Borntostandout perfumes BORNTOSTANDOUT Seongsu-dong is Seoul's “it girl” ? always ahead of the latest craze and never without a new pop-up. And as any it girl should, she smells fabulous. Floral on one block, woody on the next. Follow your nose, and chances are it will lead you to a Korean fragrance shop. “The scent is very unique, and it’s not the kind of scent that people can easily access,” said Shinhan Liu, a Taiwanese tourist who bought a perfume from Korean fragrance brand Nonfiction in the eastern Seoul neighborhood on Monday. International customers browse perfumes at LOE in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Sept. 7. WOO JI-WON She had come to the area specifically for the perfume. “My friend once gifted it to me, and I fell in love with the scent,” she said. Liu was just one of many international shoppers browsing fragrances that day, with overseas customers making up the majority of those shopping at numerous Korean fragrance stores. “Ninety percent of our customers are foreigners,” said a staffer at Anillo, another Korean fragrance brand in the neighborhood. The scene reflects the rising popularity of Korean fragrance brands among foreign shoppers in a market long dominated by global names. Korea's perfume exports reached $9.23 million in July, crossing the $9 million mark for the first time, according to data from the Korea Customs Service. Between January and July, exports totaled $51.31 million, already 91 percent of the $56.12 million shipped abroad for all of last year. The K-fragrance boom is showing up at major retailers too. At Lotte Department Store, sales of K-fragrance products to international customers rose 25 percent on year between January and August, according to data provided to the Korea JoongAng Daily?by the retail giant. At Olive Young, a go-to stop for travelers to Korea, nine of its 10 best-selling fragrances among international customers were Korean products between January and August, the retailer told the Korea JoongAng Daily. 슬롯머신 So how is K-fragrance winning over foreign olfaction ? and wallets? Foreigners get a whiff of?K-fragrance “Try a scent,” called out sales associates at Kinock, handing passersby paper strips, each sprayed with one of the brand's signature scents and gently inviting them in. Sales associates at Kinock hand out passersby paper strips, each sprayed with one of the Korean fragrance brand's signature, in Seongsu-dong on Sept. 7. WOO JI-WON When this reporter visited eight different Korean fragrance brands in Seongsu-dong on Monday, all had a steady stream of international shoppers, with some packed by noon. “Most of our customers are foreigners, particularly from China and Japan,” said a sales associate at Tamburins,? a sister brand of eyewear label Gentle Monster, known for its high-profile campaigns with K-pop stars including Blackpink’s Jennie and Stray Kids’ Felix.??More than a dozen customers were inside its flagship at the time, with one employee assisting a group in Japanese while others served customers in English. Social media Reels show users recommending Korean perfumes. SCREEN CAPTURE By 1 p.m., crowds had wafted in, leaving little room to move inside some of the smaller stores. But the appetite for Korean fragrance among foreign shoppers extends well beyond Seongsu-dong. At Selvatico's I'Park Mall Yongsan store, international customers currently account for up to 30 percent of customers, the brand said. At Borntostandout, foreign customers account for about 80 percent of shoppers at both its Seongsu and Samcheong stores, while the figure stands at around 60 percent at its Hannam location, CEO Im Ho-joon told the Korea JoongAng Daily. As their popularity grows among overseas customers, Korean fragrance brands are also expanding their global footprint. Borntostandout currently exports to 83 countries, with overseas sales accounting for 95 percent of its total sales as of September. 바다이야기게임 사이트 Tamburins, which entered Japan in 2024, has since opened stores in China and Thailand, while Nonfiction opened a store in New York in May. Online, hundreds of posts and Instagram Reels show foreign shoppers buying and recommending Korean fragrances, with some suggesting them as gifts to bring home. Selling an experience, not just a scent Chisa, a tourist from Japan, did not plan on buying perfume on Monday. But she left 29', a fragrance and lifestyle brand launched by fashion platform 29CM, with a full bag, without even really knowing the brand beforehand. International customers smell scents at 29' in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, on Sept. 7. WOO JI-WON “I didn’t intend to buy perfume today,” said Chisa. “But after the staff invited me in and helped me smell multiple scents, they smelled so good that I ended up buying one perfume, one diffuser and two hand creams.” From the moment customers walk in, associates often shadow individual groups, asking about their fragrance preferences, introducing the brand’s story and bestsellers and helping them find scents that fit them. The process becomes an experience rather than a simple purchase. But for many brands, that experience begins even before shoppers sniff a single sample. “I saw a post on Instagram and came by,” said Asuka, another Japanese tourist visiting Tamburins in Seongsu. People walk past Tamburin's flasgship store in Seongsu-dong. WOO JI-WON Tamburins' massive flagship resembles a construction site from the outside, while downstairs, oversized mushroom installations fill a lavish fragrance-filled space “This shop is so stylish I had to come and see,” she said, eventually buying White Darjeeling, a floral scent, after an associate told her it was particularly popular among Japanese customers. For many Korean fragrance brands, stores are a way to build an entire experience around their scents, one designed to be seen and explored as much as smelled. LOE’s Seongsu store features a pastel-green interior with a cave-like feel. 