SOME 70 years after his perfume-maker grandfather made his first pilgrimage to Europe to learn more about the trade, Johari Kazura found himself doing much the same thing - albeit in a 21st century sort of way.
He explains: 'My grandfather did it as a man who didn't speak a lot of English and didn't have much education, and I really admire him for it. I, on the other hand, had my Google maps with me and everything!'
Ironically, what the younger Kazura discovered on his trip was that, travel methods aside, some things just don't evolve that much. 'I found that production techniques haven't changed for a very long time. The art of perfume making is actually a bit like tailoring - you have new materials and the styles change but the basics are still there,' he says. That may be one reason why the family business, Jamal Kazura Aromatics, which specialises in alcohol-free custom-made perfumes, is still going strong: it has two well-patronised stores at North Bridge Road and Bussorah Street plus a healthy export component.
But the success is not enough for the young Mr Kazura, who has sniffed out a fresh opportunity. Two months ago, the Singaporean - who studied economics in the United States but returned home to take on the family business - opened Sifr, a chic perfumery named after the Arabic word for 'zero' that deals in luxurious, bespoke scents (both with and without alcohol) along with other perfumed products such as rich shower creams and soaps.
'I just like the concept of zero; the idea of nothing. This is where I start with some of the perfumes,' he says. 'I'm doing a lot of organic, all-natural perfumes as well because even though they cost a bit more I get the satisfaction of knowing where it's from and about the product. And that's kind of a zero too: pure, clean.'
The perfume-maker reckons that going bespoke presents a whole bouquet of benefits that are not possible with any other concept, not least of which is the fact that quality and creativity 'are not constrained by price points'. 'If I don't set myself any limits I can use, say, this Bulgarian rose that I have now that costs $15,000 per kg, or maybe just experiment with another ingredient and make just 10 bottles, no more,' he says.
There's a market for such scents too, if Mr Kazura is to be believed. 'I was in Europe again last year and there's a growing number of niche perfumers there. I find them very interesting and inspiring. In New York too, the bespoke perfumes are doing very well.'
He continues: 'I think the non-commercial perfumes are starting to come back; I think they'll really catch on in about two to three years here. So what I'm trying to do with Sifr is a bit of rebranding, though I'll still maintain the traditional roots.'
What much of that rebranding involves is the development of just the right image for the boutique, which is kitted out in wood and glass like Mr Kazura's father's Bussorah Street shop, but with a much more modern and designer feel. There are avant garde stacks of hand-sawn teak blocks that form part of the display stands along the sides of the store; a glittering 'island' in the centre heaving with a selection of jewel-toned antique perfume bottles. And everywhere, the twinkle of glass carafes that display their sweet-smelling contents in hues of lemon, gold and honey.
At the back of the shop is a mini laboratory where Mr Kazura produces his perfumes, which make up about 70 per cent of Sifr's offerings (the rest is from the main shop and done by his father). 'I want to make them on-site because then there's a link straight out from here to the buyer,' he says, adding that the store's focus is on direct retail.
Prices at Sifr range from between $70 to $200 for 12ml of essential oil, which is enough to make about 100ml of eau de toilette. For that, you can get, say, a rich scent evocative of the 1960s made of patchouli and Bulgarian rose, or one called Indian Dream that contains the heady, luxuriant notes of jasmine absolute. Of course, it's slightly more expensive than buying a commercial perfume off the shelf, but Sifr's hand-made products are far richer because they don't contain synthetic ingredients.
Customers get a lot more than just a bottle of scent too, reasons the owner. 'I can tell you exactly what's behind each perfume; I can say 'in about 20 minutes you will smell this; in about 30 minutes you get hints of this and this; and by the end of the day you can smell this'. Sometimes the only judgment that people make is whether they like it right away or they don't. But perfumes - they have to sit for a while. And it's a whole bottle of ingredients, each one with its own story.'
