Entrepreneur expands perfume biz with scents of nature

Shen Ao, a young woman in Wuhan, Hubei province, brings the fragrance of cherry blossoms to the world through her Xiyang perfume, making a profitable business by meeting people's aesthetic demands.

Shen, 23, was impressed by Wuhan's cherry blossoms when she first visited the city to study at college.

"It symbolizes fervor, purity and nobility in Chinese culture, representing renewal and rebirth," she said. "They are highly fitting for Wuhan, a heroic city, and serve as an important cultural symbol, bridging the emotional connection between tourists and the city."

In February last year, Shen decided to develop a brand new perfume made with cherry blossoms so that tourists could take away and keep a special memory of the city with them. At first, she bought cherry blossom spice from the internet to create essential oil blends. However, regardless of the formula used, she couldn't achieve the scent that she envisioned as the most fitting one which is coupled with the "faint earthy aroma of the rainy season".

Then, she and her three team members began to collect fallen cherry blossoms throughout Wuhan, the petals of which filled more than 30 knee-high buckets. Undergoing multiple extractions, they managed to get around 10 kilograms of floral essential oil from the petals.

After trying 13 different formulas in nine months, and asking for advice from fragrance lovers in a questionnaire, she finally had her perfect scent.

At an outdoor fair in March last year, Shen was promoting the perfume from her booth when Saudi Arabian trader Bahadur Bahir showed great interest. He was seeking an aromatherapy brand that embodies the fusion of Wuhan culture and modern aesthetic life.

"He inquired in detail about the raw materials, production processes and brand philosophy. He appreciated our use of natural plant essential oils, emphasis on environmental protection and dedication to cultural intellectual property. He also shared his understanding of Middle Eastern aromatherapy culture. We had a very engaging conversation, discovering a lot of resonance in our ideas and visions for the industry," Shen said.

Bahir now places about 100 orders monthly, which brings "much confidence and many opportunities" to Shen's team. "Customers from the Middle East and the West have a high recognition for perfume. We also developed new products using crystal as a diffuser, to further captivate the hearts of foreign clients," she said.

Her team is also developing new fragrances, including one using plum blossoms, the city flower of Wuhan, and one using lavender by cooperating with suppliers from the Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture in Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Her product range includes perfumes, essential oils, candles and aroma stone diffusers whose shape resembles a choice of real flowers, butterflies and flowers on a plate. On social media platform Xiaohongshu, netizens commented — "the artworks are so beautiful" and "I bought two of them and placed them at home. Every time I see them, they can make my mood better."

Now, monthly revenue has reached an average of 100,000 yuan ($13,805) from online channels such as WeChat and Xiaohongshu, as well as offline channels, 60 percent of which comes from cherry blossom products. Shen attends the outdoor fairs organized by Jiang'an district three days per week and is charged a fee of only 100 yuan per day. The fairs provide a platform for young entrepreneurs to show off their products. Her products are also exhibited at cultural creative product stores at scenic spots popular with tourists.

Shen said the products can be used at home such as in bathrooms and living rooms, inside cars and as a decoration for wine cabinets. The unit price ranges from 49 yuan to 388 yuan. She also sells to hotels, bars and clothing stores through large orders. As the fragrance can last for about four to six months, customers are constantly re-purchasing them.

"A fragrance first expresses individuality. Akin to dressing, it reflects a person's character traits. Secondly, fragrances can be used to elevate the happiness index of life," she said.

She believes there is significant room for growth in the industry. "Driven by a healing economy, in the face of the fast pace of modern life, the therapeutic aspect of a fragrance becomes particularly important," she added.

According to consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, the size of the perfume market in China is expected to increase to 44 billion yuan by 2028.

"Inventory pressure is a major challenge when starting a business. Inaccurate predictions of market demand led to a large amount of unsold products," Shen said. "Later, as we gradually accumulated a certain customer base, we started pre-selling to address this issue. Each month and each quarter, new fragrances we introduce attract eager customers. As for our basic fragrance, they have maintained a high repurchase rate."

As the business expands, she also buys spices from suppliers and fresh flowers from merchants in Yunnan province, a major production source of fresh flowers in China.

Shen said that not only does Wuhan have a rich cultural atmosphere with huge consumption potential, it also has a stable and growing demand for products that can improve the quality of life, such as perfume. Most of her clients are young females with high educational backgrounds.

The local government has provided different types of support to Shen's entrepreneurship, such as in taxes, finance and training. "Entrepreneurs make exchanges frequently and there are many entrepreneurship activities to help expand business opportunities. It's a good choice for people who want to begin their own business," she said.