气味上海2026春季展|展会主题「无界Boundless」解读 Vol.3

1

电影《一代宗师》里宫老爷子的角色说过一句我很喜欢的台词，“拳有南北，国有南北吗”？每次被问及如何平衡艺术性与商业性，如何应对小众与大众品牌的不同需求，如何解读东方与西方的不同审美时，我总会想起这句话。

处在成熟的工业体系中的调香师实际上并没有那么高的自由度，除了尊重客户需求与商业逻辑，还有成本和日益严苛的法规等种种限制。既然已是戴着镣铐跳舞，或许我们无需再用这些观念上的条条框框来束缚自己。

一款香水的成败有许多不可控因素，面对一个主题摒弃杂念、倾注自己的所有、寻找当下能力范围内最精准的表达，这就已经足够了。我想创作真正的边界应该是我们勇气与想象力。

In the film The Grandmaster, there is a line by Master Gong that I’ve always liked: “Martial arts may be divided into schools of the North and South—but can a nation be divided this way?” Whenever I’m asked how to balance artistry and commerciality, how to respond to the different needs of niche and mass-market brands, or how to interpret the aesthetic distinctions between East and West, that line inevitably comes to mind.

Perfumers working within a mature industrial system actually don’t have that much freedom. Beyond respecting client expectations and commercial logic, there are always constraints—cost considerations, and increasingly rigorous regulations. Since we are already dancing with our shackles on, perhaps we need not impose additional conceptual boundaries upon ourselves.

There are many uncontrollable factors that determine whether a perfume succeeds or not. When faced with a theme, if we can quiet the noise, pour our hearts into it, and strive for the most precise expression our current abilities allow—that is already enough. The true frontier of creation, I believe, lies only in our courage and imagination.

2

在调香的世界里，每一次嗅闻，都是一次跨越边界的旅程。当一滴香水落在试香纸上，它便开始突破自身的轮廓，延展出关于自然、情绪与记忆的全新维度。

作为调香师，我时常提醒自己要在“无界”的理念下创作。我喜欢以更自由的方式构建香气，让经典与创新、理性与感性共同参与创作。为什么不能模糊我们熟知的某种香气结构？为什么不去强调某种所谓不“讨喜”的气味特征？许多优秀的创作正来自那些不被命名、也不必被分类的瞬间。我相信，气味会像光一样流动，不必遵循既定的框架，却能在每一位嗅者心中生成独特的形状。

回望这些年旅居于世界各地的调香旅程，我逐渐意识到：界限往往不是世界给我们的，而是我们习惯给自己的。如今生活在上海这座瞬息万变的都市，我深感“无界”亦是一种心灵的敞开。这座城市以自身的速度和张力再次推动我向外探索。它吸纳世界的能量，又保留细腻的个体气息。它代表着我们不再试图定义美，而是去感受美的流动。一种香气，可以跨越地域的文化差异，让不同语言的人在深吸一口气的瞬间，共享同一种静谧或欢愉。

In the world of perfumery, every act of smelling is a journey that crosses boundaries. The moment a drop of fragrance lands on the blotter, it begins to break through its own contours, unfolding boundless new dimensions of nature, emotion, and memory.

As a perfumer, I constantly remind myself to create under a boundless mindset. I enjoy constructing scents in freer ways, allowing the classic and the innovative, the rational and the emotional, to come together in creation. Why can’t we blur the scent structures we’re so familiar with? Why shouldn’t we highlight certain notes that are considered less “crowdpleasing”? Many remarkable creations are born from those unnamed, uncategorized moments. I believe scent, like light, is boundless in its flow—it doesn’t need to follow predefined frameworks, yet it forms a unique shape in the mind of every person who encounters it.

Looking back on my years of living and working across different parts of the world, I’ve gradually realized that boundaries are rarely set by the world itself, but by the limits we impose on ourselves. Now living in Shanghai, a city that shifts by the second, I feel deeply that boundless is also a form of inner openness. This city propels me outward once again with its pace and vitality. It absorbs the world’s energy while preserving the subtle breath of individuality. It shows me that we no longer need to define beauty, but to feel beauty in its boundless motion. A fragrance can transcend cultural differences, allowing people who speak different languages to share the same moment of serenity—or joy—through a single breath.

3

“无界”，听上去像是对传统香阶无声的背叛。而我长久困于这无形的界——是配方表上的条框，是香料谱系里的门第，是所谓“和谐”的绝对律令。

当放下“创造”的执念，再次“细嗅”世界：沙漠的麝香裹挟辛夷的灵窍，岭南陈皮温润广藿辛香，厚朴安抚着松柏的凛冽......

我尝试让香材如星群悬浮，彼此牵引，却无谓主次。某种前所未有的和谐便自然生发。风的方向，皮肤的温度，只讲瞬间、一缕记忆、一次浸入。像光线穿过棱镜，这并非粗暴地抹去所有界限，而是让界限变得通透，成为气息流转、能量交换的膜。

调香师不再是气味的统治者，而是媒介；玻璃中酝酿的不再是三段式的乐律，而是折射一整个可以呼吸的、正在生长的微型宇宙。

"Boundless" – a word sounds like a veiled rebellion against traditional olfactory hierarchies. Yet I have long been confined within invisible confines – the strictures of formula tables, the pedigrees within fragrance lineages, the absolute dictates of so-called "harmony."

When I let go of the obsession with "creation" and inhale the world again: the Arabian musk carries the ethereal clarity of magnolia biondii; aged tangerine peel from Lingnan softens the earthy pungency of patchouli; magnolia officinalis gentles the sharp chill of pine and cypress...

