The scent of emotional healing
As younger generations and urbanites face mounting stressors, the olfactory is shifting from consumer demand for commercial brand fragrances to empirically proven therapy, report He Qi and Wang Xin.
The booming fragrance market reflects the growing recognition of scents' emotional healing potential.
Wang Wei, chief operating officer of Eternal Group, says that China's fragrance market has moved past the niche fragrance bubble and the misconception that "commercial fragrances are outdated". Consumers no longer follow labels blindly but return to the intrinsic emotional value of scents.
"Instead of blindly chasing viral niche fragrances on social media, consumers now clearly state their need for scents that help them relax and reduce stress," Wang says.
To empirically validate fragrance's healing value, the group introduced brainwave-based fragrance emotion detection technology in collaboration with the Shanghai Institute of Technology at the 30th China Beauty Expo in May. The technology converts subjective emotions such as pleasure and relaxation into visual data, providing scientific backing for fragrance therapy.
Wang emphasizes that the company has transformed from a brand agent into an ecological enabler in the fragrance industry, making fragrance a practical tool for daily emotional regulation through scientific research and scenario-based innovation.
"We hope to provide consumers with more accurate and locally adapted emotional fragrance experiences through continuous product innovation, scientific empirical research and scenario-based empowerment, truly bringing olfactory healing into people's daily lives," Wang says.
Contact the writers at heqi@chinadaily.com.cn
