The winners of the Niche Perfumery Awards (mNPA) 2020, held in Shanghai for the second year running, were announced in January.
Firmenich, an international specialist in fragrances and flavors, entered into an exclusive partnership with Minorité for this award. This edition provided a unique opportunity to showcase authentic Chinese niche creations, representative of national socio-cultural trends. The award also spotlighted international niche brands that have already acquired a certain notoriety in China.
"China is a huge source of inspiration for our industry and we are honored to once again be the exclusive partner of Minority's Niche Perfumery Awards 2020 in China.said Ilaria Resta, President Perfumery, Firmenich. As the world's leading fine fragrance company, Firmenich is committed to making perfume more inspiring, attractive and appealing. manager to customers and consumers around the world. This award brings together brilliant Chinese fine fragrance talents and provides them with an ideal setting to be showcased to the world."
Song Yuan, founder of Minority, added: "We are delighted to renew our partnership with Firmenich this year. In China, the niche market is booming, and the Chinese are looking for brands and fragrances with stories that speak to them. As Firmenich is the world leader in fine fragrance, we are leveraging their expertise as well as their palette of renowned ingredients to meet the increasingly sophisticated needs of Chinese consumers, including by creating fragrances designed specifically for this market."
Firmenich's consumer research has revealed that the Chinese's fragrance selection criteria are based on non-conformity, personal satisfaction and identity affirmation. This is why the niche market is particularly attractive to them, with its creative and artistic dimension.
"We've seen a significant rise in niche brand launches in China in recent months, said Jerry Vittoria, President, Global Fine Fragrance. The Chinese are venturing into new products and shaping the future of the niche in China. The growth of this market reflects consumers' desire to explore and create, and we will continue to encourage innovations that build creative bridges between China and the rest of the world."
The mNPA elects the best products in each category, and is the only Chinese award to showcase the avant-garde in niche fragrances. The jury is made up of Chinese perfumers, established perfume critics and experts from the Chinese perfume industry. They nominate the perfumes that will compete, then shortlist the finalists. The winners are then chosen by public vote.
The mNPA 2020 winners are :
- Best perfumes, independent niche brands: Atramental by Room 1015; Black Tar by Parfumerie Particulière; Sottosopra by Calé Fragranze d'Autore; Mad Madame by Juliette Has a Gun.
- Best perfumes, niche brands affiliated with a group: Tender by Miller Harris; Fou d'Absinthe by L'Artisan Parfumeur; Portrait of a Lady by Frédéric Malle.
- Best fragrances, Chinese niche brands: White Dew by Kongbai; Farouche by Uttori; Old Man by YILI Olfactory Art.
- Niche fragrance of the year: Dans Tes Bras by Frédéric Malle.
"China is a promising market that allows brands to explore their creativity - this year's award-winning fragrances are less classic and more daring compared to last year's winners.notes Olivier Viejo, Senior Director of Firmenich at the Atelier Fine Fragrance in Shanghai. We believe that China will continue to drive growth in the global fine fragrance market. We remain very involved in this development thanks to our Fine Fragrance workshop located here in Shanghai."
