Car air fresheners

	Mainland China's Guangzhou Well offers the HDL-606A model, which can perform both air freshener and purifi er functions. Priced at $8.50, the product helps kill bacteria and remove smog.

Models come in a range of fragrances and shapes. Some releases are equipped with value-added functions.

Amid intense product rivalry, mainland China and Hong Kong suppliers of car air fresheners are expanding the design selection to differentiate themselves from competitors.

Models now come in a variety of fragrances, with some makers offering as many as 175 choices. Such diversity is achieved through the companies’ ability to concoct new scents by adjusting the blend of substances used. Natural and synthetic materials are mostly sourced from France, the UK and Spain.

As regards aesthetics, suppliers are producing car air fresheners in a range of shapes. Vessel designs made of plastic, for example, resemble cars, speedometers, tires, flowers and animals such as dogs, ladybugs, dolphins and tortoises. Moreover, buyers’ logos can be printed on models for promotional purposes.

Most makers are also going beyond the basic, releasing designs with value-added functions. This comes as they cultivate the upscale market to avoid cutthroat competition in the low end.

Mainland companies are launching models that can perform air purification. The process involves the emission of anions and UV rays to induce electrostatic adsorption and the photocatalytic action, respectively. Equipped with active carbon and titanium dioxide filters, such products can capture and neutralize airborne pollutants within the vehicle.

Guangzhou Well Electronic Fty and Dongguan G&H Electric Appliances Mfg Co. Ltd are among the mainland suppliers offering these designs.

Greater functionality is likewise the trend in Hong Kong. New models are fitted with a fan to diffuse the fragrance more evenly. They are usually battery-operated, although some have a USB power adapter compatible with the car’s cigarette lighter socket.

Versions featuring a nonspill construction are also being introduced.

	Ka Wah of Hong Kong has released the model ACE-AF-005M car air freshener that features a fan for diffusing the fragrance. It runs on two AA batteries.

Besides selection expansion, suppliers are taking steps to ensure the safety of their car air fresheners.

In the mainland, Dongguan G&H has acquired China Metrology Accreditation for its products, validating the harmlessness of the substances contained therein.

Companies such as Beijing Stronger Rich Import & Export Co. Ltd and Ningbo Hollias International Trading Co. Ltd provide clients with a Material Safety Data Sheet for worker awareness.

An MSDS provides directions on the proper handling of the product in an occupational fashion, which entails prolonged exposure to its chemical compounds in a confined space. The sheet also lists emergency and first-aid procedures to be implemented when eye or skin contact and ingestion occur.

In Hong Kong, Cute Cycle Creative Ltd is among suppliers that issue an MSDS with car air freshener shipments.

Models from the company are FDA-approved and comply with requirements of the International Fragrance Association.

Flashing Trading Ltd’s designs also adhere to IFRA regulations.

IFRA has a code of practice for the manufacture and treatment of fragrance materials, and monitors members’ observance of such guidelines.

Although not connected directly with the organization, Cute Cycle and Flashing source aromatic compounds from IFRA affiliates.

Ka Wah Plastic Industrial Co. conducts in-house toxicity analysis on request under efforts to guarantee product safety.

	Model GH2131 from mainland China-based Dongguan G&H is a car air freshener containing natural essences.

Due to the material and labor costs upsurge, prices of car air fresheners from the mainland will rise by 15 percent in coming months.

At present, models fall generally between $0.15 and $30. Vessel designs usually have higher quotes than hang cards, as they are more difficult to manufacture. This holds true particularly for dual-function products.

Shenzhen Mivo Technology Co.’s MJ series that can act as an air freshener and a purifier is priced from $2 to $26.

At Shenzhen Hengtime Co. Ltd, quotes also depend on order size. A 10,000, 50,000, 100,000 or 1 million-piece hang card order goes for $0.18, $0.16, $0.11 or $0.08 per car air freshener, respectively.

Most Hong Kong suppliers reduced product prices last year to weather fierce competition. This resulted in 30 percent sales growth for 2007.

Quotes, however, rose by 10 percent in June as a reflection of the higher cost of petroleum-based compounds used in creating synthetic fragrances.

Hong Kong-made car air fresheners are now between $0.40 and $5. Models come as hang cards, stick gel, clip-on bottles and plastic figurines. These bear the CE mark and are FDA-approved.

Because of the economic slump in key markets, some makers will be keeping prices stable in the months ahead. Others even plan to lower quotes to attract orders.