Bath & Body Works Ditches 90s Nostalgia in Gen Z Pivot

Those of us who grew up in the '90s and early 2000s likely have a specific mental image of Bath & Body Works: country-style storefronts, woven baskets overflowing with lotions and shower gels, and shelves lined with fragrances like Cucumber Melon and Sweet Pea.

The retailer's distinct branding helped turn it into one of the mall's most recognizable stores. But the qualities that once made the brand iconic don't seem to be resonating as strongly with today's shoppers.

After reporting a 3% year-over-year decline in net sales at the close of the first quarter of 2026, Bath & Body Works new CEO Daniel Heaf says the company is embarking on a complete brand makeover aimed at connecting with younger consumers and restoring growth.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Heaf opened up about his mission to modernize the retailer for the next generation of shoppers.

"I'm here to help restore this company's relevance," he told the newspaper. "The brand's problems are fixable, although not easily. My plan involves new products, wider distribution and better marketing that together will inflect the growth."

"It involves modernizing storytelling for younger consumers," he continued. "Young people are having a bigger impact on industry sales."

Bath & Body Works wants to win a new generation

Top of mind for the CEO is making Bath & Body Works stick out in an overcrowded fragrance market.

Younger consumers have embraced fragrance as a form of self-expression, fueling growth for newer brands like Fine'ry (which was Target's #1 beauty brand in 2024) and encouraging shoppers to build collections of scents for different moods, seasons and occasions.

In fact, during the first quarter of 2026, fragrance was the fastest-growing category in beauty, according to Circana data. Prestige fragrance saw a 7% increase year-over-year, while mass retail fragrance shot up 16%.

The changes reflect broader shifts in how younger consumers approach fragrance. Rather than relying on a single signature scent, many Gen Z shoppers rotate fragrances based on season, mood, or occasion.

"They have a scent wardrobe of 10 or 12 fragrances that they rotate, matching seasons, moods and occasions," Heaf told the WSJ.

To better align with those preferences, Heaf says the company will be focusing on amplifying the fragrance load of its products to make the scents last longer, updating old-fashioned packaging to look sleeker and more high-end, and adding new viral scents to its core collection.

Bath & Body Works is betting that a broader assortment of fragrances and product formats will help it appeal to younger shoppers who increasingly build fragrance collections rather than relying on a single signature scent.

Bath & Body Works is prioritizing digital discovery

Products aren't the only thing getting a makeover at Bath & Body Works.

Heaf told the WSJ he has plans to overhaul the entire shopping experience, relying far less on the mall stores of yore and far more on digital discovery.

"Stores still matter, and what's important is their changing role," he told the newspaper. "People used to walk into our mall stores because of the scent. Today, they come to malls already knowing what stores they'll visit because they saw their products on social media and discussed them with friends on TikTok."

For Gen Z shoppers, influencers and bloggers play an outsized role in product discovery.

Some 35% of Gen Z shoppers report finding new products this way, according to a study from YouGov. Another 64% of Gen Z shoppers say they use social platforms to research brands and services.

In order to ensure that Bath & Body Works is showing up in those crucial spaces, Heaf says the retailer plans to massively expand its influencer program.

"Influencers help us understand how people describe fragrance," he said. "What feels now, what feels dated. And how our products are used in real life."

"We're working with hundreds of influencers and plan to get to thousands by summer," he continued. "We expect they will have a noticeable impact on companywide sales in the back half of the year."

Younger consumers are becoming a retail powerhouse

Bath & Body Works' makeover comes at a crucial moment.

According to a report from the Bank of America, globally Gen Z will have amassed $36 trillion in income by 2030 and $74 trillion by 2040.

"Between significant wealth and increased spending levels over the next 10 years, the consumption patterns of Gen Z will have a strong influence on the global economy," the report states.

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Companies that want to remain competitive and relevant, then, will have to find ways to appeal to this generation and its successors.

"Executive teams across the industry know that they will have to keep tailoring their businesses to the evolving behavior of these demographic groups," a recent report from consulting firm Bain & Company said.

For Bath & Body Works, this tailoring is especially important, considering it's had several quarters of declining sales.

But Heaf is confident that his makeover plan will work, and that Bath & Body Works will become a staple brand for younger consumers the way it was for millennials and Gen Xers.

"The goal is simple: to be clear about who we are, to make the quality and distinctiveness of our products unmistakable, and to create an experience that makes Bath & Body Works worth choosing time and time again," he told investors during a recent earnings call.

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This story was originally published June 21, 2026 at 9:47 AM.