CPL Aromas took part in Notes Shanghai 2026 Autumn Edition, held from 14–17 October at the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center, joining the international fragrance community around this edition’s theme, “Another Way.”
Bringing together more than 200 brands from over 30 countries and regions, the event encouraged the fragrance industry to move beyond familiar trends, categories and definitions. CPL Aromas responded through an olfactive journey connecting nature, cultural heritage and fragrance technology, exploring how fragrance inspiration can come from places, rituals, memories and cultural stories, as much as from ingredients themselves.
Shinrin-yoku: Stepping into the forest through scent
At the heart of CPL Aromas’ presentation was its Shinrin-yoku collection, inspired by the Japanese practice of forest bathing and the sensory experience of immersing oneself in nature. The concept brought together three of CPL Aromas’ technologies: AromaHydro™, AromaWellness™ and AromaSpace™ — combining different approaches to fragrance innovation within one immersive olfactive story.
The collection was brought to life through a setting of botanical greenery and moss-inspired elements, extending the forest-inspired concept beyond fragrance and into the exhibition space itself.
Rather than interpreting nature through conventional green notes alone, Shinrin-yoku explored the textures, atmosphere and emotional sensations of the forest, reflecting a growing interest in fragrances that evoke a place, a mood or a moment, and create a more immersive way to experience scent.
Reimagining the Tang Dynasty through contemporary perfumery
Inspired by Notes Shanghai’s ‘Another Way’ theme, CPL Aromas Perfumer Chung turned to the Tang Dynasty as a rich source of inspiration for a new collection.
The creative process began by identifying some of the most distinctive symbols, stories and cultural references associated with the Tang Dynasty and considering how they could be translated into contemporary fragrance.
The resulting collection looked at the period through a series of olfactive narratives: peony as an emblem of prosperity and wealth; foreign wines arriving through the Silk Road; murals filled with legends and mythology; poetry inspired by the moon; lychees transported across great distances; and tributes arriving from neighbouring countries and tribes.
Together, these references created a portrait of an era characterised by cultural exchange and imagination.
Rather than recreating history literally, Chung’s collection used these recognisable elements as creative starting points, allowing perfumery to reinterpret the Tang Dynasty through a modern sensory language.
This dialogue between past and present also reflected the spirit of “Another Way”: looking at familiar cultural references from a different perspective and transforming them into something new.
AromaSpace ™: Capturing experiences beyond the ingredient
Technology and perfumer creativity formed another important dimension of CPL Aromas’ presence at Notes Shanghai.
During the event, CPL Aromas Perfumer Elise Pierre introduced AromaSpace ™, CPL Aromas’ technology combining headspace analysis with the creativity and expertise of its perfumers to recreate distinctive, true-to-nature olfactive experiences.
Her presentation highlighted two recent additions to the growing AromaSpace ™ palette: Pink Guava AromaSpace™ and Champagne AromaSpace™.
Pink Guava AromaSpace™ recreates the wider sensory experience of picking, cutting and tasting fresh guava, balancing the green character of its skin with ripe tropical fruitiness and a soft, fleshy sensation. The result offers a juicy, contemporary interpretation of fruit that can bring an unexpected tropical twist to fragrance creations.
Champagne AromaSpace™, meanwhile, was created by capturing both champagne itself and the vapour released when a bottle is first opened. Juicy fruit nuances meet lively sparkling facets, translating the fleeting moment of a champagne cork being popped into an olfactive experience that brings lift, radiance and diffusion to a composition.
From the meditative atmosphere of a forest to the cultural richness of the Tang Dynasty, the tropical freshness of pink guava and the fleeting sparkle of champagne, CPL Aromas’ presence at Notes Shanghai 2026AW demonstrated that the future of perfumery does not have to follow a single direction.
Instead, “Another Way” can begin with looking at the world differently and finding new ways to translate those experiences into scent.
