Making sense of scents: Shiseido emphasises increasing importance of fragrance in skin care
Japanese beauty brand Shiseido’s skin care fragrance development highlights the growing significance of scents in skin care in enhancing emotional wellbeing.
In recent years, fragrances have taken a priority with consumers. The rise of wellness and self-care have positioned fragrances as part of a daily ritual, offering emotional and psychological benefits, such as stress relief or as a confidence booster.
Shiseido Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate is the brand’s signature serum and is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
According to Shiseido Scent Researcher Yuko Fukukita, the scent of Shiseido’s Ultimune Power Infusing Concentrate has also been updated accordingly to keep up with consumer needs “while preserving its conceptual notes and quality.”
‘The third pillar of beauty’: Nykaa ‘doubling down’ on prestige fragrance in bid to gain market share
Indian omnichannel beauty retailer Nykaa will increase its focus on the prestige fragrance segment after observing high growth over its last quarter.
This is aligned with Nykaa’s aim to expand its presence in more beauty and personal care categories, after successfully capturing market share in makeup and skin care.
“The focus of Nykaa was to increase the number of categories within the beauty and personal care space that we are addressing. We are taking meaningful market share in makeup and skin care, which were two of the core categories to our beauty play historically, and they have served us well in terms of growth, and they continue to do so,” said Anchit Nayar, executive director and chief executive of Nykaa’s beauty business.
Now the company has turned its eyes towards the prestige fragrance category, which has been booming globally in the past few years.
‘Not like the others’: Will Documents be the C-beauty brand that finally achieves global success?
Chinese luxury brand Documents has all the elements in place to stake its position on the international stage but needs a partner that can help them achieve this goal.
On January 5, USHOPAL, a leading luxury beauty and retail group in China, announced it invested an undisclosed amount in the high-end fragrance brand.
This marks USHOPAL’s first equity investment in a domestic brand. It has previously acquired British skin care brand Argentum and French fragrance brand Juliette Has A Gun.
USHOPAL founder and chief executive Guo Lu said Documents had solidified its belief that “China has produced brands capable of stepping onto the global stage”.
Maison de L’Asie taking steps towards global brand recognition – founder
The founder of French-Singaporean fragrance house Maison de L’Asie says the brand is poised to fulfil its ambition of being seen as a global brand.
Since Maison de L’Asie launched in 2021, it has gained interest from international players in markets such the North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
“When we first launched, the focus was really about industry validation because there’s aren’t many Asian perfume houses… We were picked up by LUXASIA for escentials ion and Paragon and that was enough for me because my goal was always to expand overseas,” said founder Elizabeth Liau.
Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia, she highlighted some of the brand’s milestones, such as its debut at ESXENCE 2023, an international exhibition dedicated to artisanal and niche perfumery held annually in Milan, Italy.
Perfumes with a twist: Unique ingredients with local relevance key to developing hit fragrance
Singapore-based Scent Journer has emphasised the importance of individuality in the saturated fragrance market with unique ingredients such as Sichuan peppers and pandan.
Scent Journer is a perfume label that launched in 2021 by perfumer Joyce Lian. The start-up was previously incubated under the National University of Singapore’s NUS Enterprise.
It recently launched its fifth perfume, Soaring at Dawn a fresh and citrusy fragrance with a surprising twist. In addition to bergamot, neroli, mandarin, and orange blossom, she added Sichuan pepper into the mix.
“I drew inspiration from the unique essence of Sichuan pepper, popularised in Singapore’s Mala hotpot trend, to bring relatability to our fragrance,” said Lian.
The Bvlgari ‘paradox’: Luxury brand prudent about Asia expansion despite appetite for high-end fragrances
Italian luxury brand Bvlgari is eyeing huge opportunities in fast-growing luxury markets like India and Vietnam but will not rush an expansion despite the immense interest in high-end fragrances.
As part of its strategy to enhance brand desirability, BVLGARI has significantly limited its distribution network, reducing its global points of sale to around 6,000 – less than a quarter of what it used to have five years ago – with about one-third of global distribution in Asia.
“Five years ago, it was 25,000. We cut 75% of distribution just to focus on where it really matters and pay tribute to the full universe of the brand,” said Jonathan Brinbaum, BVLGARI’s global managing director of the fragrances business unit.
This saw BVLGARI completely withdraw its operations in some markets such as South Korea, where it recently re-entered last year.
Atelier Rebul reaches new milestones with Indonesia debut, China flagship
Turkish fragrance house Atelier Rebul is set to launch in Indonesia this year and will unveil flagship heritage store in Shanghai, China next year as it reaches 130th anniversary.
Speaking to CosmeticsDesign-Asia, Co-CEO Nuket Filiba revealed that the brand will debut in Indonesia by the end of this year with two standalone stores.
It has also secured deals with major department stores in the country, including Galerie Lafayette, SOGO, and Seibu.
“Indonesia is a very big market that really loves fragrances. Fragrance is about 25% of the cosmetics business there and luxury is growing,” said Filiba.
A new chapter: Oo La Lab aims to build Singapore flagship into ‘fragrance destination’
Singapore craft fragrance lab Oo La Lab has launched its first Singapore flagship and a new artisanal collection celebrating the human relationship with our sense of smell.
The flagship functions as a retail outlet and a workshop, with spaces designed for signature bespoke fragrance workshops and events.
This is the brand’s first standalone flagship store in its home market since it launched in 2017. Previously, it had used its offices in the River Valley area to hold its workshops.
According to founder Dan Terry, this project has been at least two years in the making that has been hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the search for the perfect location.
Beyond vanilla: Demand for gourmand scents in SEA pushing fragrance makers to get creative with fragrances
The booming gourmand fragrance trend in South East Asia is driving a broader movement towards creative perfumery that extends beyond traditional sweet notes.
At the start of the year, CosmeticsDesign-Europe reported that searches for gourmand fragrances rose 58.3% year-on-year, according to trend tracker Spate.
With blockbuster launches like Burberry Goddess and Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid – both vanilla forward scents – it seems like the trend is set to endure.
Koyal Shankar Harjani, founding and marketing director of Indonesian-based fragrance brand Mykonos, believes this trend will endure for the foreseeable future.
‘We’re in a transformative period’: New fragrance formats driven by sustainability, product performance
Expectations for sustainable, ethical, and innovative products are driving development of new fragrance formats that not only align with these values, but also provide enhanced product experiences.
These evolving expectations were driven in particular by younger consumers, especially Generation Z.
“Globally I think there’s a philosophical shift occurring as people reframe their relationship with nature and consumption. Gen Z, in particular, are setting the pace, demanding ethical and sustainable natural ingredients, and taking a stand against plastic waste,” said Guy Vincent, CEO of Australian firm Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils.
Vincent highlighted releases like L’Oréal’s D by Diesel, which are responding to the demand for sustainable ingredients and refillable options. However, he acknowledged there was still a lot of resistance to refillable products within some segments.
