KUALA LUMPUR - Koryou Xing who started collecting perfume since his school days did not expect to turn his hobby into a full-time career as he is now a scent maker, with his own brand to boot.
Koryou, 31, who previously worked in an advertising agency, said that the idea came after he spent thousands of ringgit to buy branded fragrances, from home and abroad, as he was interested in the variety of aromas from the fragrances.
He felt that it was time for him to design his own premium fragrance, and then share it with perfume lovers.
"I have been a fan of perfume since I was very young. Every time I go out I must spray perfume, and that's why I don't mind spending thousands of ringgit just to buy them.
"Then one day, I thought, since I worked in the field of advertising, it should be okay if I combine my previous work experience and hobby to design a premium scent that everyone can own," he told Bernama.
The Kuala Lumpur-born entrepreneur said at the beginning of his involvement as a scent maker, he first produced scented candles in 2019, before expanding his business by selling perfumes, and currently, he has created 10 types of fragrance.
According to him, his perfumes, which use ingredients from abroad, are conceptual towards everyday life, and one sniff can take the wearer down memory lane.
"Each perfume I produce has its own story, and the wearer can understand the storyline I want to convey.
"For example, I have a customer who shed tears when he smelled one of the fragrances I produced, because the smell reminded him of his deceased grandmother,” explained Koryou, who learned how to make perfumes through reading and YouTube.
He said apart from purchasing the perfumes he produces, visitors who come to his shop, located in Sentul, also have the opportunity to create their own fragrances at a reasonable price.
He added that, before producing the desired perfume, those interested must first answer a personality quiz, so that the perfume which will be created will suit their personalities.
"At my shop, we not only create perfumes, but I give experience to our customers on how they can personalise their own perfume according to their taste.
"Usually those who make their own perfume are couples. You can also get to know each other's character more closely when creating perfume,” he said.
Meanwhile, when asked about the challenges of being a scent maker, Koryou said that it required him to be more creative in producing interesting and unique scents.
He also said that he wants to strengthen the branding of his products first, before start thinking of going international.
"I do have a plan to go worldwide, but not for now, as I do everything myself, including creating perfume, doing postage and looking after the store.
"In my opinion, if this brand wants to go outside of Malaysia, it must have a good strategy and branding. Perhaps, if everything is stable in the future, I might develop this business,” said Koryou who has customers from abroad. - BERNAMA