Key points
Functional
Air fresheners and hygiene dispensers. One flat note built to mask odours.
Catalogue
Subscription and library scents shared across many venues. Pleasant but generic.
Fine fragrance
A bespoke composition layered across top, heart and base notes, created for one building.
Three tiers of scent, and what each one says about a building
Every scented building in Singapore sits in one of three tiers. Functional scent comes from air fresheners and washroom dispensers. Catalogue scent comes from library and subscription services, where the same fragrance runs in many venues. Fine fragrance is composed by perfumers for a single client.
Visitors may not know these terms, but they recognise the difference instantly. A functional scent reminds them of washrooms and cleaning. A catalogue scent reminds them of the mall, the gym or the hotel they visited last week. A fine fragrance reminds them only of your building.
The difference is structure
Functional scents are usually a single flat note: one sharp impression, then nothing. Catalogue scents have a simple structure designed to please everyone. Fine fragrance is layered: a top note for the first impression, a heart for character, and a base that settles into the space as a lasting backdrop. That gives a building three layers to work with instead of one. How a fragrance is built.
How the tiers compare
Applied in Grade A buildings through Grade A building scenting.
Functional: one flat note, reads as air care
Catalogue: shared with many venues, reads as generic
Fine fragrance: layered, exclusive and composed for the building
Only fine fragrance can express a building’s own story
Where your building sits today
A lobby scent tier audit places your building on this scale.
Identify the scent
We assess what the building smells like across the arrival journey.
Place it in a tier
We identify whether it reads as functional, catalogue or fine fragrance, and what it is associated with.
Recommend the move
We show what a signature fine fragrance would change for the building.
Frequently asked questions
1. What are the tiers of commercial scent?
Functional (air fresheners and hygiene dispensers), catalogue (shared library and subscription scents) and fine fragrance (bespoke compositions for one client).
2. Why does the tier matter?
Visitors associate a scent with every other place they have smelt it. The tier your scent sits in becomes the tier your building is placed in.
3. Is catalogue scent bad?
It suits many businesses. For a Grade A building, a scent shared with mid-tier venues works against the premium the asset is positioned on.
4. How do I know which tier my building is in?
Ask for a lobby scent tier audit with your site assessment.
5. Which tier does PrimeScents provide?
Fine fragrance only. Every client has its own signature scent.
6. Where can I learn more?
Get started
Find out which tier your building signals
Our lobby scent tier audit places your building on the scale and shows what fine fragrance would change.