In this never-seen-before article, we reveal the true story behind how Himalayan Tea became known as the Viral "ION Orchard Scent" in Singapore, with over 1 million+ combined views on TikTok and how it saved our business from the Covid-19 recession.

Also, you will enjoy an exclusive promotional code when you read till the end :)

Discover the scent for yourself

Did you know that ION Orchard has a signature scent? If you didn't notice it before, you can try to observe the scent the next time you walk out of Orchard MRT Station. The scent gets stronger as you walk towards the MRT control station and gantries leading into the basement of the ION Orchard Shopping Mall. 

Don't blame yourself if you didn't notice the smell of ION previously because even we, as "scent experts", didn't notice it previously as well! I would say that unless you have a very sensitive nose, it can be difficult to differentiate between unique scents across various shopping malls. However, now that you are aware of the ION scent, you can try to smell it for yourself..

What exactly is the ION scent?

According to ION Orchard's official facebook post in 2011 above, they admitted to using a blend of 20 individual ingredients in their "signature ION scent" which include bergamot, white tea, mandarin, ginger, peony, mimosa and wild lavender. The result is a balanced scent profile comprising of calming sweet floral white tea notes and refreshing citrus notes of bergamot and mandarin.

Why did ION Orchard develop this scent? Our belief is that the management team at ION developed a clever strategy of diffusing this luxurious scent at all shopping mall entrances and lift lobbies to attract shoppers. Not only did it make ION feel more luxurious but the scent also has a powerful sub-conscious effect on people's moods - calming shoppers such that they are more willing to spend more money at the luxury boutiques within ION.

ION Scent vs Himalayan Tea

So now you must be thinking.. "how did Pristine come up with a scent that smells like ION Orchard if you did not even know that ION has a signature scent". The truth is that we didn't intentionally develop Pristine's signature Himalayan Tea scent to copy the signature ION Orchard scent. 

Himalayan Tea was born from a collaborative project with a top international fragrance house where our direction was to develop a unisex signature scent that had to be relaxing, refreshing & luxurious. After months of R&D and testing in 2020, we released Himalayan Tea as the first scent under Pristine's signature collection - a unique blend of white tea, bergamot, jasmine & orange.

..and how did we find out that Himalayan Tea smelled like ION Orchard? It was during one fine day when we were doing a pop-up booth at 313 Somerset atrium trying to recover from lost sales during post-covid era of 2022. I overheard several customers saying.."Wah, this scent really reminds me of the ION Orchard smell". I was intrigued but did not know how to respond to their comments, I simply had to discover this fact for myself..

Going Viral On TikTok

After closing the pop-up shop for the day, I decided to take the MRT from Somerset down to Orchard to learn more about this "ION Orchard Scent". As soon as the MRT doors opened at Orchard MRT Station, the ION scent immediately hit me. "This really smells like Himalayan Tea..", I thought to myself. I had to let the world know about this. 45 minutes later, I posted the original ION Scent video that would go viral on TikTok with over 200k views. (You can watch it here)

After a week of posting the viral video on TikTok, we sold out of Himalayan Tea immediately. However, the demand kept coming in as many Tiktokers started to review how Himalayan Tea smelled like the ION Orchard scent. We were very grateful to the TikTok community for helping us to spread the word about Himalayan Tea and leaving more than 1,200+ 5-Star reviews on Google. It helped our small local business recover from the impact of poor economic conditions at the end of Covid-19.

How has Himalayan Tea evolved today?

Fast forward to today, Himalayan Tea has become a fan favourite not just among Singaporeans who love the ION Orchard scent but even with customers from all over the world. Some of our international customers who purchased Himalayan Tea in USA from our international Amazon store even reviewed that it smells similar to the signature scents used in the 5-star Westin Hotel lobby.

Reed Diffuser Series

The Himalayan Tea scent was initially launched as a scented decor piece - 50ml Reed Diffuser (last up to 1 month) and 180ml Reed Diffuser (last up to 3-4 months) for use in smaller bedrooms & bathrooms. But after much persuasion from our customers, we eventually launched the upsized 500ml Reed Diffuser for use in larger living spaces and hallways which can last up to 1 year.

Ball Diffuser Series

We also developed Himalayan Tea as a 50ml Ball Diffuser for use in wardrobes and small spaces. Reed diffusers and ball diffusers are perfect for people who prefer to have a light scent effortlessly diffusing in the background. If the fragrance oils ever run out, both types of diffusers can be refilled with our Himalayan Tea Diffuser Scent Refills.

Room Spray Series

For those whose nose gets used to diffuser scents quickly or prefer strong-smelling instant fragrances can opt for the Himalayan Tea Room Spray. Simply spray 3-4 times to instantly make any space smell strongly like ION Orchard. We usually recommend customers to use it as a linen spray on curtains, bedsheets and cushion covers such that the scent lasts longer as compared to spraying directly into the air. It also works well for instantly eliminating foul kitchen or toilet odours.

Essential Oil Blends

Himalayan Tea is also now available in Aroma concentrates (also known as water-soluble essential oil blends) - a perfect option for those who want an in-between of a reed diffuser and instant room spray. Simply drip the Himalayan Tea Aroma Concentrate into any water-based humidifier or diffuser and enjoy a strong diffusion of the ION Orchard scent into any space. You can also purchase it in an Aroma Discovery Set with all 4 Signature Scents which comes with a FREE mini humidifier or get it bundled with our Himalayan Salt Diffuser Set which combines the ION scent with ambient lighting & crystal energy.

Laundry Detergent Pods

After 12 months of R&D, we are excited to announce a special collaborative project with Kapsa, a specialty detergent brand from Singapore. Combining our Himalayan Tea fragrance with their magical detergent formulation to introduce the ION Orchard scent into laundry washing, creating an experience that is truly magical. You can learn more about our collaborative Himalayan Tea Laundry Pods here.

Exclusive Discount Code

Thank you for reading to the end of this lengthy article. As promised, we would like to give you an exclusive discount code:

Use code "IONORCHARDSECRET20" at check-out to enjoy 20% off the entire Himalayan Tea Collection. This voucher code is limited to the first 100 redemptions only useable at www.pristinearoma.sg. Only 1 redemption is allowed per unique customer email address. Do follow us on our email newsletter and instagram page as we will release exciting news about new Himalayan Tea products to be launched very soon :)