By Honorary Reporter Nurin Nabila from Malaysia

Hayoung "Hani" Oh is the founder of Nalda, a Korean manufacturer of artistic perfume. I discovered the company a few weeks ago when the Australian photographer Ante Badzim posted about his works "Flight, Leap, Swim, Flip, and Vante" to be exhibited in Seoul in collaboration with a perfumery displaying his work.

As a fan of the photographer and his stuff, I grew interested in perfume inspired by his photos, namely Nalda's.

Oh's YouTube channel, 향수읽어주는여자 하니날다 (literally "Haninalda, a woman who can detect scent"), has reviews of perfume, stories behind her brand and more.

The following is my interview with the perfume entrepreneur.

Give a brief history of your perfume journey and how you started Nalda.

I flew to Paris to get inspired in 2013 and was very lucky to meet master perfumers when writing about perfume for a fashion magazine. I really enjoyed their creations, and then asked if I could create an Asian-styled perfume with Korean sense and sensibility, because we Asians admire scents in both spiritual and aesthetic ways. After returning to Korea, I launched the perfumery Nalda, which means "to fly" in Korean. The name is derived from my belief that every dream deserves to fly freely just like perfume molecules. Nearly six years have passed since I started Nalda.

Tell us about your perfume oils and scented candles including those named after places like Jeju Island and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

I hope to promote Korea through scent, so I named scents after cities and places I've been to in Korea. All fragrance molecules come from nature. I only create scents with a high quality of essential oils. I now have "living" perfume products such as room deodorant sprays and diffusers.

Our Uplifting Jeju [Jejukyulpoong] Scent was inspired by my visit to Jeju Island, home to the Natural World Heritage Site Jeju Volcanic Island and lava tubes, and I created our DMZ [Bimoojangsaeng] Scent after going on a trip to the DMZ, a greenery-rich area serving as a buffer zone between the two Koreas.

At this time, Korea lacks the technology and experience to extract essential oils from plants and flowers grown here. One day, I hope to make a scent with ingredients from Korean nature.

How did you get to collaborate with Ante Badzim?

I was very lucky because the art agency Art247, which officially represents the photographer in Korea, asked me to share its great idea for collaboration with Ante. To wear perfume while looking at his photos was a cool idea. I briefly asked Ante about his inspiration and favorite scents just for research, and he kindly answered my questions. Art247 and Ante later allowed me to curate certain pieces of his before I created a perfume based on his works. This is an ongoing seasonal collaboration.

Do you offer activities like workshops or lectures?

Yes. I hold workshops on creating one's own perfume. Participants are from all over the world including Korea, the U.S., Singapore and Germany, and the lectures are held in Korean and English. In addition to focusing on making perfume and the sector's history, my workshops help students learn who they are and Korean culture. Before the pandemic broke out, I also gave lectures for the Korean government, European luxury brands and many other groups.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.