To encourage people to experience his scents, Mr Kazura is wont to 'put perfume on them and tell them to go home, or walk to the end of the street'. 'That's the thing with my perfumes, you have to wear them,' he says. 'And a lot of these people do come back.' In time to come, he continues, he will add solid perfumes to Sifr's range of products (actually he would have by now, if he weren't hampered by perfectionist tendencies). 'I've got them done but I haven't found the right container yet so I haven't started selling them,' he admits. 'I've asked a friend, called up a silversmith to ask him to make some samples ... we'll see how the designs turn out. There's no rush, it has to be perfect.'
There's a good chance such attention to detail will see Mr Kazura's boutique come out, well, smelling like a rose in the long term. And he explains his drive thus: 'I like how perfume works in that it's never seen; it's something you have to pay attention to. It's subtle. It's got a story behind it. And I kind of grew up on it. At one point I just thought it was a dusty old family business, but now that I realise I can mix it with things I'm interested in, like the design process, I think - hey, it's kind of cool.'
Baan Bodycare
www.baanbodycare.com
IN THE course of her very diverse career, political activist Glenda Han has set up a lifestyle goods store, painted in Paris and flared drinks at a bar. But it is her latest engagement that seems the most fitting for someone who was voted one of the best-looking candidates of the 2006 General Election.
The Worker's Party member is now the founder and frontman of a line of eco-friendly bodycare products that's based around a core of natural ingredients, premium essential oils and herbs sourced from South-east Asia. Called Baan, which means 'bloom' in Thai, the brand was started by Ms Han and a friend to enable those who are too busy to pamper themselves at a spa to recreate the experience at home. 'I was trying to find something for myself to use, and that led to a deeper interest when I saw what was available - or rather, what was not available - in the market,' she says.
Subsequently, the spa habitue spent nearly two years 'working on the research and technicalities involved' with Thai herbalists before rolling out her first batch of eight products at a Thai facility four months ago. Now there's a range of more than 20 items including a body lotion, body butter, shower gel, shower cream, scrubs and essential oils, all of which have been officially recognised by United States organisation Breast Cancer Action as being free of parabens.
In fact, they're free of a lot of other chemicals too, because Baan uses organic ingredients as far as possible. 'Some Thai herbs such as plai are just not grown organically, but we try. Given the unhealthy environment most of us are living in today, I think we should at least take care of ourselves by minimising our intake of chemicals,' declares Ms Han.
She adds: 'I don't see herbal applications as miracle cures, but when used over a period of time, as your skin continually absorbs the properties of the herbs, your body is bound to reap the benefits.'
Indeed, if her experiments on herself are anything to go by, there is plenty to be gained from the regular usage of Baan products. Ms Han's skin has a soft, luminous glow about it, which could be a result of frequent applications of Baan's rich Moisturising Body Butter made with lavender, ylang ylang, jojoba, sesame, shea butter and 'nature's own skin conditioner', sandalwood. Or perhaps it's due to a generous slathering of her Detoxifying Body Lotion, which is chock-full of pure lemongrass and tea tree essential oils plus revitalising tamarind.
The Baan founder claims that the recipes used by her brand - which was recently ranked more effective than several higher-priced labels in a test carried out by a Hong Kong magazine - are 'way richer' than the usual formulations as 'they consist of more complicated blends of the various ingredients'.
'These have been put together to complement one another and bring out the best results when synergised,' she says.
And while they feel good on the skin, they're even better on the pocket and conscience: Baan's products (available in Singapore at CHAI, Simplicity Living and a couple of spas, plus several stores in Hong Kong) are a wallet-friendly $16.90 to $34.80, and they come in prettily-printed slim bottles or fat tubs that are all made from recyclable material. The company also plans to go even more 'green' in future by producing refill bags as well as giving rebates or incentives to those who return their empty Baan containers.
Of course, it's early days yet to predict whether Baan will live up to its name. But sales have been 'pretty good' so far, states Ms Han, and she's confident the numbers will only grow in future. 'Personal care products just take a while for people to start trusting them, especially when they are from a completely new brand,' she says. 'And I know there's room for Baan in the market ... I definitely see a lot of potential for it.'
