Firmenich and Xun Laboratory Announce Opening of Villa Harmony in China

Shanghai, China, March 9th, 2023 -

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, announces the opening of Villa Harmony in China, adding to its global repertoire of exclusive spaces for co-creation and inspiration. The new centre of expertise is a joint project between Firmenich and Xun Laboratory, a perfumery studio rooted in rich Chinese history and culture, aiming to bring to life the unique history of ancient Chinese perfumery. The partnership offers an opportunity to connect tradition with modernity and creates an avenue for customers to embrace ancestral Chinese culture and techniques.

“The opening of Villa Harmony marks a momentous integration of Art, Technique, Ingredients and Perfumery,” said Ilaria Resta, Global President of Perfumery & Ingredients Firmenich. “We are proud to combine our legacies at this centre of perfumery culture to support the preservation and revitalization of Chinese perfumery ancestry. Customers in China will benefit from having a completely unparalleled, holistic experience where they can re-discover and replicate ancient Chinese fragrance ingredients, for use in modern day creations.”

The Villa Harmony partnership marks another step in expanding Firmenich’s customer experience, following the opening of the Fine Fragrance Atelier in Shanghai in 2019 and Studio Guangzhou in 2021. With this deep collaboration, the company aims to help clients enhance authentic storytelling to reflect the rich olfactive history in China, while introducing even more winning fragrances behind Designed-for-China-by-China products that are sought after by both local and global brands. The expert knowledge in ancient ingredients that Xun Laboratory brings to the partnership will also boost the endorsement of unique ingredient sources that are regarded as native to China.

“The opening of Villa Harmony reiterates our bold ambitions in creating an ecosystem of partnerships in China, in never-before-seen spaces. We are demonstrating our confidence in leading the Fragrance segment in the dynamic Chinese market, paving the way for customers to discover new olfactive directions,” said Paul Andersson, President of Firmenich China.

Olivier Viejo, Vice President, Fine Fragrance APAC, added: “This project extends the capabilities enabled by our Fine Fragrance Atelier in Shanghai, where we will further put a premium on our Fine Fragrance footprint in China by reinforcing our cultural and historical understanding of Chinese Perfumery. Our local and international customers will benefit from the immersive experiences, co-creation opportunities, fragrance creativity and product inspirations that are additionally introduced with the opening of Villa Harmony.”

Villa Harmony is housed in the Jin Ze Art Centre, which aims to provide a unifying platform that promotes research and technical exchanges for those who appreciate traditional craftsmanship and culture. The centre offers proximity to other ancient Chinese arts, while the research at Xun Laboratory gives customers privileged access into the 5,000-year heritage and unique knowledge of Chinese perfumery, literature and art. Complete with a botanical garden, the serene environment of Jin Ze Art Centre provides an inspiring venue for the holistic cultivation of body, mind and spirit, allowing creators, researchers and visitors to be fully embraced in the rich heritage of Chinese Perfumery.

“Xun Laboratory is devoted to the research and promotion of the rich, ancient Chinese heritage, to let a wider audience appreciate the beauty and evolution of our culture,” said Ma Xi Rui, Head of Xun Laboratory. “Aligned with our philosophy of striking a harmony between man and nature, the past and present, we are excited that Villa Harmony will help customers apply traditional cultural elements into modern scent designs, to push the frontier of pioneering and innovative perfumery creations together.”

To further contribute to the development of fragrance understanding, Villa Harmony will be organizing mini exhibitions and forum sessions for exchanges, bringing customers additional co-creation opportunities. They will benefit from a superior customer journey, backed by research-based expertise from Xun Laboratory on Chinese Perfumery, and data-driven insights into local market preferences and consumer behaviour by Firmenich.

For more information on other Firmenich Ateliers, please visit https://www.firmenich.com/fragrance/fine-fragrance/ateliers

Annie Song Chen
annie.song.chen@firmenich.com
+86 13801850568

About Firmenich

Firmenich, the world’s largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 128 years. Firmenich is a business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors, and ingredients. Renowned for its excellent research, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers innovation in formulation, a broad palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies such as biotechnology. Firmenich delivered CHF 4.9 billion in sales for the calendar year ended 31 December 2022. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.

About Xun Laboratory

Under the stewardship of Ma Xi Rui, a scholar of Chinese perfumery culture, Xun Laboratory focuses on the study and research of Chinese ancient perfumery process & techniques and exploration of scent aesthetic. The 8 pillars of their main research directions include:
Scent Literature & Historical Materials; Name and Item Matching of Ancient perfumery Ingredients; Incense Techniques, Formulas and Process; Chinese Incense Evaluation Vocabulary; Study of Scent Aesthetic Evolution; Chinese Ancient Incense Case Study; Olfactive Cultural Heritage Design; Innovative Application.