Cosmoprof Asia 2025: Fragrance and ASEAN Market Growth Capture Spotlight

As the beauty world prepares to gather in Hong Kong this November, Cosmoprof Asia 2025 stands poised to capture two of the industry’s most compelling narratives — the rise of fragrance as a creative and commercial force, and the growing importance of the ASEAN region as the next frontier for beauty brand expansion.

In an industry constantly balancing artistry and ambition, these two themes underscore a shared momentum: Asia’s growing influence in redefining the global beauty landscape.

Fragrance Takes Center Stage at Cosmoprof Asia 2025

Fragrance will take the spotlight at this year’s Cosmoprof Asia, marking the category’s fastest evolution across Asian markets. Once considered a niche indulgence, scent has transformed into a key growth driver as consumers across the region embrace it as an everyday form of self-expression. Beyond product, fragrance has become an experience — one that connects craftsmanship, storytelling, and emotion.

The momentum is evident in both data and design. Asia’s perfume market, valued at more than US $10 billion in 2024, continues to outpace global averages, fueled by a young, experience-driven generation and the rise of niche and artisanal houses. Cosmoprof Asia reflects this shift through an expanded fragrance offering that places creativity, culture, and community at its core.

The dedicated Explorers by Esxence and Fragrance Avenue zones will showcase more than 35 global brands, including the Asian debut of Esxence, the Milan-based platform synonymous with niche perfumery. Twenty-four independent fragrance houses will present their creations, offering attendees a sensorial journey through craftsmanship and cultural narrative.

Adding to the immersion, the 5C Fragrance Experience, created in collaboration with design agency Centdegrés, invites visitors to explore the five dimensions that define the modern fragrance world: creativity, craftsmanship, culture, community, and connection. The installation captures how scent now transcends product — it has become a creative language and a bridge between art and identity.

Complementing these showcases, CosmoTalks sessions such as “Fragrance Innovation: Storytelling Through Scent” and “The Art and Science of Fragrance: Innovations, Storytelling and Global Trends” will examine the intersection of technology, sustainability, and sensory marketing. Live demonstrations on Cosmo Onstage — from “Perfume Discovery: Play, Smell, and Unlock the Secrets of Fragrance” to “Invisible Aesthetics: When Fragrance Meets Space” — will turn scent into spectacle, blurring boundaries between design and emotion.

Meanwhile, the Beauty Studio transforms learning into participation through hands-on workshops, including “Craft Your Signature Scent: A Cologne-Making Experience”, “The Scent of Excellence: Asia Perfume Awards 2025 Ceremony”, and “The Essence of Rarity: The World of Oud and Art of Layering.” Together, they reflect a broader transformation — fragrance as the embodiment of Asia’s creative awakening and its desire to tell stories that feel intimate yet universal.

ASEAN Market: The New Growth Frontier

Beyond the sensory allure of fragrance, Cosmoprof Asia 2025 also turns its gaze toward Southeast Asia — a region quickly emerging as the beauty industry’s next growth powerhouse. From Bangkok to Jakarta, ASEAN markets are shaping the future of beauty retail through digital fluency, cultural diversity, and an expanding middle class.

The region’s beauty and personal care sector is projected to exceed US $36 billion in revenue this year, propelled by social commerce and mobile-first consumers. Its importance now extends far beyond geography: ASEAN has become the meeting point for global beauty currents — where K-Beauty, C-Beauty, and international indie brands alike test innovation, adapt to local storytelling, and build new communities of consumers.

To explore this evolving ecosystem, Jingzhi Media Group will moderate the CosmoTalks session “Unlocking E-Commerce Opportunities: Strategies to Succeed in the ASEAN Market.” Bringing together regional experts, digital strategists, and brand leaders, the session will unpack what makes ASEAN such fertile ground for beauty’s next wave of growth — from the interplay between local culture and cross-border commerce to the digital platforms shaping brand discovery.

Rather than focusing on any single country or category, the discussion aims to map a regional perspective: how ASEAN’s hybrid digital landscape — blending livestreaming, social media, and community commerce — is creating new opportunities for brands of all origins. Whether it’s a Korean skincare pioneer entering Vietnam, a Chinese beauty label launching in Thailand, or a global luxury house localizing for Indonesia, ASEAN now represents both a testing ground and a launchpad for Asia’s new beauty dynamics.

A Preview of Beauty’s Next Chapter

Fragrance and ASEAN — one driven by emotion, the other by expansion — together encapsulate the dual forces shaping beauty’s future in Asia. Cosmoprof Asia 2025 offers a preview of how these trends will converge: scent evolving from accessory to art form, and markets evolving from local hubs to regional growth engines.

Within this convergence lies a broader message. Asia’s beauty landscape is no longer defined by replication or reaction; it is becoming a laboratory of ideas — where creativity, culture, and commerce coalesce. As the global industry gathers in Hong Kong, the conversation will not simply be about what’s new, but what’s next: a beauty future led by Asia’s imagination, powered by its connections, and scented with its own sense of identity.