A Perfume Lover’s Guide to Shanghai
Recently, several guests asked me about visiting local perfume flagship stores to try and buy items available only in China or Shanghai. I love Shanghai’s perfume scene for its quiet creativity — the brand stories and design work behind each scent feel unique and hard to find in the West. While many visitors still opt for familiar names like Diptyque or Lalebo, Jo Malone etc., more locals and Asian visitors are exploring Chinese niche perfume brands that blend tea, incense, herbs, florals, old memories, and modern Chinese aesthetics into something that feels both contemporary and rooted in culture.
What makes Shanghai special isn’t just the smells but the whole experience. Some shops hide in old villas in the former French Concession. Others sit in restored shikumen lanes alongside cafés, bookstores, galleries, or tea rooms. You might walk into a shop expecting a typical store and find an art installation or a carefully styled apartment instead.
To me, perfume shopping in Shanghai rarely feels like normal beauty retail. It’s more like exploring the city through scent, design, architecture, and atmosphere.
Here are some of the most talked-about Chinese fragrance brands every perfume lover should explore in Shanghai.
To Summer 观夏
Probably the most internationally recognised Chinese niche perfume brand right now. Founded in 2018, To Summer became famous for translating Chinese cultural elements into wearable scents — tea, ink, bamboo, osmanthus, cedarwood, incense, and traditional Chinese gardens.
Its flagship on Hunan Road feels more like entering an old Shanghai residence than a perfume store. The architecture itself is part of the experience: quiet villa streets, mosaic flooring, old columns, and soft natural lighting that perfectly matches the brand’s calm aesthetic.
Popular scents often recommended by perfume lovers include:
Nude (most popular that I helped purchase this and ship it overseas several times)
Triple Tea
Ink
Bitter
Osmanthus collections
The brand has gained a cult following on Xiaohongshu, TikTok, and among visitors specifically travelling to Shanghai to experience Chinese perfumery.
Addresses:
Hunan Road Flagship
Address: 111 Hunan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市徐汇区湖南路111号
Opening Hours: Mon–Fri 11:00–20:00 / Sat–Sun 11:00–21:00
Rockbund Store
Address: Rockbund, Zhongshan East 1st Road, Huangpu District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市黄浦区中山东一路洛克外滩源
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
IFC Mall
Address: Shanghai IFC Mall, 8 Century Avenue, Pudong
Chinese Address: 上海市浦东新区世纪大道8号国金中心
Opening Hours: 10:00–22:00 daily
Melt Season
Minimalist, modern, and very Shanghai.
Melt Season feels closer to a luxury label than a traditional perfume brand. The visual identity is clean and understated, with a strong contemporary design language influenced by both East Asian aesthetics and global niche perfumery. I love that they update their visuals and new items in a seasonal way.
What makes the brand especially interesting is how it mixes Chinese emotional storytelling with international perfumery craftsmanship. Even Estée Lauder invested in the brand — a strong sign the industry sees huge potential in China’s fragrance market.
Their Taiyuan Road flagship is worth visiting purely for the atmosphere.
Addresses:
Taiyuan Road Flagship
Address: No 1. 45 Taiyuan Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
Chinese Address: 上海市徐汇区太原路45弄1号
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–21:00
Jing’an Kerry Center
Address: 1515 West Nanjing Road, Jing’an Kerry Center North B1-05B
Chinese Address: 南京西路1515号静安嘉里中心商场NB1-05B
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
Documents 闻献
If To Summer feels poetic and airy, Documents feels darker, moodier, and more conceptual.
Documents has become incredibly popular among younger Chinese consumers who want something artistic, edgy, and distinctly local without looking stereotypically “Chinese.” Its fragrances often revolve around abstract ideas, seasons, memory, trees, rituals, or Eastern philosophy.
You’ll find ingredients and inspirations deeply rooted in East Asian culture:
mugwort
angelica root
incense
agarwood
walnut
star anise
Even the retail spaces feel cinematic and architectural, often inspired by temple forms and quiet Zen aesthetics.
Addresses:
Xintiandi Style Pop Up
Address: 179 Madang Road Xintiandi Style Phase 1, Atrium on 1F
Chinese Address: 马当路179号新天地时尚一期一楼中庭
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
Jing’an Kerry Center
Address: 1515 West Nanjing Road, Jing’an Kerry Center North B1-20A
Chinese Address: 南京西路1515号静安嘉里中心商场NB1-20A
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
Gate M Store
Address: 2266 Longteng Avenue, Gate M, 102A, 1F, Building 1
Chinese Address: 龙腾大道2266号西岸梦中心1栋1楼102A
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
Black Paw 黑爪
One of the more underground names among fragrance enthusiasts.
Black Paw is less internationally known but highly discussed among Chinese perfume lovers online, especially for its tea-inspired collections and atmospheric storytelling.
The brand leans heavily into emotional scent profiles:
green tea
black tea
seasonal moods
rainy-day atmospheres
woody calmness
It feels very contemporary Chinese — emotional, introspective, slightly melancholic, and aesthetically resonant with younger Shanghai consumers.
Address:
144 Nanchang Road (Former French Concession)
南昌路144号
Qiju 气剧
Qiju is still relatively niche even within China, which is exactly why many perfume lovers seek it out.
The brand sits closer to the indie artisan side of perfumery, often experimenting with unconventional scent structures and storytelling rooted in Chinese literature, nostalgia, and atmosphere rather than obvious luxury branding.
For visitors wanting to discover something beyond the already-famous names, Qiju represents the newer wave of experimental Chinese perfumery.
Address:
271 Fumin Road (Former French Concession)
富民路271号
New Store since May 2026
265 Middle Wulumuqi Road (Former French Concession)
乌鲁木齐中路265号
Handhandhand 叁手香氛
Handhandhand has a very different energy from the others — more raw, woody, earthy, and design-forward.
Their scents often lean heavily into incense, timber, smoke, paper, leather, and herbal notes, creating perfumes that feel quiet, intellectual, and slightly avant-garde. The brand has developed a strong following among people who enjoy niche perfumery that feels artistic rather than mass appealing.
Even the packaging and retail spaces feel carefully considered, with a minimalist aesthetic that fits perfectly into Shanghai’s creative scene.
Addresses:
Former French Concession 永福路店
Address: 127 Yongfu Road (Former French Concession)
Chinese Address: 永福路127号
Jing’an Kerry Center
Address: 1515 West Nanjing Road, Jing’an Kerry Center North B1-06C
Chinese Address: 南京西路1515号静安嘉里中心商场NB1-06C
Opening Hours: Usually 10:00–22:00
Handhandhand also has 2 other stores in the city: Xintiandi Dongtai Li and the West bund.
Why Shanghai feels special for perfume lovers
What makes Shanghai so exciting for fragrance lovers is that the city itself already has a strong appreciation for aesthetics, cafés, fashion, architecture, and a slow lifestyle.
And unlike many international luxury perfume counters that feel almost identical around the world, Shanghai’s niche perfume scene still feels deeply local and personal.
Exploring these perfume brands doesn’t feel like shopping to me — it’s more like uncovering another layer of how Chinese brands craft their stories and create distinctive scents that resonate with locals and visitors alike, drawing on Chinese aesthetic elements. If you love perfume, start at Jing’an Kerry Center, North Zone B1, where you can experience three of these brands in one place. Then take a short walk to Fumin Lu and finally to MeltSeason and To Summer — it’s a perfect route for anyone who savours a relaxed, immersive experience, and it’s an excellent idea for souvenirs to bring home or give to your loved ones. There is no pressure to buy, which I also appreciate about the stores and brands, as scents and fragrances are very personal and subjective.