Photo has been used for illustrative purposes.

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Over 55 per cent respondents across the UAE out of 4,000 revealed that they prefer fresh scents with zesty, minty and fruity notes as these trigger a feeling of happiness.

The figures are results of an independent online survey that delved into the UAE’s most popular scents and how they make people feel.

The survey was carried out by IKEA, Swedish furniture giant, and the figures were shared on the occasion marking the launch of ‘IKEA 2020 Catalogue’ at its store in Dubai on Wednesday.

Seventy-three per cent of respondents answered they preferred fresh scents as opposed to warm, woody and spicy scents. When it came to objects whose smell people loved, 60% of participants mentioned the fresh smell of a new book, with 40% saying they enjoyed the scent of a fresh new catalogue, stating the smell of a catalogue made them feel excited (35%), happy (19%) or relaxed (17%).

More than a third (37%) of people said their top scent was fruity fresh, with 29% stating that they loved zesty fresh fragrances.

This year’s catalogue theme is ‘A fresh start’ and focuses on how important mental and physical rest is for people to feel happy and live life to the fullest.

Commenting on the launch, Vinod Jayan, Managing Director – IKEA UAE, Egypt and Oman at IKEA commented, “Our 2020 Catalogue is all about helping people put things in perspective and offer them innovative ideas and solutions to give them a fresh start. We want our customers to be able to do this every day and live by the fresh start motto. With different personalities and preferences in the UAE, we are keen to offer better solutions to the many and we truly believe that focusing on sleep to improve your life is essential, which is the essence of our 2020 catalogue.”

In its 2020 edition, the catalogue aims to launch product ranges that are affordable, high in quality and sustainable in nature for each season. IKEA has come up with innovative solutions that are relevant and have a distinct look and features.