Heathrow in bloom: Airport unveils map of the world, made from fresh flowers

LONDON, England – Passengers travelling through Heathrow, the UK’s hub airport, this week will be treated to a scent-sational new installation as the airport today unveils a giant floral map of the world. Created by florist Larry Walshe using around 2,000 fresh flower stems and studded with a textural tapestry of other curiosities, including raw amber stones and sandalwood, the impressive 11ft by 18ft living artwork will be housed in Terminal 5 to celebrate the new season of fragrance until the 24th September.

The airport’s new global fragrance report highlights both purchasing trends of passengers travelling through Heathrow, and wider fragrance behaviours from across the world. The installation offers unique insight into the four key fragrance notes of the new Autumn/Winter season: woody, fresh, oriental and floral, and fragrance preferences from around the globe. Each country in the map depicts the fresh scents that feature in the most beloved fragrances of different nations.

The map includes roses, which hit the right note for floral-loving Brits and lavender and orange blossom, which tantalize the senses in the US and Mexico. Fresh scents including mint and mandarin feature as favourites in India, whilst spicier, oriental scents such as cinnamon and ginger are preferred by those in the UAE. Whilst each nation has a specific note it feels most scent-imental about, the most popular scents across the globe were revealed to be jasmine (28 per cent), lavender (27 per cent) rose (24 per cent), vanilla (20 per cent) and sandalwood (19 per cent).

Heathrow’s new fragrance report also reveals as a nation, Germany are most likely to follow their nose when choosing a new fragrance, with two in five people (40 per cent) attracted to specific notes in a scent. India, on the other hand, is all about the brand name, with nearly a quarter (22 per cent) admitting that they would choose a fragrance based on the designer. China are the most led by iconic scents, with one in four (26 per cent) saying that they’re attracted to iconic fragrances because of their popularity. Globally, it seems that Brits are the least likely to be influenced by celebrities, with only two per cent choosing a fragrance based on a celebrity endorsement.

With fragrance long-renowned for its powerful ability to evoke strong memories and emotions, the report also revealed that nearly a quarter of Brits (22 per cent) admitted that certain fragrances evoke memories of a past lover. Making the most of the power of scent, one in five British men (22 per cent) stated they wear fragrance to feel more desirable, while 34% of women say they wear fragrance because it makes them feel happy and boosts their confidence.

Chris Annetts, Heathrow’s Retail and Service Proposition Director said: ‘September is a really exciting month for us when it comes to fragrance. Heathrow is home to around 3,405 fragrances across 104 brands. We have both exclusives and new season fragrances including a new floral exclusive Tom Ford Vert Boheme, as well as a new season fresh CK One Gold. We wanted to celebrate our amazing collection by bringing the scents to life and help our passengers better understand the fragrance notes they enjoy the most. Larry’s floral artwork is a fantastic way for people to explore new fragrances as well as enjoying their favourites when they fly with us.”

To commemorate Larry’s exhibition at Heathrow, World Duty Free has created a limited edition gift wrap inspired by the installation for passengers who purchase any fragrance during the month of September.

Fred Creighton, Managing Director at World Duty Free said ‘Our exclusive gift wrap by celebrated British artist Larry Walshe is the perfect way to present a fragrance to someone special. Our dedicated fragrance team as always will be on hand to help customers navigate our carefully curated selection of scents to ensure customers find the perfect match for themselves or a loved one.’

With over 2.6 million bottles of perfume sold at Heathrow each year and around five bottles sold every minute, the study also found that the following fragrances top the charts around the globe:

Country

Most Popular Fragrances (World Duty Free data):

USA

Gucci Bamboo, Dior Miss Dior, Jo Malone Lime Basil and Mandarin

United Arab Emirates

Tom Ford Black Orchid, Guerlain Santal Roya, YSL Oriental Collection

Nigeria

Gucci Bamboo, YSL Black Opium, Dior Sauvage

China

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia, Jo Malone Red Roses, Jo Malone Wild Bluebell

India

CK One, Davidoff Cool Water, Gucci Bamboo

Hong Kong

Dior Miss Dior, Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia, Jo Malone Red Roses

United Kingdom

Gucci Bamboo, Dior Miss Dior, Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir

Qatar

YSL Oriental Collection, Dior Sauvage, Giorgio Armani Prive Rose D’Arabie

Germany

Emporio ELLE, Boss FEMME, Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt

Kuwait

Guerlain Santal Royal, YSL Oriental Collection, Dior Sauvage