Milestone: First Hengqin-Macao land-air shipment opens new fragrance export channel

The first cross-border land-air intermodal shipment lands in Macao, opening a new "Hengqin loading, Macao departure" channel for fragrance exports

On the afternoon of August 26, a truck loaded with over 10,000 pieces of cross-border e-commerce cargo departed from the Nanguang (Hengqin) Logistics Center. After completing customs clearance, security screening, and air cargo palletizing all at once in Hengqin, it passed through the "Guangdong-Macao Joint One-Stop" lane at the Hengqin Port and headed directly to Macao International Airport. That evening, the cargo was loaded onto a flight bound for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This marks the successful completion of the first-ever "first shipment, first flight" operation for the Hengqin Pre-positioned Cargo Station at Macao International Airport—the nation’s first cross-customs territory land-air intermodal prepositioned cargo hub—making the “via Hengqin-Macao flight" model transition from planning to reality.

For fragrance, perfume, and home scent companies rapidly gathering in Hengqin, this new route is more than just an additional logistics option—it represents a complete reconfiguration of the high-value, small-volume, time-sensitive, and highly regulated export supply chain, leveraging the combined advantages of Macao and Hengqin.

A 13-kilometer corridor brings the airport cargo station right to the doorstep of fragrance factories

Located in the northwest of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone, about 13 kilometers from Macao International Airport, the Hengqin Pre-positioned Cargo Station covers approximately 97,600 square meters and has a designed annual logistics capacity of 300,000 tons. It is expected to be largely completed by the end of 2026 and officially operational in the first half of 2027.

The core innovation of this new model lies in eliminating the need for businesses to first transport goods to Macao Airport for inspection and palletizing. Instead, they can now consolidate shipments, undergo customs supervision, aviation security checks, cargo handling, and palletizing—all in one go in Hengqin—and then use the Guangdong-Macao “cross-border single lock" system to deliver directly to the tarmac in Macao. During testing, export cargo completed the entire process and boarded flights within as little as two hours—effectively making “entering the Hengqin Pre-positioned Station = entering the Macao Airport cargo terminal."

For the fragrance industry, this means three key aspects are being transformed simultaneously:

• Timeliness: Orders to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe can shift from “waiting two weeks via sea freight consolidation" to “palletized today, departing tomorrow morning," meeting the short replenishment cycles required for perfume samples, holiday gift sets, and KOL-driven sales.
• Cost: Eliminating secondary handling and city-to-airport short-haul transportation in Macao, combined with Hengqin’s “open on the first line, controlled on the second line" policy and cross-border e-commerce 9610/9710 regulations, reduces overall air freight costs.
• Compliance: Security scan images are transmitted across borders via data facilitation channels, enabling a closed-loop regulatory system between Hengqin and Macao. Sensitive attributes such as alcohol content and pressurized packaging can be addressed early in the pre-positioned stage, reducing the risk of returns at the airport.

Why fragrance companies are the natural fit for this new corridor

According to data from the Commercial Services Bureau of the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone, the zone currently hosts 33 cosmetic registrants or filers and importers of ordinary cosmetics, along with 18 registered special cosmetics products and 313 registered ordinary cosmetics products. On August 21, a single event titled “Compliance Certification and Platform Connection for Beauty Companies Going Global" attracted 102 beauty enterprises from Macao, Zhuhai, and Hengqin.

Fragrance products stand out due to three characteristics:

1. High value per unit, low weight: Perfumes, essential oils, and diffuser stone gift sets are naturally suited to air transport, where shippers prefer not to compromise quality by opting for cost-diluted ocean freight.
2. Strong seasonality and content-driven demand: Events like Europe's Black Friday, the Middle Eastern Ramadan, and Southeast Asian gifting seasons require delivery within 7–10 days.
3. Strict compliance requirements: Certifications such as EU SCCS, U.S. FDA, UK UKCA, and Brazil’s ANVISA must be obtained upfront, requiring synchronized processes with customs clearance, labeling, and ingredient registration. Hengqin’s recent intensive collaboration with organizations including Bureau Veritas, NSF, Amazon, TikTok Shop, and Walmart enables integrated “compliance + logistics" solutions.

