ESTEBAN, a manufacturer of fragrance products founded in 1979 in Montpellier in southern France, became a company in 1984, and this year marks its 30th anniversary. On this milestone year, Esteban launched a Japan-only product called "Card Fragrance carte parfumée". In Japanese terms, it is a "business card fragrance.

Esteban Card Fragrance Left: "Orchide" floral green fragrance Middle: "Santal" soft woody fragrance Right: "Tonka" spicy woody fragrance All in packs of 5 cards, 1,000 yen (excluding tax)
Esteban Card Fragrance Left: "Orchide" floral green fragrance Middle: "Santal" soft woody fragrance Right: "Tonka" spicy woody fragrance All in packs of 5 cards, 1,000 yen (excluding tax)

A business card fragrance is a piece of paper with a fragrance transferred to it that is placed in a business card case. When you open the business card case or hand a business card to someone, a faint fragrance wafts out, easing the tension of a first meeting or serving as a conversation starter. Esteban developed this product in the hope that "the fragrance will convey your feelings and make your daily encounters even more wonderful.

In addition to business card incense, it can also be used as "bunka" (incense for writing letters). Bunka" is not only a gift for the recipient to enjoy the fragrance when they open the envelope, but also for the recipient to use it themselves, making it a subtle gift.

Business card incense in a business card case Incense in a letter
Business card incense in a business card case Incense in a letter

You can also place it in a wallet or tuck it into a money clip to create a natural opportunity to talk to a shopper when shopping. You can also tuck it into a book or notebook or keep it in your phone cover.

You might start a conversation with the shopkeeper at the checkout.
You might start a conversation with the shopkeeper at the checkout.

Every time you open your notebook or phone, you can smell a faint fragrance.
Every time you open your notebook or phone, you can smell a faint fragrance.

A particularly recommended use is to keep it in your ID card holder, which is indispensable in a high-security office. You can wear the fragrance casually, turning your daily routine of passing someone in the hallway or holding up your card to unlock the door into a wonderful scene.

You can keep it in your ID card holder.
You can keep it in your ID card holder.

The charm of this card fragrance is that the scent creates communication. It is a product with a very "Japanese" taste, with a scent that is not too assertive. How did a French company come up with such a "Japanese" product?

Perhaps it was because Esteban is a group company of Nippon Kodo, a famous incense company. In other words, Esteban, a French company, and Nippon Kodo, a Japanese company, are fused together.

The price is reasonable at 1,000 yen (tax not included) for a pack of 5 sheets, so you can use them yourself or give them as a gift.