French fashion brand Lemaire has issued a public apology after its recent fragrance campaign faced online backlash from Chinese consumers over culturally insensitive content.

The campaign was designed to promote ‘Objets Senteur’, a collection of home fragrance objects designed to scent rooms and wardrobes. It featured the Qing Dynasty-style braided perfume diffuser called ‘Tresse’, which was the centre of the controversy.

One image of the campaign shows a female model posing with the Tresse, while another shows beside a pair of scissors. In another image, the object was hanging over a button-down shirt. 

These images spread quickly across Chinese social media including Xiaohongshu and WeChat, where users raised questions and criticism over the brand’s use of the symbol.   

“As a longtime Lemaire fan, when I saw the braid accessory and how it was displayed, especially the one next to a scissor, I was utterly disappointed. Always trust your instinct when you come across cultural content that makes you feel uncomfortable,” a Chinese netizen wrote.

In response, Lemaire has removed all content related to the campaign from its social platforms, namely Instagram and Xiaohongshu.  

In an official statement, the brand said it did not “exercise sufficient vigilance” in a culturally diverse context, and apologised for any “confusion or discomfort” the campaign may have caused.

The company also committed to strengthening its procedures for assessing cultural sensitivity.

The incident comes after the brand opened its flagship store in Shanghai in January as part of its expansion strategy in the market.