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Scents and sensibilities: The rise of Indonesia’s olfactory scene
What makes scents so intriguing to our emotions? The Jakarta Post spoke to several olfactory brands on what drives their exploration.
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he most elusive yet personal of the senses, an olfactory cue can incite different things in the minds of different people. The recent years have seen the rise of numerous brands exploring the world of olfactory in Indonesia, each with their own take on how they present their scents. From the common thread of memories and pop culture to nature, the scents go deeper than the first impression.
Scene of Wonders (Jakarta)
Q: What sparked your interest in exploring the olfactory sense?
A: Indonesia’s natural wealth and diversity, from its herbs and spices to its nature and culture.
How do you formulate, concoct, and produce your range of products?
We usually explore our inspirations from nature or culture. Afterward, we research the details we want to delve into from those inspirations, before capturing their essence in an olfactory experience we meant to evoke. The scents we create contain the characteristics and details of our inspirations.
As Indonesia is the essence of your identity, how do you embody your rendition of Indonesia in your brand?
We are Indonesia, and we are proud of being Indonesian. At first, when we created [the brand], we hoped that people would know that Scene of Wonders is a creation born of Indonesia’s nature and culture. We don’t really try too hard to depict Indonesia within the brand because Scene of Wonders is Indonesia itself.
In the past few years, olfactory products and brands have seen a significant rise. What do you feel made this happen?
Almost every aspect of life contains an element of the olfactory. Scents can instantly be identified through smell and connected with your mind. Perhaps, this is why olfactory products have been on the rise these past few years — because scents bring you somewhere or something you wish to go to. It’s the first identification that your brain will know.
Adieu Living (Bandung)
What sparked your interest in exploring the olfactory sense?
As per our understanding, scents can evoke memories of something pleasant or unpleasant and could be used to influence our mood for the day further. The idea of scent intrigues our interest because it can conjure up emotions and influence our innate responses. For example, you can have a vivid flashback after smelling the scents of a bakery; the smell of fresh bread wafting in the air can take you back to your mother’s baking or family gatherings. Of all the senses, scents are most closely linked to memory.
How do you formulate, concoct and produce your range of products?
We start by producing scents, then a series of livingware afterward. There’s a story behind every fragrance because we formulate the smell based on our memories and experiences. An example is our ongoing product that smells like sea salt. We have been longing for a decent break for a while, but it’s not likely to happen anytime soon, hence the holiday collection. As we want to quench the desire to take a short getaway and rejuvenate our minds, burning the tip of incense sticks and soothing our nerves temporarily is easier than waiting for long weekends.
As scent is a physical sensation and a significant amount of shopping is done online nowadays, how do you bridge this gap?
It’s just a big gamble with a lot of elements of surprise, but we also take pride in our branding. As long as the branding and the deliverables are clear, the customer will find their way to understand. So far, it works. Product photography and brand impression also help. Having a brand is about creating harmony between the elements involved. One should work with another, or else the motives remain unclear.
All of your products are named after a musical or cinematic reference, what is the connection between the references and the olfactory sensation you are trying to evoke?
We delve into popular culture so much, and we always think about the scene of movies or verses of a song when developing our product. Every step of the development process of each product has always been a fun journey, where we argue with each other about what movies or music could represent the scent the most. Noticing that almost everyone in the same generation shares a similar taste in popular culture, we try to pick several movies and music that we believe are in everyone’s collective consciousness, so that perhaps, they’ll be able to grasp the tiny hints embedded in the scent titles.
The rest is just a gamble. Whether the customer can or cannot imagine what the scent tastes like is something we don’t actually want to 100 percent drive. What’s fun in our brand is exploring — discovering scent. To be not wholly aware, to be not 100 percent in control, to open our packaging and burn the tip and say, “oh, so it’s like this,” and be surprised with whatever we prepared for them.
What do you bid adieu to?
We bid adieu to every unpleasant thing, bad karma and every misfortune. Our brand name is a wish, though, because we were founded in 2020, and although we can't change the way life happens, we can change the environment we came home to; to be at peace in our surroundings and just be at ease.
Bau Bau by Suku (Bali-Melbourne)
What sparked your interest in exploring the olfactory sense?
I have always been intrigued by smells and how they can trigger memories. The connection between smells and our core memories is what interests me the most.
How do you formulate, concoct and produce your range of products?
Sampling, trial and error. The way you created a scent is very similar to design: there should be balance in it. Every note of a scent should have layers so when you smell it, they don’t compete with each other. It’s like cooking; once you understand the smell, it's easier to blend it.
What sensations/feelings are you trying to evoke from your incense’s scents?
Every scent has a different story and evokes different memories. It also depends on the person who smells it. Some of my earliest memories in life are waking up to the smell of my mum’s perfume, the smell of my grandpa’s cologne mixed with his cigarette, the smell of my grandma’s laundry room. Through our products, we would like for people to enjoy the comfort of remembering small, special moments of their lives.
As a lifestyle brand whose products encompass everything from home and living products to clothes, what made you expand your range to incense?
Like I mentioned earlier, I was always intrigued by how scents connect to our memories. It is a natural thing for me to expand the range into something I am personally interested in.
What do scents mean to you?
I personally think that scents can really take you to places and relive a memory.
In the past few years, olfactory products and brands have seen a significant rise. What do you think made this happen?
More people understand the importance of looking after themselves. For me, this is a luxury; the chance to be able to have time for yourself and by yourself. Luxury is not just a thing you wear but also an experience you create around you. Burning incense, making you really beautiful, is the new luxury. It's definitely the experience one created just for one’s self.
