As Chinese consumers increasingly seek a more refined lifestyle, the home fragrance segment has witnessed substantial growth. Products like scented candles, reed diffusers, and aroma diffusers have become popular. Scented candles have experienced the fastest growth rate. Additionally, portable and personal fragrance products, like scented wax melts and fragrance accessories, have garnered significant attention in recent years.
**Decoding Consumer Preferences **
- Chinese Consumers: Seek cultural connection and personal expression through fragrance. They increasingly turn to local brands and products that resonate with their rich cultural heritage. Oriental scents, known for their subtlety and elegance, are gaining favor. Social media platforms like Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) have seen a surge in searches for Chinese elements such as sandalwood, temple incense, medicinal herbs, and ink, indicating a strong demand for fragrances that evoke cultural and emotional connections.
- International Consumers: Prioritize established brands with a long history and traditional craftsmanship. These brands represent high quality and a certain lifestyle and status. They generally prefer rich and complex fragrances, with traditional European floral, woody, and oriental scents remaining popular.
**Brand Comparisons: Chinese vs. International**
Jo Malone
「English Pear & Freesia」
A classic scent from the brand, featuring a fresh and natural blend of fruity and floral notes. It evokes the feeling of being in an English garden. Jo Malone continuously introduces limited-edition packaging for various holidays and product lines that feature the same iconic scent, such as scented candles, shower gels, and more. The brand has created a sense of high-quality, refined living that resonates with consumers through social media, offline stores, and other channels.
to summer
「Too Sweet to Miss」series
This series combines the unique flavors of traditional desserts from different Chinese cities with fragrances, creating products that reflect distinct regional characteristics. For example, "Suzhou Sweet" captures the delicate sweetness of loquat, while "Beijing Sweet" draws inspiration from candied hawthorn and roasted chestnuts. These scents evoke a sense of nostalgia for consumers, reminding them of their hometowns and traditional culture and satisfying their emotional and spiritual needs.
Aside from the summer, several Chinese brands have emerged as noteworthy players in the home fragrance industry. Here are five that stand out:
1. Humble -Best for Unique Aesthetic Design
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Humble merges art and fragrance, transforming architectural and sculptural elements into functional fragrance containers. By using replaceable inserts, the brand prioritizes sustainability while delivering unique and aesthetically pleasing products.
2. THE BEAST -Best at making IP Co-Branded Gifts
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THEBEAST has always been dedicated to building a diversified and artistic lifestyle brand. Through co-branding with brands and artists from various fields, the brand’s product lineup is continually enriched to meet consumers' diverse needs.
3. Black Paw -Known for Distinct Focus on Chinese Cultural Elements
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Black Paw artfully blends traditional Chinese cultural elements like porcelain, tea rituals, and landscape art into its product design, crafting a home fragrance that exudes a distinct Eastern charm.
4. Wekuku -Best for Playful Novelty Design
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Partnering with pioneering artists, Wekükü redefines everyday objects. The Mastery Series, a stunning example of this, combines art and utility. These candle holders insulate and protect your candles and elevate your home's aesthetic appeal.
5. BANADLE -Best advocate of eco-friendly
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BANADLE's scented Candle supports the whole recycling paid refill service, combining traditional Chinese incense culture with modern aesthetics and exploring more possibilities of product development from the perspectives of materials, aesthetics, and environmental friendliness.
The domestic and international fragrance markets are very different, and so are consumer preferences. M&Sense, as a company that understands the differences between Chinese and Western fragrance cultures, not only has a wealth of experience in the international market but also has a good understanding of the preferences of Chinese consumers and market trends. If you want to launch your own home fragrance brand in China, M&Sense will provide you with a one-stop solution based on years of industry experience and advantages in localization.
