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A Brief Cultural History of Scent and Perfumes in China There is a common misconception that the Chinese “nose” for scent lacks historical context thus the concept of perfume in China is “foreign”. This accusation is misguided, based mostly on China’s modern revision of cultural norms. In fact, China’s rich heritage as a spice exporter lends strong evidence of China being well attuned to scent and smell. The famous koto – the art of incense in Japan – originated in China and was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks. Scent and fragrance has played a crucial role in Chinese people’s daily lives for centuries. It was used in various forms, situations and occasions being tightly linked to religion, art, and traditional Chinese medicine. Although these practices and rituals were largely abandoned during China’s cultural revolution era, a scent-driven spirit has endured. The deep connection between smell and the status of mind is still heavily influenced by many of these traditional practices. Understanding this scent context drifts over to China’s relationship with perfumes and fragrances. After China’s cultural revolution, many Chinese were left with an empty mindset of fragrance and perfume in the modern sense of its usage and significance. The strong smell and high price of many perfumes in the late 1960′s and 1970′s meant perfumes were often out of reach for ordinary women. Connotations of perfume at this time is also linked to women of indecent social standing – wearing heavy make-up and flashy clothes in order to attract the attention of men. For China’s older generations, these elements still hold weight. Current Scent and Perfume Usage As we enter into China’s current market economy and observe a proliferation of both domestic and international brands (perfumes and fragrances being one sector) we see usage and perceptions changing, yet maintaining many traditional connotations. From a comparative standpoint, perfume accounts for only one percent of the 88.9billion cosmetics market in 2010, even with growth of 15-20% in recent years. Desire for perfume in China lacks habitual usage behavior and a need to mask odor. It’s often used in the guise of special occasions, attending events, or going on a date, compared to functional, daily use. It’s meaning is often outward, used to show reverence for others or to express outward confidence. As an overt strong smell sometimes carries negative connotations, traditional fragrance use favors light usage that is strong enough to express mindset and personality, yet does not invade other people’s nostrils or space With this traditional context of light, yet expressive fragrance preference, we see a conflict within the perfume options in the Western dominated fragrance market. The Challenge of Positioning Perfume in China Many Western brands have realized the dilemma of perfume in China – “liked by many, used by little”. Perfume awareness remains high in upper-tier Chinese cities, yet sales are not as strong as in other Western markets. Western brands offering perfume products in China all generally follow similar models: introduce their global product into the market with the universal fragrance discourse of seduction and desire pitching their product being a cure for sexiness and self-empowerment. This aspiration resonates with Chinese consumers though not as strong as in Western consumers, meaning it does not carry over into daily usage habits. One bottle used over a longer period of time is often enough to satisfy this usage.
A Successful Domestic Approach: Liushen Floral Water (六神花露水) From the domestic perfume market, we see a brand emerging that demonstrates acute knowledge of Chinese perfume sensibility along with the ever crucial ability to link traditional and modern Chinese consumer needs. The Shanghai based brand, Liushen, recently launched an online commercial promoting it’s line of floral water (花露水), receiving large amounts of attention from netizens and potential consumers. Liushen in recent years has undergone a transformation from an oft-mocked “glorified anti-mosquito spray” to a now affordable, yet well perceived perfume-like spray.
Liushen has achieved success by saving and branding traditional Chinese floral water and placing it in direct competition with imported perfume brands. Rather than emphasizing pure seductive or desirable product benefits, it added perfume based cooling and medicinal elements (TCM) to its fragrant spray, giving it subtle layers of scent and function. It’s reemergence as a modern, chic perfume lends strongly to its role as being defined both as a product and a category. Liushen owns the notion of flower water, a concept that resonates stronger to many Chinese than the concept of perfume. (Note: this is more obvious in the Chinese: 花露水 hua lu shui, literally meaning flower dew, compared to the typical phrasing of perfume in Chinese, 香水, xiang shui, literally meaning fragrant water. This categorical naming significance has deeper connotation to Chinese consumers.
Through its communication, Liushen is at once both nostalgic and modern, showcasing its own significance in Chinese tradition and modern history, succeeding in positioning a Chinese perfume in a truly Chinese way. Creating a Distinct Scent for Chinese Consumers After exploring the historical context of scent, current perfume usage, challenges of positioning and a successful case study, clear takeaways present themselves when navigating the complexities of creating scents and fragrances for the Chinese market. Encourage Subtle, Inclusionary Daily Use As we’ve established, Chinese prefer to wear light and pure smelling fragrances that do not invade other people’s spaces. By incorporating this notion with more Chinese centric “flavors” such as TCM options or spiritually satisfying options. This way it’s possible encourage more daily usage occasions. Leverage Desired Personality Changes Beyond Seduction and Desire Historically, many floral and plant smells are associated with specific personalities. This often allowed people to select smells that could best express their daily personalities. Perhaps fragrances can not only communicate the scent, but also the desired personality and benefit of the scent itself. For example, introduce a perfume that gives off a “confident smell”, a “knowledgable smell” or a “courageous smell”. This creates a new fragrance and scent experience. Research and Writing by Jing Fan & Zhang Ting Brands, Products post by Shanghai. Tags: Chinese Perfume, Chinese scent, featured, Liushen Floral Water, 六神花露水 |
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‘Seduction and desire’ is the dominant theme in many Western perfume adverts
