Singapore Airlines was one of the first airlines to make scent part of its brand. Its original signature scent, Stefan Floridian Waters, was introduced in the 1990s and used in the hot towels handed out on board, in the cabin crew’s fragrance and in its cabins. In 2021 the airline introduced a new signature scent, Batik Flora, inspired by six native flowers in its batik motif and launched alongside a new sonic signature. The story shows both how a scent becomes a brand asset and how a brand scent can evolve when the brand itself is refreshed.
Stefan Floridian Waters: scent as part of service
Stefan Floridian Waters is often described as a blend of rose, lavender and citrus. It was never meant to be noticed on its own. It sat quietly within the airline’s service: the warm towel after boarding, the crew, the cabin. Frequent flyers came to associate it with the airline so closely that brand writers such as Martin Lindstrom have used it as a model of how scent can trigger a whole set of memories about a brand’s service and quality.
What made it work was consistency. The same scent appeared at the same moments on every flight, for years, until it became part of how the airline was remembered.
Batik Flora: a new scent for a refreshed brand
In 2021 Singapore Airlines introduced Batik Flora, created with a Singapore perfume label. It features floral notes from the six flowers in the airline’s batik motif: aquatic ginger, common dianella, seashore purslane, simpoh lak, utania nervosa and white kopsia. It was introduced first at the airline’s service centre at ION Orchard, then at its SilverKris Lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 3, and it is sold to customers as reed diffusers, pillow mists and an eau de toilette.
It arrived a few months after the airline unveiled a sonic signature for boarding, landing and its lounges. Scent and sound were refreshed together, as part of one sensory identity.
Lessons for other brands
- Attach scent to moments. The hot towel gave the scent a ritual, which is why people remembered it.
- Be consistent. Recognition came from years of the same scent at the same touchpoints.
- Let scent follow the brand. When the airline refreshed its visual identity around the batik motif, the scent was redesigned from the same source.
- Design the senses together. The new scent and sonic signature arrived as a pair.
- Let people take it home. Selling the scent extends the brand beyond the journey.
Changi Airport has its own signature scent too, introduced in 2016 and inspired by the airport’s gardens and the orchid. For more on scent in transport, read scent in transport worldwide; for how brands build a scent identity, what is a scent identity. To create a signature scent for your own brand, see our scent branding service.
Frequently asked questions
What is Singapore Airlines’ signature scent?
Its current signature scent is Batik Flora, introduced in 2021. Its original signature scent, from the 1990s, was Stefan Floridian Waters.
What does Stefan Floridian Waters smell like?
It is usually described as a soft blend of rose, lavender and citrus.
Can you buy the Singapore Airlines scent?
Batik Flora has been sold as reed diffusers, pillow mists and an eau de toilette. Check the airline’s own shop for current availability.
Where is the Singapore Airlines scent used?
Batik Flora has been used at the airline’s service centre at ION Orchard, its SilverKris Lounge at Changi Terminal 3 and in the hot towel service.
Further reading: The airline industry on Wikipedia.
