A FRISSON of concern has permeated the scented boardrooms of France's high fashion houses. After years of living comfortably off tourist dollars in Hong Kong, their market share is being eroded. Falling receipts from tourists combined with tougher competition from the smaller cosmetics houses and discount stores have forced the French to do the unthinkable: introduce ''downmarket'' ploys to lure local customers. International beauty houses such as Guerlain, Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) are resorting to giveaways and promotions - tactics more commonly associated with their less exclusive competitors. Recently, two couples won a free trip to Paris in a Guerlain lucky draw for customers who bought a minimum of $350 worth of skin care products. Meanwhile, Christian Dior sponsored the gala premiere of a French film, offering its client club members free tickets. The decline in tourist spending has been blamed for the growing trend towards promotions, previously regarded with disdain by leading international brand names. YSL Hong Kong brand manager Dorothy Cheng said: ''About 70 per cent of our business came from tourists before. A very popular lipstick with the Japanese was sometimes bought 24 tubes at a time by one person. Now they are choosier and bargain-conscious.'' She said YSL had spent 45 per cent of last year's marketing budget on advertising and 27 per cent on promotions. This year only 20 per cent will go on advertising while the same amount as last year will go on promotions, although YSL is looking to increase this. ''Being a brand like ours and not being aggressive in promotions makes it very difficult to compete,'' she said. Guerlain Hong Kong general manager Hans Kristian Hoejsgaard said: ''In the past 18 months we have seen a change in marketing. Many more companies have got into the promotional bit.'' Mr Hoejsgaard said it had taken months to sell the idea of a lucky draw to Guerlain bosses in Paris. ''When we told Paris about the idea, it was earth-shattering. Never has it been done with a high-class, high-brand-name product before,'' he said. Guerlain has more than doubled its marketing budget and increased its sales staff by 50 per cent in the past two years. Christian Dior marketing manager Virginia Li said in the past three years, promotion-related sales by the cosmetics industry had more than doubled. In all, more than 45 brand names in Hong Kong spent a total of $150 million advertise skin care products last year, while $25.2 million spent on perfumes and $45.3 million on cosmetics. But Martin Patmore, an account executive with advertising agency RSCG Ball, warned against using big promotions and discounts which might jeopardise the firms' exclusive image. ''Long-term discounting and promotions will be detrimental to the overall brand image of the company,'' he said. Hong Kong Cosmetic and Perfumery Association president Homer Yu said the industry in Hong Kong had grown by 30 per cent this year. But increased competition means firms are fighting to hold on to their market share. ''It's very important for the large companies to be aggressive, especially with advertising and pricing,'' said Mr Yu. Ms Cheng said firms such as Guerlain and Dior only began addressing the local market in the past couple of years when they launched their respective skin care products. But not all French cosmetics giants have followed suit. A Chanel spokesman said it had no plans to use promotions, and discounting was against company policy.