DSM-Firmenich, the Swiss-Dutch beauty, nutrition and health group, has made clear its intentions to double down on the Chinese fragrance market by bringing its “Mind Nose + Matter” exhibition to the market for the first time.
The itinerant exhibition, which was first shown in New York and Geneva before coming to Shanghai and opening Thursday, is located at a Gothic revival-styled historical building in the city and will be available to DSM-Firmenich’s local partners until Aug. 14.
The exhibition highlights insights from DSM-Firmenich’s recent study that explores “magic moments” based on a proprietary model that identifies mood motivators. This year’s theme is “momentum,” which identifies two opposing forces — an attraction for pleasure and an avoidance of pain — as major triggers for perfume purchases when skillfully combined.
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Organized into four sections, or “olfactive territories,” the exhibition contains four chapters that coincide with the metaphor of a body in motion, or four steps of a deep breath, including “Push, ” “Lift,” “Release,” and “Rest.” Exploring different facets of these themes, the exhibition highlights 20 new fragrances created by DSM-Firmenich’s in-house perfumers — many of which will serve as starting points for successful commercial products.
“The Chinese fine fragrance market is a growth market, with a lot of interest from consumers in fine fragrance, so it is of strategic importance to deliver the exhibition to our customers and our business partners here,” said Olivier Viejo, vice president of Fine Fragrance Experience Asia of the perfumery and beauty division at DSM-Firmenich.
“What is fantastic about the Chinese market is that it has evolved so quickly in the last four to five years. Consumers are suddenly very open to very different olfactory directions. Local brands have become very strong because they are able to react very quickly and launch a new product as quickly as two months,” observed Viejo.
With persistent market interest in Eastern scents, Viejo said the company is also researching childhood memories to understand the market’s unique preferences better.
“Bloodthorn,” a scent created by Steve Guo, the company’s first Chinese fine fragrance perfumer under the perfumery and beauty division, did just that. The smell, which incorporates the aroma of hawthorn, a distinctive Chinese fruit, with flairs of guava, musk and tobacco, was inspired by Guo’s childhood in Beijing munching on the sugar-coated red fruit. “It was a classic love and hate relationship. It’s so tasty, but when you have too much of it, it will get stuck in your teeth and give you a stomach ache,” Guo said.
For Guo, this year’s theme perfectly echoes ancient teachings of Taoism, whose teaching believed in creating a balance between opposing forces.
“Modern perfumery started in the West, somewhat influenced by the philosophy of duality, but now is grasping toward the Chinese teaching of non-duality to make peace with oneself, to follow one’s intuitions, which I find intriguing,” Guo said.
The company identified China’s fragrance boom early on by opening a local research facility called Fine Fragrance Atelier, the first of its kind in the industry in 2019. A Guangzhou studio followed in 2021.
As Eastern fragrances continue to drive sales in the domestic market, the company launched The Villa Harmony to explore traditional Chinese fragrance culture and ingredients.