3 Perfume Brands To Know From Notes Shanghai

Forbes

02-04-2025

Notes Shanghai showcased 200 brands hailing from 19 countries and regions.
This season, Shanghai Fashion Week (SHFW) welcomed a new addition to its lineup of showrooms—a perfume trade show called Notes Shanghai. In her welcome speech, the secretary-general of SHFW, Madame Lv, declared it 'a new chapter in innovation.'
The inventive move—a world first from a fashion week—attests to the growing interest in fragrance in China, especially among younger consumers. With a low penetration rate of around 5%—according to reports—China has been touted as the holy grail of the fragrances industry for a number of years. Mintel predicts market sales will reach 15.439 billion RMB by this year. Now, Notes Shanghai with its 200 brands hailing from 19 countries and regions, is poised to take a slice of the action.
Under the direction of founder Alex Wu, who calls it the 'very first professional event dedicated to fragrance in China,' the initiative aims to link up all aspects of the fragrance value chain. Wu says a distinct 'Chinese scent' aesthetic is emerging—rooted in local culture, raw materials, and storytelling—which creates emotionally resonant and culturally rich fragrances.'It's about connecting people and helping them to understand these changes,' Wu says. 'I want to bring people, brands, and retailers together.'
Prada took part in the trade show during Shanghai Fashion Week
Notes Shanghai is an immersive expo that runs twice yearly, attracting a broad selection of brands, industry professionals, and consumers making up a footfall of around 15,000 visitors per season. Across 3 days, it attracted a lively brand mix of global companies from March 27 - 30. Juliette Has A Gun and Issey Miyake interspersed with domestic labels like Boitown, Melt Season, and Voice From The Sky. In the busy space on the West Bund, Prada, Diptyque, Le Labo, and Tom Ford were showcased as part of 'Notes Collection.' Boutique stores included Hong Kong's Scented Niche, Olfacto Project, and new entry Popscent—fronted by local brand Reclassified.
18,000 viewers tuned into livestreams broadcasting round-tables and keynotes from industry professionals like Mane's Vice President Perfumer, Veronique Nyberg, and the Tmall fragrance expert Xue Nie. Global influencers such as Jeremy Fragrance rubbed shoulders with local KOLs and bloggers like Scarlett Pan and Gail Ruhan.
The final day offered companies B2C retail and market research opportunities. Ankita Gill, the founder of Param Sara—a brand from India, born in China—is taking part for the second time. 'It's a great platform to have a one-on-one conversation with consumers. It enables you to connect and get immediate feedback. If you are already selling here, you'll see how you can elevate that experience,' she advised.
Notes Shanghai aims to help brands penetrate the Asian market. However, with Shanghai acting as the gateway, Wu hopes his brainchild will become a key platform for the Chinese and broader Asian fragrance industries to expand onto the global stage.
As competition heats up in the sector, here are three brands to know from Notes Shanghai.
China's only perfume trade show has a footfall of around 15,000 visitors per season.
When Reclassified (RE调香室) was founded in Shanghai in 2013 by Mac Lin, the only competition it faced was from Jo Malone. As one of the original domestic fragrance brands, Lin was quick to spot an opportunity. Reclassified quickly opened its first physical store in 2014 and focused on developing and securing strong supply chains. Now, it has over 100 doors across China offering fragrances that appeal to China's 25 to 30-year-olds living in Tier 1 and 2 cities.
The brand's more affordable line When And Where—the focal point of its booth at Notes — was founded in 2019. Investment from CITIC Capital followed 2 years later. In March 2024, Reclassified partnered with the French master perfumer Dominique Ropion to launch the 'Masters of Light' series. Now, it's moving into distribution with the debut of the platform Pop Scent—retailing European brands only—at the tradeshow. 'In China, the distribution is not as mature asin other countries. Given our years of experience in offline retail and strong relationships we have decided this is a key focus for us,' Lin explained.
Founded in 2022 by Bobber Wang, Zhufu now has 7 scents, scented candles, and body oils.
Bobbar Wang founded Zhufu in 2022 following work as a designer with several international names. Hardly surprisingly, the brand has already been recognized by the German Design Awards (2025). A visual identity based around bamboo—meaning prosperity—is an homage to his grandmother who was a bamboo knitter. This is cleverly reflected in the branding and the bottle design (which echoes the knots of the wood). Perhaps serendipitously, the top-selling scent Nana, infused with the sweet snack persimmon, is based on the woman herself.
Zhufu now has 7 scents including a limited edition collaboration with a master from Shanghai's traditional Buddhist temple, Donglin Temple in the Jinshan District. Another, the Poet, is inspired by the famous Chinese writer Li Bai and contains 'a little bit of the Chinese baijiu.' It's the brand's third outing at the exhibition and currently, it retails offline in Paris and Canada as well as through China's e-commerce channels. 'We want to introduce our Chinese culture to the world. The international perfume market should have room for one Chinese brand,' Wang stated.
Param Sara's Indian founder Ankita Gill studied at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery.
Param Sara is another brand on a mission: this time, to put Indian perfumes on the map. The founder Ankita Gill studied at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery and started Param Sara in Shanghai—her adopted home of the last ten years. 'I think Indian fashion brands have definitely broken the barriers and people globally have started to understand the craft behind the workmanship. Now it's time for a fragrance from India,' says Gill.
Why China? Gill says it's a laboratory for innovation and experimentation. China is always open to new things. People are so curious and listen to you but allow you to stay through to your roots.' Param Sara uses upcycled ingredients, transforming what was once considered a by-product into evocative, sustainable scents. Its most popular scent, The Mandala, has top notes of green mango and bergamot. 'No one thinks of a tropical fruit in an Asian fragrance. Here, it's mostly floral or woody.'
But Indian summers and mangos go hand in hand and Gill recounted enjoying them as a child in India. 'I am using ingredients that have been woven into my daily life and have had so much impact through rituals and traditions. This is what I'm trying to capture, the power of fragrance to transport us,' she added.