Recently, the luxury Chinese fragrance brand Melt Season is set to make its debut in Hong Kong on September 30 in collaboration with DFS Group. The brand will showcase its innovative products through an immersive pop-up experience at the prominent locations of the travel retailer on Canton Road and Causeway Bay.
Regarding the partnership with DFS, Melt Season’s founder, Ni Lishi, stated, “Duty-free stores are closely related to travel, making them a key touchpoint for reaching cross-border tourists and business travelers. The Asia-Pacific region has always been an important market for duty-free sales, especially for perfume and beauty brands. We are honored to be the first Chinese fragrance brand to enter DFS Hong Kong, leveraging Hong Kong as a global economic and trade center to build brand awareness among international consumers.”
Founded in July 2022, Melt Season has quickly established a foothold in the competitive fragrance market, opening boutiques in major Chinese cities such as Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. The brand has completed three rounds of financing. Initially, it secured seed funding led by Yishan Capital; in March 2022, it received angel funding amounting to tens of millions of RMB; and in December last year, it attracted a strategic investment from The Estée Lauder Companies’ early-stage investment and incubation division, New Incubation Ventures (NIV), with an investment exceeding tens of millions of RMB. This marks Estée Lauder’s first investment in a fragrance brand in China.
Looking ahead, Ni Lishi has indicated in interviews that Melt Season plans to initiate its globalization strategy this year and explore partnerships with high-end hotels.
