Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, Centdegrés: “The fragrance market is exploding in China”
2023/11/30
With first-hand knowledge of the China market, having had an office in Shanghai for the last 15 years, and a strong advocate for French craftsmanship, the brand design agency Centdegrés – founded by David Nitlich and Elie Papiernik in 1988 – is launching the first edition of its Fragrance Awards competition on October 3, 2023, in Grasse, the world’s fragrance capital. Leading up to the event, we take stock of the growth of China’s perfume market and its specificities with Matthieu Rochette-Schneider, Greater China General Manager at Centdegrés, and Board National Member of industry association CCI France-Chine.
Why did you decide to launch a Chinese Fragrance Award, and why in Grasse?
Matthieu Rochette-Schneider: The project was born out of a deep understanding of the Chinese market, the shifts in Chinese society, and local consumption habits. Centdegrés began working with Chinese brands in the skincare sector with Herborist, which remains the leading Chinese skincare player. Our first work on the local fragrance market date back to 2013 at Luxe Pack Shanghai. We were already convinced that the sector would see a rapid and strong breakthrough, contrary to popular belief. While fragrance indeed lagged behind skincare and makeup , it is now truly taking off!
We have also been working on perfume projects in France for the last 35 years and have noted that French industry players have a real lack of knowledge when it comes to local Chinese brands, which are the competition. They need to work with these emerging brands. There shouldn’t be a disconnect between these two aspects of the fragrance industry, with on one side a historic, classic, and respectable market, and the other an emerging market that has broken from tradition. As Centdegrés is a defender of French expertise, industries, and brands, we wanted to bring these two entities together at the heart of the birthplace of fragrance, in Grasse. This award is a way to initiate collaborations to remain ultra-competitive.
How do you see the fragrance market in China?
Despite our years of experience in China, we have never seen the emergence of a new generation of players in a consumption category happen as rapidly, deeply, and well-executed locally. This goes for all aspects: aesthetics, storytelling, packaging, sourcing, international collaboration… It’s unprecedented. There was the skincare craze, the makeup craze, but never with all of these aspects happening at once.