Fine’ry, the fast-rising fragrance brand available at Target, is pushing boundaries by entering the gaming world through Roblox. This move reflects a growing trend among beauty and lifestyle brands seeking to engage with Gen Alpha in spaces where they already spend their time. By launching Fine'ry-verse on Roblox, the brand is positioning itself as a pioneer in the virtual fragrance space. However, this approach also raises ethical questions about advertising to children in gaming environments, where the lines between entertainment and promotion can easily blur.

Fine’ry-verse: A New Scent Experience for the Digital Age

The launch of Fine'ry-verse represents a significant shift in how fragrance brands connect with consumers. While traditionally, scents are explored in person at stores, Fine'ry is offering a different kind of interaction—a completely virtual one. Within the Fine'ry-verse, users can dive into a visually immersive world designed to teach them about fragrance in a fun, interactive environment.

According to Oshiya Savur, chief brand officer at Maesa, this project marks a new era for the company. “Fine'ry-verse on Roblox is more than just a platform for us; it’s an immersive experience where fragrance meets phygital.” The term "phygital" refers to the merging of physical and digital realms, a hybrid experience that introduces users to Fine'ry’s array of scents in a manner that aligns with their digital lifestyle.

Reaching Gen Alpha Through Gaming

Roblox is no ordinary platform—it is one of the most popular virtual spaces, especially among Gen Alpha, who are heavily engaged in online gaming. By bringing Fine'ry to Roblox, the brand taps into a daily user base of over 60 million, allowing them to connect with a generation that values interactive and immersive experiences over traditional marketing.

Ethics of Advertising to Children

Fine'ry is betting on this phygital approach to introduce Gen Alpha to the world of fragrance in a way that is both familiar and exciting. It’s a far cry from spritzing a tester at a department store, and that’s exactly the point.

As Fine'ry expands its digital presence through Roblox, it joins a growing trend of brands using gaming platforms to reach younger audiences. While the move may seem like a natural fit for Gen Alpha, who spend considerable time in virtual worlds, it also raises important ethical concerns about advertising to children in environments that blur the lines between entertainment and consumerism.

Already, we see children engaging with beauty products at an increasingly younger age—whether it's developing skincare routines or frequenting stores like Sephora. This early exposure to beauty standards suggests that expanding brand marketing into gaming is the last thing children should be concerned with. Instead of carefree play, they are now navigating spaces where they are consistently targeted by marketing designed to shape their future purchasing habits.

Cognitive Defense: Are Children Equipped to Spot Ads? 

Research has shown that children are particularly vulnerable to advertising because they often lack the cognitive ability to distinguish between content and promotion. While adults may claim that advertisement presence in Roblox as harmless, the immersive nature of the platform could make it difficult for children to recognize that games like the Fine'ry-verse are ultimately designed to sell products.

This mirrors concerns that have long existed in other media forms. Children are exposed to more than 40,000 ads annually across TV, magazines, and the internet, contributing to unhealthy habits, such as poor nutrition and materialism. 

Just as there are restrictions on television advertising for children, gaming platforms need similar regulatory oversight to ensure that young users aren’t being unduly influenced by sophisticated marketing strategies.

Blurring the Lines Between Play and Consumerism

Fine'ry's Roblox venture taps into an existing trend of brands using gaming platforms to establish brand loyalty among young consumers. Other companies, like Gucci and Nike, have also entered gaming spaces, understanding that these virtual worlds provide a prime opportunity to foster early brand identification. But is this a step too far? 

Integrating products into gameplay typically helps boost brand engagement. This strategy also taps into children's natural curiosity and love for exploration. However, by embedding products within games, brands are able to reach children in a space where they are highly impressionable.

Critics argue that such marketing techniques cultivate materialistic values and consumerist behaviors in children who are still developing their understanding of self-worth and identity. The implications also go beyond gaming. By advertising in digital environments where children are more engaged with the experience than with their real-world surroundings, brands can more easily influence buying preferences. This trend raises the broader question of whether gaming should remain a space of fun and exploration or if it’s becoming just another venue for corporate influence.

The Call for Stricter Regulations

Brands are embedding themselves into the everyday experiences of young users, often without the transparency typically required in other forms of advertising, such as television or social media. As a result, several countries, including Sweden and Norway, have imposed strict restrictions on advertising to children under 12, understanding the long-term impact that unchecked marketing can have on young minds. The U.S., however, has been slower to adopt such measures, with gaming platforms now emerging as a new frontier for child-focused advertising.

As beauty and lifestyle brands continue to push the boundaries of where and how they market their products, it may be time for regulators to step in. Children already face a constant stream of advertising in nearly every aspect of their lives, and with brands entering their virtual worlds, the need for transparent marketing practices has never been greater. Gaming spaces should remain a place for imagination and creativity, not a testing ground for future consumerism.

The Future of Fragrance in the Digital Space

Fine'ry’s move into Roblox is part of a broader strategy to expand its digital presence and stay ahead of the curve in a market where engagement increasingly relies on immersive, creative experiences. As younger generations grow up surrounded by virtual worlds, brands are attempting to find ways to make traditionally tactile products, like perfume, resonate in a virtual environment. Whether this approach will set a new trend in the fragrance industry remains to be seen.