In our perennial search for more fragrances to add to our collection, it can sometimes feel like a game of luck: we either struggle with picking just one bottle to bring home, or nothing quite hits the spot. A profile might sound tantalising, but end up being a complete mismatch. Fragrance is a personal experience, of course, and it has to do with the way that our minds connect the olfactory with the intangible—emotions, memories, places and everything in between. At other times, it’s hard to explain exactly why a scent draws us in.
It’s probably why finding a new fragrance can feel like such an important quest. Maybe we’re searching for something long-gone in the real world; maybe we’re reaching towards a newer version of ourselves; maybe we just want to access something we’ve never felt before. Regardless, the Filipino perfumers share and understand our aspirations all too well—and they’ve encapsulated those dimensions in rich, layered compositions that reference hallmarks of Filipino culture. Expect lush, forest-inspired greens, coconutty gourmands and bold proclamations featuring everything from well-loved notes to homegrown ingredients. Below, get a whiff of the seven brands and labels putting the Philippines on the fragrance map.
1 / 7
Otter Haus
If there’s one thing about Otter Haus, it’s that every scent they make is intriguing. The names might give you a hint, but the facets only reveal themselves after you’ve given them a chance to warm up on the skin. Up Close sounds like it’ll be a vanilla-based skin scent, except it also features lychee, rhubarb and nutmeg. Molave Memory balances its bright bergamot opening with cardamom, cashmere wood and amber to yield a nostalgia-inducing plume. Then, there’s Behind The Smoke—a smoky oud softened by lavender, violet and ylang-ylang.
2 / 7
Guava Smells
Consider yourself a minimalist? A bottle from Guava Smells is your best bet. At the centre of each concoction is a pairing of notes, which can either seem perfectly complementary or completely unexpected. Easy favourites include soft florals and woody musks; Mango + Iris is as delectable as it sounds, as does Star Apple + Oakmoss. For more adventurous noses, crushed currants cut through a woody cypress base in Red Berries + Cypress, while vanilla gets smoked out in Vanilla Bean + Smoked Oud. They also lend themselves particularly well to a layering moment.
3 / 7
Anino
Meaning ‘shadow’ in Tagalog, Anino has a knack for balancing dualities and doubles. Their debut collection presented unisex scents in pairs to challenge our fragrance instincts. As familiar as coconut is to a Southeast Asian nose, it acquires depth with the spice of cardamom and amber mixed into it in Sigh. Exposure matches the delicate waft of green tea to an earthy underbelly of moss and sage. For anyone who prefers their tea steeped extra strong, Running in Place emulates a heady brew with the infusion of labdanum and tonka.
4 / 7
Dilettante Perfumery
The olfactory sense, at its core, is powerfully evocative—a notion that founder and perfumer Paulo Pascua has an exacting grasp of. The notes in Dilettante Perfumery’s library might read familiar, but they show up with an unmistakable edge. Fruity-floral blends gone rogue, a cup of coffee on the day of reckoning, the forest and all its bone-chilling secrets—every bottle tells a story worth sniffing out. Plus, with mystifying names like Summer Cannibals and Forever (on the Crest of a Wave), how could one resist?
5 / 7
L’Abondance
With over 80 scents to choose from across a plethora of formats, it’s safe to say that L’Abondance is the ultimate springboard for aspiring fragheads. Helmed by a one-woman team, you’ll find everything from hand soaps and body scrubs to perfumes and candles within the brand’s extensive catalogue. There are patisserie-inspired treats for the gourmand-lover, herbaceous infusions that feel like a breath of fresh air, and even a photorealistic recreation of arugula. The good news is that if you find a profile you love, you can perfume your self, home and everything else with it too.
6 / 7
Issy
Having gained a cult following with its daredevil cosmetics, expect no less from Issy Cosmetics’s fragrance chapter. Denoted by numbers and anchored to a singular impulse, each scent in the debut collection feels defiant in essence. 536 Scent of Permission seems like a creamy floral gourmand at first glance, only to be interrupted by the coldness of a nail polish accord. With 030 Scent of Intensity, the magnetism of black cherry and saffron soon becomes engulfed by leather and animalic musk—and is bottled in black for full mysterious effect.
7 / 7
Tadhana
Having trained at ISIPCA’s summer school in France, Tadhana perfumer and founder Shale Albao decided to bring those techniques and traditions home to the Philippines—and express them through native materials. Resin from the forests, calamansi, dalandan—each composition is built around an ingredient sourced directly from farms within the country. Rockstar opens fresh with mango, dalandan and black currant, made even crisper with coconut water, tuberose and sea breeze. On the muskier side of things, Hello, Silence grounds almaciga—derived from ancient conifer trees—with black tea, leather and Australian sandalwood.
