GEORGE TOWN, Dec 2 — A 43-year old Penang-born fragrance designer created a “George Town” scented perfume to narrate the heritage of his hometown with its fragrances.
Made from a combination of around 40 different essential and synthetic oils, Josh Lee’s Eau de Toilette highlighted the quintessential scent back in the golden days of colonial Penang.
He said that the scent of George Town heritage comprises four main notes, namely the aquatic, spices, floral and woody scents.
“The aquatic scent focused on the sea breezes at the trading ports in Penang, whereas the pungent scent of nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise and cardamom tells the tale of the spice trading scenes between the merchants.
“Meanwhile, the floral scent of floral bouquet, like the hibiscus and roses, as well as the woody scents from traditional houses and temples were also in the mix to set the environment of what George Town used to be like,” Lee told Bernama at his workstation at Siam Road here.
He said that “George Town” was his first product released in the market under his brand “Josh Lee Fragrances”, which was established in August 2012.
Lee said that he found his interests in scent and perfumery when he was young and while working with his parents in a bakery store, a family business that is still operating for over 45 years.
“After getting used to the aroma of the ingredients in the bakery like coffee, vanilla, pandan and so on, I realised that I have a certain knack for fragrances,” he said.
Lee received his degree in chemistry at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and is also a post-graduate of European Fragrance and Cosmetic Master in ISIPCA, a world leading perfumery school in Versailles, France.
He said that his core principal in perfumery was not only utilised for physical attraction, but also as a form of storytelling to convey the heritage in Malaysia.
“I grow up here in Malaysia with various cultures, unique food and spices, as well as beautiful nature and I want to use them as the core theme in perfume making to narrate what our country’s heritage is all about through scents,” he said.
Other types of perfumes that he designed include “Oud”, an Eau de Parfum (EDP) fragrance that denotes the scent of Malaysian rainforests with indigenous spices, herbs and floras, as well as “Nyonya”, an EDP fragrance conveying the Peranakan culture with scents of Nyonya flowers.
The “Oud” and “Nyonya” perfumes are sold for RM160 per bottle, whereas “George Town” is priced at RM130.
Meanwhile, Lee said that the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) has also heavily impacted his perfume business.
He said that before COVID-19, around 1,000 bottles of his perfumes were sold annually and most of his target audience were tourists.
“However, with the whole pandemic still ongoing and restricted international shipping, the sales have been mainly from local regulars,” he added. – BERNAMA