The Art of Adaptation: Floating Forest × K18

When we partnered with K18 to bring Floating Forest into their iconic Hair Mask, I quickly realized it wasn’t just a “copy and paste” job. Translating a fragrance into a completely new format is a bit like playing the same song with different instruments... you recognize the melody, but the way you play it has to shift. The process surprised me at every turn; here's a glimpse into what it took to make this scent come alive in a new way.

Onward,

Jasmina

Transcript for Video:

When we started this collaboration with K18, I did think it was going to be pretty straightforward. But, I quickly learned how much care it takes to adapt a fine fragrance into a completely new format like a hair mask.  

It is not as simple as just adding a few fragrance oil drops into the product at the very end.

And the reason you can’t do that is because the K18 formula has a subtle scent on its own, which you might not notice, but it impacts the Floating Forest once it’s added in. 

We obviously aren’t going to change the iconic k18 formula, so what we have to do is adapt the fragrance around it, but we still have to make it smell exactly the same. 

I was trying to think of an analogy for what this whole experience was like, and it was like we needed to learn how to play the same song, but with different instrumentals. So it’s like your notes stay the same, but your technique and the way you think about it really needs to change.

So with floating forest, it smelled perfect in lab jars, but once we started testing it in the bathroom, the fragrance felt like it disappeared.

Now if you think about it, fine fragrance usually isn't experienced in that setting, and the concentrations are completely different. For context, fine fragrance is typically formulated at 15 to 20% fragrance oil, and when fragrance is added into skin care and hair care products, the loading is sometimes less than 1%, so we had to adjust. 

We, of course, played with the dosage to help it bloom, but what that did is it actually brought out the bitterness and spice that didn’t feel true to floating forest. So we decided to play up the aquatic and the floral notes, but mod after mod, nothing worked. Those bitter notes were still going very strong. 

Finally, we were running out of time, and our team and K18’s team took a risk. We actually decided to soften the top notes, the black pepper and the bergamot, and this was risky because top notes end up shaping first impressions and have a big role in how it blooms, because top notes end up filling the room very quickly, but it worked. 

Suddenly, the fragrance bloomed and was experienced exactly the way that we had hoped. 

For me, the lesson is that fragrance is not an afterthought. It is part of the design, and sometimes you have to take risks to get it right, and an innovator like K18 is no stranger to risk, so we’re grateful for the amazing partnership with their great product development team.

 If you know Floating Forest, I would love to hear what you think about how it comes alive in the K18 mask. And for anyone experiencing Floating Forest for the first time, I really hope you love it. Let me know in the comments.