A Journey Through Fragrance and Culture : Notes Shanghai 2025

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I’ve always been fascinated by the way perfume travels. A vial of rose attar distilled in Kannauj might find its way to a perfumer’s bench in Kyiv, while the scent of pomelo blossoms perfuming a courtyard in Hanoi could inspire a new fragrance accord in Tokyo. The history of perfumery has always been one of exchange of ideas, raw materials, and traditions. That’s one of the main reasons I became interested in aromatics and devoted more than 20 years to studying them.

This October, I will be continuing this journey as I travel to China. I’ve lived and worked in different countries in Asia, but this is going to be my first trip to China. Before I travel to Beijing and Chengdu, I will start at Notes Shanghai 2025, the premier international exhibition dedicated to fine fragrance. From October 16–19, the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center will transform into a meeting place for more than 200 fragrance brands from around the world, alongside forums, cultural programs, and the live judging of the Golden Osmanthus Awards.

What excites me most about Notes Shanghai is its emphasis on dialogue. Scent has always existed between categories: ritual and luxury, science and art, memory and innovation. At the exhibition, that conversation will take place across cultures and generations. One of the highlights will be the launch of NEZ in China, Issue 2, which represents a milestone in international fragrance publishing and the growing exchange of ideas between East and West.

For me, this dialogue is also personal: Ukrainian tea rituals were once shaped by Chinese leaves arriving through Odesa’s ports, just as embroidered motifs in vyshyvanka echo patterns familiar in Asian silks. These threads remind me that scent, like craft, always carries memory across distances.

For centuries, China has nurtured its own complex perfume traditions—from incense ceremonies, or xiang dao, blending agarwood, sandalwood, and borneol, to the osmanthus harvest that marks autumn with its honeyed, apricot fragrance. These customs show us that perfumery is not simply a product of modern industry but a living art rooted in memory and ritual.

As a writer and perfumer, I am eager to see how Notes Shanghai will reveal these connections—how ancient traditions can spark contemporary creativity, and how new voices can emerge in conversation with the past. I will share my impressions here on Bois de Jasmin and on Instagram, so that even if you cannot attend in person, you can join me in exploring perfume’s new horizons.

For everyone else, I’ll be sharing impressions here on Bois de Jasmin and on Instagram. From new launches to rediscovered traditions, from incense trails to modern accords, I look forward to bringing you along as we explore perfume’s new horizons together.

Notes Shanghai 2025 Autumn–Winter
October 16–19, 2025
West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center, Shanghai
www.notesshanghai.com

🎟️ If you are in Shanghai, I am pleased to share that I have a limited number of free tickets available for readers. Please contact me for details.

Of course, if you have any recommendations for me on places to visit in China, I would be grateful. I also hope that I can meet some of my readers in person during this trip.