effort to add more possibilities to people’s relationship with perfume. Green herself wrote that the idea took about a decade to catch on.

She emphasized the broader idea of fragrance, encompassing colognes, eaux de toilette, and bath products rather than perfume alone. Scent could belong in many parts of life, not just in expensive gifts for special days. For the industry, this proposed a larger market; for users, it also loosened some of perfume’s formality.

TFF did not dictate a single taste for everyone. Green’s work centered on creating more opportunities to choose fragrance and more reasons to use it.

1973: Awards Begin Celebrating Creativity

The annual awards conceived by Green were first held in 1973. Around 250 people attended the ceremony at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Chanel N°19 was among the first winning perfumes.

A perfume is not completed by a perfumer alone. Fragrance development, bottles and packaging, brand planning, sales, and communication all combine to bring it to people’s hands. A shared industry celebration of creativity also offered a way to show that work to the public.

By the 1980s, attendance had grown beyond 1,000. The familiar name FiFi, however, has a history separate from the awards’ inception. Records credit publisher John Ledes with devising and popularizing the name in 1989. Distinguishing the awards’ beginning in 1973 from the spread of the nickname in 1989 makes the long history clearer.

Expanding into Higher Education, Research, and Perfume History

Green did not entrust the industry’s future to sales promotion alone. Through her involvement with FIT, the Fashion Institute of Technology, she helped develop education for careers in cosmetics and fragrance.

A conversation with FIT’s Shirley Goodman led to Green teaching once a week, and dean Jack Littenberg suggested developing a formal curriculum. The chemist and cosmetics developer Hazel Bishop shaped the initial curriculum. Green organized an Action Council so that industry specialists could support the teaching.

FIT’s records describe Revlon’s support for an associate-degree program in cosmetics, fragrances, and toiletries in 1978. Bachelor’s-level education followed, and industry funding helped establish the Annette Green Fragrance Foundation Studio in 1994. A graduate program in cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management was added in 1999.

University education differs from a company’s training on a particular product. It involves learning about materials and products and the work that connects science, planning, sales, and management. Linking universities and industry for this purpose became another role for TFF.

Its activities also extended to olfactory research and history. An organization supporting smell research was founded in 1981 and later operated as the Sense of Smell Institute. In November 1999, the Annette Green Museum opened at TFF, presenting the organization’s first 50 years against the backdrop of changes in American society. These were developments of their time, not an indication that TFF still operates a museum or research institute in the same form today.

Green retired in 2002. She published her memoir, Spritzing to Success, in 2018, and an obituary released in October 2026 reported her death at 102. For current president Levy, she had also been a mentor, friend, and supporter since Levy’s appointment.

From Rochelle Bloom to Today’s Leadership

Rochelle Bloom led the organization after Green. Elizabeth Musmanno became President in October 2012. She had worked in marketing and public relations for businesses including Dior and Vera Wang and had her own company.

Musmanno sought to develop an organization known within the industry into one that could also reach consumers. In 2013, she emphasized the name Fragrance Foundation Awards, shifting attention from the FiFi nickname to the organization’s formal name. She also explored connections with art, fashion, and expertise from other sectors to increase its value to members and its public recognition.

We’re going to connect the world of fragrance to other industries and vice versa.

— Elizabeth Musmanno (2013)

Linda G. Levy took office on September 5, 2017. Her previous position was vice president and divisional merchandise manager for fragrances at Macy’s omni group. She brought retail experience and an understanding of how fragrance is introduced and chosen at the counter.

Levy emphasized the work of sales professionals in conveying brand stories, the artistry of perfumery, and key ingredients. She also outlined a direction of broader relationships with independent brands, smaller forums, and more professional development. Fragrance Day began in 2018, the digital publication Accords and weekly newsletter Noteworthy in 2019, and initiatives widening access to industry careers in 2021.

The early challenge of increasing fragrance use had developed into work to broaden the range of people communicating fragrance and working in the industry.

Key Dates in the History of TFF US

Year	Event
1949	Founded in New York; cooperative industry activities begin
1961	Jacques Mohr approaches Green about rebuilding the organization
1962	Green becomes Executive Director
Late 1960s	The fragrance-wardrobe concept is introduced
1973	First annual awards ceremony at the Plaza Hotel
1981	An organization supporting smell research is established, later known as the Sense of Smell Institute
1989	John Ledes devises and popularizes the FiFi name
1994	The Annette Green Fragrance Foundation Studio is established at FIT
1999	FIT’s related graduate program is established; a museum named for Green opens at TFF in November
2002	Green retires
2012	Elizabeth Musmanno becomes President
2013	The awards are rebranded as the Fragrance Foundation Awards
2015	The first class of Notables is selected
2017	Linda G. Levy becomes President
2018	The March 21 Fragrance Day campaign begins
2019	Accords and Noteworthy launch
2021	Scents of Success and a pledge supporting representation and inclusion are launched
2024	The organization’s 75th anniversary
2026	Education and public outreach continue; Green’s death is announced in October

What Does a Trade Organization Offer Businesses and Fragrance Enthusiasts?