I attempt to let raw materials hover like stellar constellations, each pulling at the others without insisting on precedence. An unprecedented harmony emerges naturally. The direction of the wind, the warmth of skin – these speak only of the fleeting moment, a wisp of memory, a total immersion. Like light passing through a prism, this is not a rough erasure of all boundaries, but a transformation of boundaries into translucent membranes, allowing scents to flow and energies to exchange.

The perfumer is no longer a ruler of odors, but a medium; what brews within the glass vial is no longer a three-part composition, but a refraction of an entire, breathing, growing microcosm.

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主题「无界 · Boundless」深刻体现了我们当下对香水创作的理解——一个没有边界的创意世界。香水本身就天然地超越地理限制：气味可以跨越地域流动，情感具有普世共鸣，灵感也从不被某一种文化或疆界所局限。

在这一「无界」的理念中，行业展会扮演着至关重要的角色。它们让我们得以与来自不同国家的企业、创作者和市场建立连接，促成全球范围内的对话与合作。在「无界」主题下参与气味上海，不仅为我们提供了一个重要契机，也让我们能够进一步深化与亚洲市场，尤其是与中国市场的联系——这是一个在香氛行业中愈发重要、也极具启发性的市场。

理解本土偏好至关重要。尽管香水是一种高度个人化的表达，但贴近市场能帮助我们更深入地理解一个国家真正产生共鸣的元素：哪些原料、风格或情绪更受青睐，以及这些偏好如何不断演变。这些洞察对于创作真正有意义、且具高度相关性的作品而言，具有不可替代的价值。

Carbonnel 多年来始终深耕国际市场。对我们而言，「无界」不仅意味着在一个高度发展、紧密相连的世界中打破地域限制，也意味着突破创作上的边界。香水创作拥有无限可能——无数原料的组合，能够催生出全新而出乎意料的香气结果。

我们对中国市场抱有浓厚兴趣。在当今全球化的背景下，与中国的合作伙伴、客户及创意人建立联系，比以往任何时候都更加便捷。我们对此次参展的期待，是与现有客户重聚，结识新的伙伴，共同孵化富有启发性的项目，并探索源自中国文化灵感的香气创作——在东西方之间搭建桥梁，将距离转化为富有创造力的对话。

The theme “无界 · Boundless” strongly reflects how we understand perfumery today: a creative world without borders. Perfumery, by nature, goes beyond geographical limits. Scents travel, emotions are universal, and inspiration is not confined to a single culture or territory.

Trade fairs play a key role in this boundless vision. They allow us to connect with companies, creators, and markets from many different countries, facilitating dialogue and collaboration on a global scale. Being present at Notes Shanghai, under the theme “Boundless,” gives us the opportunity to strengthen our connection with the Asian market and, especially, with China—an increasingly important and inspiring market for the fragrance industry.

Understanding local tastes is essential. Even though fragrance preference is something deeply personal, being close to the market helps us better understand what resonates within a country, what materials, styles, or emotions are appreciated, and how these preferences evolve. This insight is invaluable when developing meaningful and relevant creations.

At Carbonnel, we have been working with international markets for many years. For us, “boundless” does not only mean the absence of territorial limits in a developed and connected world, but also the absence of creative limits. There are infinite possibilities in perfumery: countless combinations of raw materials that can lead to entirely new and unexpected results.

We have a strong interest in China, and thanks to today’s globalized world, connecting with Chinese partners, clients, and creatives is more accessible than ever. Our expectation for this event is to reconnect with existing clients, meet new ones, develop inspiring projects, and explore fragrances inspired by Chinese culture—bridging East and West, and turning separation into creative dialogue.

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对我来说，「无界」是感官交融之所。我的调香之路并非坦途，而是穿越不同领域的漫长沉浸。始于视觉艺术的语言，演进于音乐的韵律，融合了料理世界的肌理。我很早便意识到，这些并非割裂的领域，而是人类相同情感的不同转译方式。

在泰国的泰华家庭中成长，而后旅居日本、英国与法国的经历让我懂得：身份鲜少是单一静止的，而是我们行走世界时所有体验的沉淀。在我的创作中，香气从不只是嗅觉体验；它承载着通过香氛构建的多重感官情感诗篇。所谓无界，正是在不同视角间聆听共振，任其沉淀为浑然天成的表达。

在「Notes Shanghai」香氛艺展，我期待见证这种感官流动的恣意绽放。渴望邂逅那些不甘静默于瓶中的创作——它们将挑战视觉、听觉与嗅觉的感知边界。更期待开启一场对话，让我们共同将多元文化及艺术传承，视为一幅绵延不息、鲜活无界的织锦。

To me, Boundless (无界) is the space where the senses overlap. My journey into perfumery was not a direct path, but a slow immersion through different disciplines. It began with the visual language of fine art, evolved through the rhythms of music, and the textures of the culinary world. I realised early on that these are not separate fields, but different ways of translating the same human emotion.

Growing up in Thailand within a Thai-Chinese family, and later living in Japan, England, and France, taught me that identity is rarely a single, static thing. It is an accumulation of the experiences we absorb as we move through the world. In my work, a scent is never just an olfactory experience; it carries a multisensory emotional composition, shaped through fragrance. To be boundless is to listen for the shared resonance between these perspectives, allowing them to settle into a single, unified expression.

At Notes Shanghai, I hope to see this multi-sensory fluidity embraced. I look forward to encountering works that do not sit quietly in a bottle, but instead test the edges between what we see, hear, and smell. Most of all, I welcome a dialogue that recognises our diverse cultural and artistic histories as a continuous, living, and boundless tapestry.