Add some extra 'HUAT' this CNY with DBS' new money-scented perfume

We all love the smell of crisp bank notes, particularly over Chinese New Year and this year, Asian bank DBS is taking it a step further with the launch of its very own perfume. HUAT Eau De Parfum is a limited-edition fragrance inspired by the scent of fresh banknotes, designed to spread ‘HUAT’ or good fortune and prosperity during the new year.

Created in collaboration with creative agency The Secret Little Agency, the perfume aims to encapsulate the scent of prosperity, and good fortune during Chinese New Year.

As part of the celebrations, the bank will be giving away 2,500 bottles of HUAT Eau De Parfum to its customers, to complement the bank’s popular QR Ang Bao gifting option.

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This year’s QR ang bao has also been refreshed to feature a slot-in design that is reminiscent of the traditional ang bao opening ritual. Customers can further elevate the gift by adding a spritz of HUAT Eau De Parfum to it, allowing recipients of the QR ang bao to indulge in the scent of prosperity as they unveil their gift, it said in a statement. 

“We are excited to introduce this unique perfume as a complement to our QR ang bao, especially as more customers embrace and use it for their festive gifting," said Lim Bee Bee, head of marketing, consumer banking group (Singapore), DBS Bank.

"This idea was inspired by feedback from some customers who cited the absence of the scent of money as a reason for not switching to digital gifting. By adding a layer of sensory delight to the QR ang bao gifting experience, we hope to be able to spread more joy and ‘huat’ to our customers and their loved ones this Chinese New Year,” she explained. 

"Fragrance has always been rooted in powerful storytelling and primal sensory experiences. While the adoption of e-gifting has increased in the digital age, HUAT Eau De Parfum adds a unique sensory dimension to this, enhancing traditions in a way that is fun and surprising,” added Nicholas Ye and Mavis Neo, co-chief creative officers at The Secret Little Agency which worked closely with perfume laboratory Oo La Lab to develop the scent from scratch and nail down the perfect notes for the fragrance.

“We knew that freshly printed notes had a distinctive smell; a delicate mix of effervescent aldehydes, inky paper and soft musk. HUAT Eau De Parfum is as close as we could get to the smell of prosperity, and specifically, the festive mix of smells typically associated with the fragrance from red packets, greeting cards and new legal tender notes printed in Singapore” said Dan Terry Jacobson, founder of perfume laboratory, Oo La Lab.

The fragrance will be given out for free at the bank’s pop-up ATMs at Tampines Hub and Fernvale CC as well as River Hongbao 2024. To receive a bottle, customers will need to download the DBS PayLah! app and use it to send a QR Ang Bao or eGift to their loved ones.

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