A Membership Organization Connecting Brands, Fragrance Houses, and Retailers

TFF membership is held by companies, and employees of their US organizations can also benefit. The official directory includes businesses such as Chanel, Coty, and the Estée Lauder Companies, as well as fragrance houses including Givaudan, IFF, MANE, and Robertet, and retailers such as Macy’s, Nordstrom, and Sephora.

Benefits include networking, education, member rates for award entries and events, media exposure, and opportunities to participate in the organization’s governance. Fragrance houses gain a platform for discussing creation, brands for collaboration and communication, and retailers for training the people who present products.

The board also includes representatives of brands, fragrance houses, retailers, and other businesses. This structure offers the strength of bringing together many kinds of industry expertise. It also makes clear that TFF’s judgments are not consumer tests independent of the industry’s interests.

For the general fragrance enthusiast, its activities include public articles, conversations with perfumers, events in stores and cultural venues, and participation in Consumer Choice. Not everything is aimed at the public, but the organization creates opportunities to encounter the makers and work usually hidden behind the bottle.

Awards Recognize Not Only Scent, but the Work of Bringing Perfume to People

Today’s Fragrance Foundation Awards include Fragrance of the Year alongside categories recognizing different kinds of work, such as Perfume Extraordinaire, Indie Fragrance, packaging, media campaigns, articles, and innovation. The official 2026 announcements divide Fragrance of the Year into categories including Popular, Prestige, Luxury, and Ultra Luxury, with Women’s, Men’s, and Universal classifications also used.

Different categories assess different things. A packaging award cannot be read as the highest rating for the scent itself. Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement Perfumer, which honor longstanding contributions by people or businesses, also carry a different meaning from awards for a particular year’s new releases.

In 2026, Nordstrom received the Hall of Fame honor and Honorine Blanc the Lifetime Achievement Perfumer award. The pairing of a retailer with a long history of bringing perfume to people and a perfumer who has created fragrances reflects the awards’ view of the industry’s work as a whole.

This recognition reflects a career devoted to passion, creativity and joy.

— Honorine Blanc (2026)

Honorine Blanc‘s career shows how years of work can lie behind a single line announcing an award.

Distinguishing Member Voting, Expert Judging, and Consumer Voting

Entries are open to both member and nonmember companies that have launched perfumes or related products meeting each category’s conditions. Eligibility to enter and eligibility to vote are separate matters.

Selection broadly follows three routes: member voting, expert panels suited to specific categories, and consumer voting for Consumer Choice. Not every category is decided by fragrance enthusiasts, nor are all awards selected in the same way.

Member voting is also more complex than one company, one vote. Official membership information allocates votes according to US fragrance sales. The regular membership materials for 2026 list tiers of 2, 6, 12, and 18 votes; the Indie membership materials specify one vote. These rules apply to categories decided by member voting, not to expert judging or public voting.

An award therefore indicates recognition by the industry or participating voters within the entry conditions and selection process of a particular category. It is not a ranking of every perfume worldwide under identical conditions, an official safety certification, or a guarantee that a scent suits everyone.

The Reach of Public Voting in Consumer Choice

Consumer Choice allows fragrance enthusiasts to participate in selection. It is not, however, a write-in contest to choose an annual champion from every perfume ever made. Voters select from the candidates designated by the organization.

In the US awards for 2026, candidates encompassing Women’s, Men’s, and Universal fragrances were announced in two price groups: $101 and over, and $100 and under. The final winners list, meanwhile, uses the category names Luxury & Prestige and Popular for Consumer Choice. The price groups in the candidate announcement need to be distinguished from the category names in the winners list.

US candidates, categories, and voting periods depend on that year’s guidance. They are not automatically the same as the public-vote categories in Britain or France. Since brand supporters also participate, public voting should not be equated with a comparative test by a randomly selected consumer sample.

Read an award together with its year, country, and category. Knowing those three things makes the meaning of an award seal much more specific.

Opening Doors to Fragrance Careers Through Education and Development

Online Education for People Who Explain Fragrance

Selling perfume takes more than memorizing names and ingredients. It calls for understanding how smell works and how a fragrance develops during sampling, listening to another person’s preferences and experiences, and choosing appropriate words.

