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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

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Businesses from The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel to the city’s international airport use  enticing smells to increase patronage and customer loyalty. A Hong Kong expert in scent branding explains how such aromas are created. Photo: Intime Artisan de Parfum

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.

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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.

Shiu Shing Hong, a fragrance shop in Sheung Wan, has been in operation for more than 50 years. Photo: Joanne Yau
Shiu Shing Hong, a fragrance shop in Sheung Wan, has been in operation for more than 50 years. Photo: Joanne Yau

On the flip side, a whiff of its K11 bottle overpowers, with a vanilla smell that conjures images of crowds and overzealous air-conditioning.

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