Every beauty fiend has a soft spot for a particular corner of the varied, multitudinous industry—for some, it’s lippies of every shade and format; for others, it’s all the latest boundary-pushing formulations that the skincare labs can produce. More recently, however, it’s the fragrance wardrobe that has bewitched the hearts and souls of the beauty community—materialised as a handsome, dark wood cabinet or shelf hanging on the wall, opened up to reveal one’s collection of bottles. The idea is that perfumes are just like our clothes; they can dictate the mood of the day, dress up a look or make an impression where you need it to. Before you head out the door, selecting and putting on your scent is a ritual all on its own.
That also makes it the perfect place to experiment and venture into unfamiliar territory. You might have a clean girl wardrobe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t reach for a smoky plume. Maybe you like wearing all-black, but you also love the occasional floral. Then there’s the art of layering, which unlocks a whole other suite of possibilities. Regardless of your preferences, it’s why a fragrance wardrobe has become a phenomenon: to both accommodate and provoke shifts in our day-to-day states and desires. Indonesian perfumers understand this all too well, weaving stories and craftsmanship into conventional note pyramids—resulting in a rich tapestry of profiles for every type of personality and character. Below, discover the eight Indonesian brands carving out a niche for themselves.
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Hindsight
Sharing a love for fragrances are founders Hans Danials and Jeslin Hamdani, who made it their mission from day one to craft elegant profiles with ethically sourced ingredients. You’ll find many an exuberant, tropical-inspired concoction in Hindsight’s offerings: Tangelo is a sparkling cocktail of tangerine-pomelo, fig, coconut and Balinese vanilla, while Sol De Bali distills the verdant holiday destination to a lush medley of frangipani, jasmine sambac absolute and white musk. Tea lovers will adore Promise in particular—its imperial tea accord is swirled with bergamot, magnolia and a musky sandalwood base. The good news? The crowd-favourites now come in 10ml bottles that you can keep close to you no matter where you’re headed, tropical or not.
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Scents of P.L.T.O
You might have already seen a Scents of P.L.T.O vessel around: a sleek glass bottle topped off with a striking silver cap. While they might be in the midst of metamorphosis, the brand has long since been known for their sophisticated blends that introduce new dimensions to familiar notes. Cotton Juniper, for instance, gives soft cotton an icy edge with aldehydes and juniper berry. Their latest collection, Asian Archive, investigates ingredients, cultures, rituals and landscapes from the region to chart new olfactory territory. Hinoki may usually be prized for its calming qualities, but takes on a sharpness with the addition of pink pepper and iris in Inked Hinoki. For anyone familiar with the Korean pear, imagine it steeped in rice water and ginseng—and you’ll get Fermented Pear.
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The Body Tale
The charm of The Body Tale lies in the details: the illustrated labels, the bubble-like silhouette of their bottles and the cosy evocations of their scents. Brewed profiles feature alongside muskier counterparts, but the common thread is the brightness of their compositions. Tea scent connoisseurs would naturally gravitate towards Portrait of Kyoto, a honeyed earl grey made crisp with squeezes of apple. For the rice lovers, you’ll pick up on the familiar, starchy waft folded into bergamot and sandalwood in Whisper of Rice. And if you’ve ever wished you could perfume yourself with soy milk, now you can—the latest Extrait de Parfum is a lactonic dream of violet, orris, rice and soy milk all in one.
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Saudade Olfactory
If ‘saudade’ is the Portuguese word for a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing, then Saudade Olfactory transcribes that desire into the tangible world of fragrances. As opposed to traditional note pyramids, the brand prefers building their fragrances around unassuming moments and places instead. Under The Rug finds a way to articulate the enigma of a forgotten memory by letting leather mingle with incense, vetiver and Sichuan pepper. Bonsai We Kept captures the stoic stature of a bonsai: it opens with neroli, bergamot and lemon, becomes enveloped by ylang-ylang and ginger, and finally settles into ambergris and cedarwood. The latest addition to the range peppers ginger zest atop lotus flower, rosemary and hinoki mokuzai—and is aptly named Hidden Shrine.
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Normal Estate
Stripping their labels down to distinctive blue accents and numbers, Normal Estate started from a desire to connect to the sensorial world. What followed were nuanced compositions that make references to art, music and other creative mediums. Anish Kapoor’s exploration of materials and textures is reflected in a medley of mimosa, heliotrope and benzoin; Philip Glass’s music translates to the juxtaposition of geranium and rose with basil and ginger. More recently, a collaboration with Indonesian actress and musician Tara Basro found form in Forest In A Vase, where rosemary and basil breathe alongside cypress and vetiver.
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Être Parfums
Immersed as they were in the world of French perfumery, founders Lygia and Tiara decided to trust their instincts and come up with their own fragrances—with the help of a senior perfumer from Jean Niel, a storied Grassois fragrance house first established in 1779. Within Être Parfums’s line-up, you’ll find fresh florals, alluring musks and delicate skin scents, alongside a newly-launched patisserie-inspired collection. Take your pick from gourmands emulating a cup of matcha, freshly-baked kanelbulle or Indonesian coffee—Café Curieux pays homage to the ritual of budaya ngopi, where people gather to read over a cuppa at a warung, or local coffeehouse. Arabica coffee oil infuses with pink pepper CO2 and Indonesian patchouli, evoking the atmosphere of a leisurely afternoon.
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Permenent Fragrance
Bold, unapologetic and experimental are the words that might come to mind upon first glance at a Permenent Fragrance display—and you would be right. With roots in the fashion industry, the brand started as a collaborative project with a UK-based fragrance house—and has since grown to collect other collaborators like clothing label Drunk Dad. Within the streamlined range is Sweet, a fizzy green pear and vanilla infusion that has been likened to cola. Addiction, on the other hand, is a velvety, woody citrus spiced with nutmeg and cardamom. On the powdery end of things sits Strangers, where tonka bean and sandalwood make an appearance. Oh, and did we mention that everything’s certified vegan?
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Layr
A Layr fragrance is hard to miss, thanks to the shape of its bottle—its resemblance to a potion or elixir vessel makes it an intriguing addition to any shelf. Equally enchanting are their complex compositions, each with their own elusive name. Villa Enigma is a faerie’s brew of coconut milk, honeysuckle, tuberose, jasmine sambac and bourbon vanilla; Second Skin shrouds its wearer in an addictive cloak of black pepper, clary sage, lily of the valley and amber. In Crystal Lace, a bouquet of rose and peony is grounded in the earthy depths of incense and beetroot to create a surprisingly glamorous floral.