TFF’s current online course, Fragrance Escentials, covers fragrance history, the Scent Journey through a fragrance’s development, olfaction, and the consumer experience. It turns industry knowledge and expert advice into foundations for learning about scent.

This differs from a long-term perfumer-training program or a public professional qualification. It is foundational education for understanding fragrance and introducing products. Fragrance Academy, discussed by Levy in 2017 as sales-professional education, should not simply be treated as the same program name as the current course.

In November 2025, TFF announced plans to offer the course free in 2026 to college students and others aspiring to fragrance careers, in honor of Leonard Lauder’s contribution. It was an example of connecting an industry tribute with learning opportunities for the next generation.

Scents of Success: Revealing Careers Students May Not Know Exist

Launched in 2021, Scents of Success is an educational program introducing students to fragrance-industry careers. It offers entry points through campus career workshops, panel discussions, mentoring, and employment-related events.

Sharné Jackson, who initiated the program, had been asking members how their careers began. Many had entered the industry by chance and discovered their passion for fragrance afterward. Their stories suggested that students did not know enough about fragrance careers to choose them deliberately from the outset.

It was then that I saw a need for more education, representation, and access.

— Sharné Jackson (2026)

The first career session took place in October 2021 at Jackson’s alma mater, Spelman College, one of the historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs. The initiative developed jointly by Jackson and Levy sought to connect the diversity of fragrance buyers with the people creating, planning, and managing the industry.

Fragrance careers are not limited to perfumery. There are also paths in marketing, sales, product development, operations, management, and finance. Discovering the teams behind a bottle or campaign helps students interested in perfume connect their abilities with potential work.

As of October 2026, the official education page reported reaching more than 20 campuses and around 2,000 students. Those figures indicate participation, not the number of people hired. Creating an entry point and turning it into recruitment or promotion are different stages of the work.

Developing the Next Generation Through Notables and Member Cooperation

Notables, whose first class was selected in 2015, recognizes emerging industry talent. Member companies can nominate candidates, and Notables have opportunities to join regular Think Tank meetings to consider future initiatives for the organization.

Alongside major awards celebrating established accomplishments, it gives people whose careers are still growing a voice. University relationships, sales and foundational fragrance education, and professional development for employees support different stages of a career.

The #FragranceForwardTFF pledge began in 2021, committing to representation, respect, and inclusion and to reducing barriers to careers for people from different backgrounds. In 2023, TFF launched the Catalyst Initiative with the New York Urban League, arranging exchanges that introduced work at fragrance houses, in brand marketing and education, and in retail.

As an organization of member companies, TFF is particularly positioned to pursue the shared goal of widening entry into the industry. Its results will be visible not just in the words of a pledge, but in how learning opportunities connect with actual work.

Public Outreach and Opportunities to Meet Perfumers

Turning Fragrance Day into an Occasion to Smell and Learn

Since 2018, TFF has organized campaigns around Fragrance Day on March 21 to encourage fragrance discovery. In-store brand and retail activities, online outreach, and collaborations with artists create coordinated opportunities to encounter perfume.

In Miami in 2026, a perfumer panel took place at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden on March 10. Moderated by Levy, it brought together Honorine Blanc, Rodrigo Flores-Roux, Patty Hidalgo, and Gino Percontino to discuss the relationship between flowers, plants, and creation.

The following day welcomed students from the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, combining a walk through the garden with perfumers’ explanations of fragrance creation and floral materials. Perfumers whose names appear at awards ceremonies also became people explaining their creativity in front of living plants. It was an example of public outreach and next-generation education coming together in one initiative.

Accords: Sharing the Voices of Fragrance Makers

Launched in 2019, Accords is a digital publication exploring the relationship between fragrance, culture, and community. Together with the weekly newsletter Noteworthy, it provides an ongoing flow of information beyond the days when events take place.

As a trade organization’s publication, it also serves to introduce members’ activities and new releases. Read with that context in mind, it offers an entry point into the often less visible work of perfumers, product planners, retailers, and educators.

Evaluating perfume and discovering one’s own preferences is not the same as learning about the industry’s work. Still, knowing who creates a scent, who communicates its background, and who will carry that work forward changes how a bottle appears. The interest of tracing TFF US’s history lies in encountering this larger collaborative effort surrounding perfume.

Additional Note

In the history of FIT’s education programs, TFF’s timeline identifies 1994 with the establishment of an undergraduate program, while the university’s own records describe an associate-degree program in 1978 followed by bachelor’s-level education. This article follows the university’s records and distinguishes the creation of the studio in 1994 from the beginning of the educational programs.