야마토3 Borntostandout, whose global bestseller is Drunk Lovers, draws on the neighborhood’s industrial past at its Seongsu store, incorporating reused industrial pallets alongside contemporary art within a striking red interior, while its Samcheong store takes inspiration from traditional Korean aesthetics. Borntostandout's Seongsu flasgship BORNTOSTANDOUT Borntostandout's Seongsu flasgship BORNTOSTANDOUT Borntostandout's Seongsu flasgship BORNTOSTANDOUT “What moves people are stories and experiences,” said Borntostandout CEO Im. “We believe the story of the moment you encounter a fragrance is just as important as the quality of the scent itself.” Im described perfume as an inherently irrational luxury, something people do not need to live. So what makes them choose to buy is the sense of immersion surrounding it. “A space has to be captivating and even irrationally designed to catch people’s attention, spark their curiosity, draw them in, turn them into fans and, ultimately, lead to a purchase. There are already plenty of perfumes on the market that simply smell good. The reason we put so much effort into our spaces is that we’re not selling a scent. We’re selling the moment people fall under its spell.” Choi Dam-seon, a professor in Sahmyook University’s Department of Integrative Biotechnology who teaches fragrance studies, also said the emphasis on experience is one of the main characteristics setting Korea's relatively young fragrance industry apart. “Korean fragrance can be understood through the language of space, emotion, everyday life, skin and culture,” Prof. Choi said. “Traditional European luxury fragrances tend to approach perfume as a complete work of art, while Korean fragrances often begin with how a person feels in a particular space." What does Korea smell like? But after all, perfume still comes down to the scent. So what, if anything, makes Korean perfumes different? Lee Yea-ji, a fragrance researcher at a niche Korean perfume brand, said Korean fragrances tend to lean toward scents that feel natural and unobtrusive. 모바일 바다이야기인어 “Among Korean perfume brands gaining attention overseas, many tend to emphasize scents that aren't overpowering or cultivate a natural brand image,” Lee said. “In Korea, strong scents are often perceived as overwhelming or headache-inducing, so lineups tend to feature natural green or herbal scents, subtle musks and broadly appealing florals." Popular scents include “the damp smell of crushed grass or soft musk reminiscent of skin,” she said. "That can make Korean perfumes feel easy to wear and approachable.” But Korean brands are also increasingly looking closer to home for inspiration. Fragrances created through Taylorscents' collaboration with MU:DS SCREEN CAPTURE “We're seeing notes that evoke distinctly Korean and East Asian imagery, such as ink, rice, woody scents reminiscent of hanok [traditional Korean-style house] and spicy, woody scents that evoke Buddhist temples,” Lee said. “Brands are also making greater use of traditional Korean imagery such as hanok and hanbok [traditional Korean clothing]." Borntostandout's Dirty Rice puts rice at the heart of the scent, pairing a rice note with milk and peony. Korean fragrance brand Taylorscents collaborated with MU:DS, the merchandise brand of the National Museum Foundation of Korea, to release scent products that draw inspiration from Korean cultural motifs, including moon jars and mother-of-pearl craft. SW19's Seoul edition perfumes WOO JI-WON SW19 has a Seoul-exclusive collection that includes Seoul Midnight, a fragrance inspired by the city's “lights and sensations,” with omija as a top note and ginseng as a base note. “They're only available at offline stores, including Seongsu,” a staffer said Monday. “They're especially popular among foreign customers who want to take home a special scent that's only available in Korea.” Prof. Choi believes this distinctly Korean identity is what is drawing international shoppers, with the products “becoming fragrances that can only be found in Korea.” 오리지널야마토 “Korean perfumes’ subtle, non-overpowering yet distinctive compositions, which set them apart from mainstream Western luxury fragrances, along with sophisticated brand identities that evoke Korean culture and spaces and distinctive packaging are key factors driving growing interest and purchases among international consumers,” Choi said. Venture further into Korea's niche fragrance scene, and the scents can get far more experimental. Perfumes displayed at Purfulounge WOO JI-WON Purfulounge, a fragrance curation shop in Seongsu, carries around 150 perfumes exclusively from Korean niche brands, including Han;gadeuk and Ohbbu! “We showcase perfumes that are unique and worthwhile but may lack the marketing power to get noticed,” a staff member said. “These brands go beyond conventional scents, experimenting with unusual combinations such as petals and cotton.” K-pop, K-fragrance K-pop is giving Korean fragrance an additional push. Lee said the global popularity of K-pop has naturally drawn overseas consumers toward Korean fragrance brands used or mentioned by Korean celebrities. In May, Korean fragrance brand etlee named girl group NMIXX as its new models, pairing individual members with different scents from its perfume collections. Bibiang has recently worked with Boynextdoor, releasing a collection in collaboration with the group. Major retailers are noticing the connection as well. Customers browse products at the Luvliss store in Lotte World Mall in Jamsil, Songpa District, southern Seoul. LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE Lotte Department Store said brands associated with K-pop idols, including Sisao and Kuoca, as well as those that have collaborated with K-pop artists, have been particularly well received by international customers at its pop-ups. In response, the retailer said it has expanded its K-fragrance pop-ups by 10 percent on year at its Jamsil branch. Prof. Choi sees potential for K-fragrance to establish itself as a distinct global category. “If K-beauty introduced the world to Korean ideas of beauty, K-fragrance has the potential to introduce the world to Korea's scents and sensibilities,” Choi said. BY WOO JI-WON [] among fore