What does Hong Kong airport smell of? Or your go-to hotel? The business of scent branding
- Scent branding uses signature aromas to encourage patrons to return to hotels, malls and stores. A Hong Kong expert talks dollars and scents
If you are a fragrance enthusiast, you may have heard of Shiu Shing Hong, a quaint shop in Hong Kong’s Sheung Wan district that has been around for more than 50 years.
The store, which recently went viral on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, not only sells house-made essential oils – must-have souvenirs for visitors from mainland China thanks to the exposure – but recreates the signature scents of popular malls and other venues in Hong Kong.
On its shelves are familiar – sometimes odd – concoctions. Bottle labels reference K11, a shopping mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, the five-star Rosewood Hotel, and the Hong Kong International Airport. Sportswear brand Lululemon has one too.
Its Mandarin Oriental scent – evoking the Asia-based global luxury hotel chain – exudes refreshing floral notes of freesia and osmanthus, while Lululemon’s scent is reminiscent of fresh laundry, which is ideal when slipping into brand-new leggings.
On the flip side, a whiff of its K11 bottle overpowers, with a vanilla smell that conjures images of crowds and overzealous air-conditioning.
