RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL--(Marketwire - Oct 3, 2012) - Working with Rio de Janeiro-based Aromatizar, Prolitec, Inc. is bringing its patented Air/Q Atmospheres ambient scenting technology and services to commercial environments throughout Brazil, now the world's top fragrance market with an estimated $6 billion in annual sales.
Vibrant sights, sounds and smells are central to Brazilian culture, and yet most resorts, spas, gyms, retail stores and other commercial environments in the country continue to rely on old-fashioned reed-diffusers, sprays and even scented candles as they strive to enhance the olfactory experience, noted Roger Bensinger, executive vice president of marketing and business development for Milwaukee-based Prolitec. "Air/Q Atmospheres was expressly created to replace these imperfect and, in some cases, environmentally questionable delivery systems," he said. "This launch promises to help Brazil's commercial users take ambient scenting to the next level."
Air/Q Atmospheres customers already include Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casinos, Bliss Spas, GE Healthcare and many other businesses around the world. For the Brazilian launch, Prolitec tapped local partner Aromatizar (www.aromatizar.com.br), which also has an office in São Paulo, as the exclusive Certified Service Provider of Air/Q Atmospheres products and services in the country.
Air/Q Atmospheres meets and exceeds all consumer product safety standards and uses no propellants or any other harmful, volatile organic compounds. "Green-building standards like Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) are catching on in Brazil," noted Ricardo Novais, Aromatizar's founder. "By using Air/Q, you can actually earn points toward a LEED certification, which was a strong selling point for the local market.
"Our first project debuts to the public this week as part of the 22nd edition of Casa Cor Rio (http://www.casacorrio.com.br), a program in which Brazil's leading architects, contractors, interior designers and landscapers work together to execute showcase renovations of dilapidated mansions and government buildings," said Novais.
During the course of the renovations, which are being unveiled to the public this week, the architects came to appreciate the way they could use Air/Q's on-board computer to control both the intensity and the duration of the company's custom scent effects, up to and including programmable start and stop times, Novais said. Casa Cor Rio teams also appreciated the way Prolitec's micro-droplet technology uniformly treats the air throughout large and small spaces using ultra-low concentrations of liquid -- particularly compared to the sprays commonly used in Brazil.
For the 22nd edition, the expert teams renovated over 50 rooms within a 90-year-old building overlooking the ocean near the Avenida Rui Barbosa. With its high ceilings and large windows, the building had over the decades served as a hotel, a nursing school and, most recently, a college dormitory. It was shuttered in 1995 and had fallen into disrepair. As part of the project, Aromatizar used custom Air/Q Atmospheres scents to enhance various remodeled environments. Novais explained. "We had a chance to use a diversity of fragrances with different purposes. For example, 'Boutique Noir,' 'Mandarin Zest' and 'Relaxing' were used in separate lounge spaces to strike the right moods," he said.
Elsewhere, Aromatizar used Air/Q Atmosphere's energizing 'Spa Eucalyptus' fragrance for the fitness room and 'Fresh Cotton' -- which calls to mind the freshness of just-washed-and-ironed clothes -- for the laundry. "Overall, this was quite a showroom for the versatility and effectiveness of Air/Q," Novais said.
According to a report by Euromonitor International, Brazilian fragrance sales rose 33 percent in 2010 to $6 billion, and the country is expected to post the strongest per capita increase (32 percent) in fragrance sales for all of the Americas between 2011 and 2016. "Brazil has taken over as the world leader in terms of volume sales of fragrances per capita," Bensinger said. "There is a great appreciation of fragrance in Brazil, and we think this translates well for our business."
About Prolitec
Prolitec is a global provider of ambient scenting technology and services to retail stores, hotels, casinos, assisted living communities, offices and other locations. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Prolitec provides scent marketing services in the US directly to major brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Disney and Hollister. Prolitec also provides services in more than 60 countries around the world through certified service provider partners.