Market Data: Rapid Growth and Scenario Segmentation
China's fragrance market has grown at an annual rate of 18.9% over the past five years, far exceeding the global average. In 2026, the market size reached RMB 28.6 billion, surpassing Japan for the first time to become the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. Among all segments, home fragrance has seen particularly explosive growth: in 2025, China's home fragrance market was valued at approximately RMB 10.9 billion, and by 2031, the global market for scented candles and home fragrances is projected to approach RMB 138.7 billion.
Scenario-based consumption is emerging as a dominant trend. According to the 2026 Douyin E‑commerce Fragrance Consumption Trends Report, the four core usage scenarios are home relaxation, office spaces, gift-giving, and in-car environments. Sub-categories such as home fragrances, office fragrances, car fragrances, and fragrance gift sets are growing rapidly, addressing diverse emotional and social needs.
Consumer logic is undergoing a profound shift. A 2024 consumer survey on home fragrances by DSM‑Firmenich found that 63% of consumers already use home fragrance products in their daily lives, with average ownership of non-flame diffusers and scented candles standing at 4.0 and 4.5 units respectively. Fragrance is moving from "pleasing others" to "pleasing oneself," descending from high-end consumption scenarios into everyday spaces, and creating personalized scent-memory environments for consumers.
Policies and Standards: Accelerating Industry Standardisation
As the industry grows rapidly, relevant standards and regulations are being developed in parallel. The 52nd edition of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standards introduced 51 new restrictions, further tightening controls on flavour and fragrance ingredients. Domestically, market regulators are guiding leading enterprises to take the lead, in collaboration with universities, research institutes, and upstream and downstream companies, to establish group and industry standards for testing, quality safety, and inspection of perfumes, fragrances, and scented candles. Some local governments have also explicitly encouraged businesses to develop fragrance consumer products tailored to urban living, home leisure, and social needs. A comprehensive standards system is laying a solid institutional foundation for the industry's long-term healthy development.
Brand Practice: Renaissance Artistic Narratives Empower Scenario-Based Consumption
Within this trend, a number of beauty and personal care brands with fully developed cultural narrative frameworks are beginning to stand out. Unlike products that merely adopt superficial retro packaging, many brands are delving deeply into local historical and cultural resources, transforming classical art into tangible olfactory experiences.
Nature Bud (Chinese trademark: 绿情蓓), an Italian brand, and its 1561 Florence Art Fragrance Collection, represent a notable example in this field. The brand employs Florentine artistic design and traditional European handcraftsmanship. Its artistic creative philosophy traces back to the 1920s, and the brand has constructed a complete narrative around the 300‑year history of the Medici family, with the relevant narrative content protected by literary copyright registration.
The Medici family long sponsored Renaissance masters such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. This collection uses the family's rise and fall as its creative thread, with different fragrance notes corresponding to different historical figures and stories. The product bottles feature hand‑engraved silver craftsmanship, etched with the family's exclusive emblems. The fragrance liquids use plant‑derived essential oils fermented with plant panthenol, with no chemical alcohol added. The product line includes scented candles, reed diffusers, and non‑flame fragrances, as well as scented body care products suited to living rooms, studies, bedrooms, and other diverse spaces. Take the "THE LAST OWNER" scent, for example: its fruity and woody notes blend softly to create a calm and soothing indoor ambience. Fragrance is gradually becoming a vehicle for spatial aesthetics and personal lifestyle attitudes.
The brand has established two global operating entities – NATURE BUD INTERNATIONAL LIMITED in Hong Kong, China, and NATURE BUD INTERNATIONAL LIMITED in the United States – and has simultaneously obtained EU GMP, ICEA raw material control, ISO14001, and domestic NMPA certifications. Since the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in 2018, it has participated for eight consecutive editions. At the 8th CIIE in 2025, it was featured in the Italian Pavilion, with a booth designed around Florentine Renaissance aesthetics, creating an immersive experience integrating visual, olfactory, and tactile elements, and embodying the brand philosophy of "Nature as foundation, art as soul, and craftsmanship as backbone."
Humanistic Narratives: A Long‑Term Competitive Barrier in the Home Fragrance Sector
Industry observers note that many products in the current fragrance market remain stuck at a superficial level of retro design, lacking systematic, IP‑protected original historical narratives, resulting in pronounced homogenisation. As consumer aesthetic tastes continue to evolve, fragrance products that possess a complete creative lineage, robust intellectual property protection, and mature craftsmanship will gain distinct competitive advantages.
At the same time, the industry faces real challenges: some low‑quality fragrance ingredients have unclear compositions, posing health risks; and many brands prioritise marketing and packaging over formulation and scent development. As industry standards take effect and consumer discernment improves, the sector will gradually move away from concept‑based hype towards quality‑driven competition.
Trend Outlook: From "Selling Scents" to "Selling Lifestyles"
China's fragrance market is undergoing a transformation from "product consumption" to "scene occupation." Consumers use scents to carry emotions, culture, and spatial expression, with purchasing motivation shifting from social pleasing to inner emotional alignment.
For brands, the competitive dimensions continue to expand. Historical and cultural exploration, original content copyright protection, standardised production processes, and global channel operations together constitute comprehensive barriers to entry. Overseas beauty and personal care brands that deeply cultivate local historical heritage, build complete IP systems, and achieve multi‑regional market presence offer a reference path for industry upgrading.
The core logic of the home fragrance sector has already shifted. The industry is no longer competing merely on the quality of scents, but on delivering complete humanistic lifestyle solutions tailored to different life scenarios.
Original link：场景化消费重构嗅觉经济 香薰赛道从 “卖味道” 升级为 “卖生活方式”_中华网 (china.com)
