High-Quality Urban Renewal Drives Aromatherapy Sector Toward a 'Livable, Green Life'

On July 15, 2026, during his inspection in Shanghai, the Chinese President emphasized that promoting high-quality urban renewal is a crucial aspect of urban modernization. It is necessary to fully embrace the concept of a people's city, persistently seek the needs, suggestions, and feedback of the people, and thoroughly, meticulously, and practically carry out all aspects of urban renewal work, continuously enhancing the residents' sense of gain, happiness, and security.

Guided by the philosophy of "The people build the people's city, and the people's city serves the people," urban renewal has evolved from mere physical space transformation to a deep-water zone characterized by full sensory experience, refinement, and humanistic care. Olfaction, as one of the most primitive and profound senses of humans, is emerging as a focal point for the aromatherapy industry to tap into urban renewal and enhance people's sense of happiness. The "olfactory economy" is no longer confined to commercial retail shelves, but has deeply integrated into the micro-renovation of old residential areas, the revitalization of historic districts, the healing of public spaces, and community governance, injecting "fragrant momentum" into high-quality urban renewal.

In the past, urban renewal focused on "hard infrastructure" such as installing elevators and independent kitchens and bathrooms, addressing residents' survival pain points such as "difficulty in using the toilet" and "difficulty in getting up and down the stairs". Nowadays, against the backdrop of promoting urban renewal with high quality, optimizing the olfactory environment in communities is becoming a "micro-entry point" for enhancing soft services.

In the fast-paced urban life, emotional healing has become an urgent hidden demand of residents. In urban renewal public space projects such as Shanghai Xintiandi and Huangpu Greening, olfactory art installations and emotional healing exhibitions (such as the special exhibition "Scent of Flowers" in collaboration with the Shanghai Mental Health Center) are emerging as a new format of public space micro-renovation. Through the design of natural aromatherapy, such as cedar and lavender, to enhance the scent, it provides a "breathing station" for citizens to relieve psychological stress.

In addition, projects such as Guangzhou Xuelei Fragrance Museum and Huadu Global Fragrance Think Tank combine technologies like AI perfume blending and EEG brainwave olfactory detection with immersive olfactory experiences, creating a new urban landmark that integrates scientific research, learning, and cultural tourism experiences. This complements the shortcomings of high-end scientific and technological innovation carriers and emotional consumption scenarios in urban renewal.