Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋,

This week, I spoke with an executive from one of France’s leading aroma houses. What stood out: the entire industry is currently trying to figure out how to secure its place in China, through brand investments, stronger local presence, and a renewed focus on perfumers.

That’s also why events like Notes Shanghai are becoming increasingly important.

But more interesting is what’s happening beneath the surface. China is no longer following Western fragrance logic. A distinct identity is emerging — with different rules, different channels, and a different pace. There is no clear blueprint yet.

If you’re curious, I’ll share more reflections in my weekly journal at www.scentlyspeakinglab.com

Now onto this issue!

🗓️ Contents of this Issue

1. Note Worthy: Digital Fragrance’s Frontiers, Paris Perfume Week, American Perfumery’s Identity

2. Niche Newcomers: Mother’s Milk, Come, Borderline

3. Quiz: Hottest Chinese Lifestyle + Perfume Brand?

4. Scent MythBusters: The biggest misconception about Chinese perfume trends

Note-Worthy 🔎🌸

We are facing delivery challenges if we include links (we are working hard on this, sorry!)

#DIGITALFRAGRANCE: The way people discover scent has shifted from department‑store testers to algorithms and TikTok clips. More than half of US fragrance sales now occur online, reflecting the broader migration of beauty shopping to digital channels. Short‑form video and social media let consumers build “fragrance wardrobes” and experiment with layering. The challenge is to harness this storytelling power without reducing perfume to disposable content or mere packaging.

#SCENTDIFFUSION: Paris Perfume Week (April 2026) isn’t just another trade fair. Under director Romain Raimbault, the event places perfume within a cultural ecosystem, balancing business with craft and education. Its programme favours depth over spectacle, giving meaningful visibility to emerging perfumers and established maisons. Exhibitors, partnerships and workshops are curated to create context rather than just floor space, turning the city into an olfactory landscape.

#AMERICANPERFUMER: Tammy Kraemer of Blocki notes that American perfumery still grapples with Eurocentric expectations. Early brands imitated French names to gain credibility and department stores favoured European products. Today’s indie scene draws on local botanicals and DIY culture, aiming to democratise fragrance and forge authentic stories rather than copy Paris. The open question is whether the industry will embrace this plurality or continue to benchmark itself against Europe.

Niche Newcomers 🎨 🌟 

A brief disclosure.

Scently Speaking runs without ads and without paid placements.
It exists because New Niche exists.

New Niche is the fragrance publishing house we’re building in parallel.
Obtaining one of its perfumes is not merchandise.
It’s how this work stays independent.

Quiz 🎲 

Scent MythBusters 🎭️ 

TL;DR

A common Western narrative reduces Chinese perfumery to bamboo, tea and lotus. In reality, more than 81 percent of Chinese consumers consider perfume a daily essential and over 40 percent choose their scent based on mood or occasion. Perfume isn’t a signature here; it’s an emotional tool used to regulate stress and enhance specific moments. Male shoppers are a rising segment, their market share rose from 37,1 percent in 2023 to 40,1 percent in 2024, and they look for long‑lasting freshness and even car diffusers. In addition, 86,1 percent of users extend fragrance to their homes, driving demand for cross‑category products.

Misconception

If “new” is defined by never‑before‑identified molecules, China can seem conservative. But the real shift is behavioural. Younger consumers build scent wardrobes rather than adopt a single signature, and they favour portability and personalisation. In the wider Asia‑Pacific region, packaging is shrinking and formats like pocket sprays, balm sticks and solid perfumes cater to on‑the‑go lifestyles. Multi‑use products,fragrances that double as body oils, hair mists or skin care, and wellness‑driven scents with relaxing lavender or energising citrus are gaining popularity.

Gender is becoming irrelevant: Gen Z chooses fragrance to match mood and personality rather than traditional masculine or feminine codes. Local adaptations pair regional botanicals (pandan, jasmine rice, pomelo blossom) with contemporary extraction methods; packaging and naming reference cultural stories, creating a modern form of “guochao”.

What’s actually happening

China is a leapfrog market with low fragrance penetration. Without entrenched scent habits, Gen Z is building a fragrance culture from scratch. Tech‑enabled discovery and AI‑powered platforms help consumers personalise their choices, while mood‑based and genderless profiles take precedence. The result is not a nostalgic museum but a dynamic interface for emotion and identity.

Final judgement

The biggest misconception about Chinese perfume trends is that they are traditional. In truth, China is redefining perfume as an emotional interface. The question for Western markets is whether they will follow, will the “signature scent” era give way to Spotify‑like scent playlists?