A fragrance brand executive attending the Hengqin cosmetics overseas expansion salon remarked: "Previously, we shipped goods from Guangzhou Baiyun warehouse to Hong Kong or Shenzhen via air freight. Now, with an additional option of 'Hengqin cargo consolidation + Macao's international air rights,' it’s especially convenient for Portuguese-speaking countries (Brazil, Portugal, Angola). Macao’s independent customs territory and its role as a precise gateway to Lusophone markets are irreplaceable by other Greater Bay Area ports."

From "sales channel" to "brand globalization hub"

The greater leverage lies on the industrial side. With the full operation of the Hengqin pre-shipment cargo station, Macao Airport will be better positioned to achieve its annual 500,000-ton cargo target, unlocking the potential of the Pearl River West Bank as an international air transport hub.

For the fragrance industry, this brings three layers of spillover benefits:

• Supply chain relocation: Local bonded exhibition, return-to-zone logistics, and overseas warehouse leasing subsidies in Hengqin (under the Hengqin cross-border e-commerce support policy, which offers up to 1 million yuan annually per overseas warehouse and up to 500,000 yuan for brand trademark overseas expansion) are now integrated with air freight at the front end. Fragrance brands can now establish integrated warehouses in Hengqin for cargo consolidation, palletizing, and returns—rather than merely using it as a transit point.
• Dual labeling opportunity with Macao origin and Chinese products: Leveraging Macao’s free port status and international air rights, fragrances made in Hengqin can adopt a narrative of “Chinese formula, Macao consolidation, global air delivery," helping reduce overseas perceptions of being purely domestic products.
• Revitalized sample economy: Fragrance relies heavily on olfactory conversion, but physical exhibitions, buyer samples, and influencer giveaways have long been hindered by air freight restrictions on sensitive product names. With closed-loop security screening at the pre-shipment station, sample logistics will become more stable.

Not all fragrance shipments automatically benefit

Industry insiders caution that the advantages of intermodal transport have limits: products containing high-concentration ethanol (>70%), aerosol sprays, or oversized glass bottles remain subject to aviation hazardous materials regulations. Companies must conduct MSDS and packaging classification pre-inspections at the pre-shipment station. Additionally, before the official launch in 2027, initial operations will focus primarily on cross-border e-commerce retail exports (9610), while B2B bulk transfers and general trade will need to wait for finalized full-process regulatory frameworks.

Yet the direction is clear—fragrance products, characterized as "lightweight, premium, sensitive, and fast-moving," are transforming Hengqin from a "policy" into a "globalization front stage." As conveyor belts start rolling in the palletizing zones of Hengqin and cargo plane tail lights flash at Macao Airport, fragrance brands along the Pearl River West Bank are finally gaining their own dedicated "air corridor."

Guangzhou Haoyue Fragrance Technology Co., Ltd(MGSCENT).
It has been deeply involved in the fragrance industry for 12 years since 2014. Products with CE, FCC and Rohs are exported to more than 100 countries.
 
It is located in Guangzhou city, China is a technology enterprise that integrates design, research and development, production, sales, and service, providing high-end fragrance series products for commercial and home spaces. There are more than 100 kinds of aroma diffusers.
It has more than 10 engineers to provide strong OEM and ODM service and can design product appearance, circuit boards, and packaging for customers. 

For fragrance oil and essential oil, it has more than 10 perfumer to create new smell and could replicate the smell you are using with the GCMS machines.
It has replicated 303 popular famous perfumes.
The fragrance oil factory is 5000 ㎡and sample library has more than 10,000 kinds of smells.

Guangzhou Haoyue Fragrance Technology Co., Ltd(MGSCENT)
https://www.aromadiffusermachine.com/
Contact:Andy
WhatsApp:+86 15088066572
Email:songweihua@mgscent.com