Symrise Inaugurates Fine Fragrance Creation Hub in Shanghai

Ribbon cutting at the Little Red House Symrise Shanghai, f.l.t.r. Ricardo Omori (deputy president of Fragrance, Symrise), Karim Lisi (vice president of Business Development Fine Fragrance, APAC), Eder Ramos (Global Fragrance president, Symrise)
Ribbon cutting at the Little Red House Symrise Shanghai, f.l.t.r. Ricardo Omori (deputy president of Fragrance, Symrise), Karim Lisi (vice president of Business Development Fine Fragrance, APAC), Eder Ramos (Global Fragrance president, Symrise)
courtesy of Symrise

On May 18, 2023 Symrise hosted an opening ceremony celebrating the inauguration of The Little Red House, the company's Fine Fragrance Creation Hub in Shanghai.  

Located at The Roof in the Xuhui District, within a building designed by renowned French architect Jean Nouvel. The name “The Little Red House” relates to the Symrise red logomark, the red walls of the chosen location and the “go to” Chinese platform The Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu 小红书). It represents the “go to” place for fragrance creation and carries the Chinese name of Xiaohongwu 小红屋.

The hub offers space dedicated to market research, creative arts, and olfactory culture, featuring exclusive events and cultural programs. 

Global president of Fine Fragrance Julianne Pruett said, “We believe in leading at the forefront of innovation and accessibility to our customers. Just like L’Appartement Étoile in Paris, the Little Red House is strategically located in the center of Shanghai and brings us closer to our customers. It also provides a modern ambience that sparks creativity."

Deputy president of Fragrance Ricard Omori explained, "We consider China a strategic market for Symrise. To support our customers in a most agile way, we opened an R&D facility in 2019, invested €200m in a factory that opened in 2020. Now, The Little Red House will give us a dedicated space to co-create with our local and international customers. Also, it will highlight many of our high-tech capabilities. Therefore, The Little Red House marks the continuation of the Symrise expansion and reinvention of the Fine Fragrance category in Asia."

During the event, Symrise fine fragrance perfumers Alexandra Carlin and Maxime Exler, deputy president of Fragrance Ricardo Omori, Global Fragrance president Eder Ramos, and other key team members welcomed clients, influencers, and media. Sharing information about Symrise, its heritage, present and future ideas for fragrance creation with its diverse capabilities. Guests could also experience the new De Laire base Piviane Impériale.

To celebrate the opening of the Little Red House and pay homage to the fragrant China, perfumers David Apel, Suzy Le Helley and Maxime Exler worked on the revamp of De Laire Base: Piviane. The scent is said to pay tribute to China’s long love affair with peony. The flower was considered a symbol of the country during the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907) and became the favorite flower of the people at that time. 

In a survey led by The China Flower Association in 2019 Peony was voted the national flower, topping all other flowers with an amazing 79.7% of the votes. In feng shui it forms one of the most auspicious flowers and symbolizes love, prosperity, and beauty, also popularly known as the “monarch of the flowers.” The new Piviane Impériale De Laire is said to carry the leathery signature of Piviane and replaces the animalic undertone with a "smooth smoky sensation and an intoxicating yet delicate floral bloom." The scent hosts a blend of synthetic and natural captive ingredients known to De Laire bases, the modern formula features Symrose, Sympep, Artichoke Symtrap Longoza and Vetiver from Madagascar. Piviane Impériale forms the quintessence of fine floral sophistication.

Master perfumer David Apel commented, "We had embarked on an amazing journey deep diving into the De Laire universe again, even more so for this special project in China. We modernized the base by elevating the leathery signature from animalic to smoky. For that I played with our new Sympep captive. I also added a touch of Longoza that refreshed the floral heart. This also results in a floral bloom, here with a unique premium touch. Exactly these traits make our De Laire bases so special."

Perfumer Maxime Exler shared, "After working in China for the last couple years, this new base truly pays a tribute to Chinese beauty, and their love for fragrance. I love to explore new ingredients and challenge myself. So, alongside our Symrose captive I played with the addition of the Artichoke Symtrap. It really brought something fresh, unique, and genderless,."

Perfumer Suzy le Helley added, "The contrast between the delicacy of the florals and the leathery part of the original Piviane has always fascinated me. I found it exciting to play with our Vetiver from Madagascar in the revamped Piviane Impériale. It smells quite elegant and brings a smoky and sublime undertone. This enabled us to keep that amazing contrast – In a new and genderless interpretation." 

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