OLFAC3 Perfumes

OLFAC3 Perfumes is an independent Malaysian perfume house founded by the perfumer Aien Mokhtar, who composes every scent herself. The name plays on olfactory, the word for the sense of smell. Her love of perfume began with her mother. She took perfumery courses in Australia and France, left a job in property, and released the first collection in 2016 with her co-founder James Chong, Free Malaysia Today reported in 2023.

Aien draws her scents from memories of Malaysia and of travel. She works on each sample in her own lab in Kuala Lumpur and, once happy with it, sends it to makers in France, Sweden and Hong Kong that can produce it in volume. The main line comes as eaux de parfum, with names such as Matahari (the sun) and Ombak (waves). A separate collection, KemBali, was made for Bali and is sold mainly in the house's Bali shops; in Malaysia only members of its Golden Circle can buy it.

In Kuala Lumpur, the house's own space is the OLFAC3 Scentsorium, unit 9-8 on Level 9 of GMBB, 2 Jalan Robertson, open daily 11am to 7pm and closed on public holidays. Limited editions come and go, so message ahead if you want a particular scent. Mano Plus, on the ground floor of the same building, carries a selection. On its own site a 50 ml bottle costs RM299. Try Matahari first: it is one of the house's best sellers and, she says, one of her most personal scents, a memory of running through her great-grandfather's fruit orchard in Negeri Sembilan.