Asian Scents Co's perfume range was introduced in July (All photos: Asian Scents Co)
The global olfactive product landscape is no longer limited to luxury fashion houses and legacy brands. The snowballing of the artisanal perfume market in the early 2000s paved the way for the mushrooming of small enterprises, helmed by a younger generation of perfumers who seek to introduce bespoke fragrances rooted in local culture, raw materials and storytelling.
Established in late 2021 by Audrey Hon, Asian Scents Co is a brand on a mission: Besides challenging the conventional, it aims to craft unique scents for the Asian demographic. The Penang-born Hon captures the history of Malaysia and its neighbours in the form of home fragrances and body perfume, using the transportive essence of these aromatic commodities to reach out to sentimental individuals who want to indulge in the past via nostalgic and memorable blends.
The business was set up in Melbourne, Australia — where she currently resides — during the pandemic. “I was in sales and marketing in the food industry. But I like to do arts and crafts whenever possible, and we had a lot of time to spare during that period. I would visit Kmart [an Australian retailer] to buy supplies, and a candle-making kit was one of them.”
Hon experimented with different blends and whisked up a mixture that emitted profiles that reminded her of Malaysia. “The popular offerings in the market at that time were lavender, as well as white and green tea. I wanted to make something different but related to my roots.”
Nearing Christmas, Hon produced about 100 jars of candles inspired by White Rabbit candy and bubble milk tea, some of which she gave to friends and colleagues. “Some of them said, ‘Hey Audrey, if you package it nicely, you can sell this online, you know.’”
chia_n_soo.jpg
That was all the motivation she needed to broaden her research and create nice packaging. “Then I put up the remainder on Etsy. It didn’t take long before people bought my candles and I received orders from the UK and the US. I was quite surprised. I promoted them on the global platform not to attract a worldwide audience; it was just convenient and did not require a lot of capital. But I could see the potential. People were interested in them.”
Sales picked up speed and soon Hon was distributing her stock to lifestyle stores, besides being a popular fixture at pop-ups. After some time, she thought about exploring the Malaysian market. “It was a niche sector back then and existing brands didn’t have Asian-inspired scents, especially for home fragrance items. I figured this could be my opportunity to expand the business here.”
She made the bold decision to quit her job to focus on the venture full time. With a one-way ticket, Hon flew back to Kuala Lumpur once the borders reopened. She brought all the necessary equipment and materials for production such as coconut soy wax, essential oils and wooden wicks. “They were all imported from Melbourne, so it was quite a huge investment for me.”
It was not long before she grew her product offerings to more than 20 varieties to include Onde-Onde, Kopi, Teh O Ais Limau, Ais Kacang and Cendol. Besides candles, she also made room sprays, reed diffusers and air fresheners. “I wanted to create a niche in the industry, so instead of drawing from Asia as a whole, I focused on scents that echoed our country.
“I think they make a good gift that represents Malaysia. And if you buy them for yourself, they evoke this feeling of nostalgia because these are the smells you are familiar with. People always ask, why are your products mostly inspired by food? But isn’t this what Malaysia is all about? It’s all about food!”
Some of the gourmet-driven options are admittedly unusual. Nasi Lemak has raised eyebrows among potential buyers. “I told them to not worry about spicy notes or stuff like that because it is made up of soothing ingredients. Once they take a sniff, they discover there are pandan, lemongrass and coconut. More than being unique, the scent is meant to be pleasant for your home.”
2.jpg
And as everyone may have guessed, the Durian variant elicits a strong reaction from people. Launched just last year, it was not a scent Hon was keen on introducing because of its polarising aroma. “I didn’t want to create something that would not sell. But I got asked a lot whether I would make a durian candle. As the saying goes, if you don’t try, you will never know how the market is going to respond. So we did it, and we went all out with the notes. Your whole car will smell like the fruit. You either love it or hate it,” she laughs.
Durian was rolled out during Christmas, and the response was rather underwhelming. “The timing was not right. People were looking for a more appropriate gift for the festivities. But sales did pick up this year when the durian season started,” Hon shares. It was certainly a lesson learnt in terms of developing proper plans and practices for successful releases.
Among the assemblage, candles take the longest time to produce as they are more sensitive to temperature, she says. “In the beginning — I am not kidding — I made hundreds of candles because I needed to learn about the melting range, when is the right temperature to pour the wax and fragrance as well as when to put in the wick. It is time-consuming and not as straightforward as fluids.”
Hon is particular about the nuances of these olfactory delights. “There are top, heart and base notes, and we play with the ratio to get the right composition. When we concoct Malaysian-inspired fragrances, we know precisely what durian and nasi lemak smell like, so we do rounds of experiments to achieve the perfect scent.”
The formula for candles cannot be totally replicated to create other liquid-based products of the same scent. The ingredients and composition have to be adjusted to achieve the desired aroma for these items. “Let’s say you imagine a scent and you experiment with it, the first round or two does not immediately give you what you had in mind. The wax molecule and fragrance quality will affect the outcome.”
Ever optimistic and adventurous, Hon took up another challenge to develop a perfume line. “I started with home fragrance because I was not confident about using the product on the human body. But I was getting enquiries on whether the home range could be used as perfume. That’s when I realised people wanted these for cosmetic use as well.
“It took us a very long time to do R&D as we wanted to make sure it was safe to apply on skin. There was also a lot of documentation and paperwork to do before we could introduce the product.”
Comprising four different categories including gourmand (Cham Royale Tea), citrus (Majestic Kumquat), floral (Jardin de Jasmin) and fruity (Fuji Apple Tea), Asian Scents Co’s perfume collection was unveiled in July. They are packaged in elegant bottles with minimalist labels, a stark contrast to the home fragrance containers, which feature vibrant illustrations.
Hon dwells on the downside of selling scented goods online. “It is tricky to buy any type of fragrance online because it is not something you can personally experience. It really is purely based on one’s imagination.” But the team is creative, thorough and detailed, furnishing information on their website, and providing great assistance to people in choosing the best item for themselves.
Occasionally, they set up booths at weekend bazaars. “I like to do pop-ups so I can talk to customers, see their reactions and get instant feedback from them,” she shares.
Five years into the business, Hon is hoping for Asian Scents Co to continue flourishing in the local and international markets. The brand’s original mission, which is to preserve Malaysia’s unique identity through scents, will remain as its guiding principle as it journeys forward. “I want to keep showcasing our lively and beautiful multicultural nation to the world through our products,” she expresses.
This article first appeared on Sept 1, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
