Olfactive Melbourne

In this episode of Olfactive Melbourne, we sit down with Yusef Al Kilani, the perfumer, artisan, and collector behind Kilani Essence, an independent Australian house where modern perfumery meets traditional Arabic technique.
Built from the ground up and shaped by time spent learning in Dubai, Kilani Essence is the work of a single maker pouring art, science, and obsession into every bottle. Drawing on a personally chosen palette of naturals and synthetics selected for their quality and safety, each fragrance is handcrafted in small batches as extrait de parfum, with storytelling and emotional connection at its heart. The house is built on responsible sourcing and conscious creation, honouring the materials, the craft, and the people behind them.
In this note by note masterclass, we explore Electric Fumo (Spark), a fragrance that moves from bright, electric energy into smoke, resin, and depth. It opens with ginger, grapefruit, bergamot, and juniper berries before moving into a heart of green tea, cardamom, Mysore sandalwood, and olibanum. As the fragrance settles, it reveals a grounding base of Choya Nakh, patchouli, ambergris, cashmeran, agarwood, cedarwood, and Siberian fir, threaded with sea notes and sea salt.
Watch or listen now for a note-by-note masterclass with one of Australia's most colourful and heartfelt independent perfumers, and a conversation about culture, history, inspiration and the unmistakable identity of Kilani Essence.
https://www.kilaniessence.com/

In this episode of Olfactive Melbourne, we welcome back Sophie Marcoux, founder and creative force behind Ficifolia Fragrances, for a closer look at her latest release, Best in Show. A gourmand Extrait de Parfum at 25% concentration, the fragrance draws its inspiration from one of the most beloved (and quietly competitive) corners of Australian country life: the vanilla slice rivalry of the regional show bake-off.
Sophie returns to the show with a fragrance that is at once playful and deeply considered. Glazed sugar, jasmine, muguet and praline open into a heart of vanilla custard cream, tonka bean and rose, before settling on a base of cashmere musk, patchouli and vetiver. We unpack the composition note by note as we experience it on skin, exploring how each layer reveals a different chapter of the story she set out to tell.
Beyond the bottle, we spend time on the wider creative direction behind Best in Show. Sophie shares the thinking behind the campaign's stylised country bake-off world, the confidence required to enter the saturated vanilla category, and the relationship between fashion, fragrance and creative identity that runs through everything she does. We also revisit her briefing process, her evolving collaboration with her formulator, and what has changed for Ficifolia in the year since we last spoke.
https://ficifolia.com/

In this episode of Olfactive Melbourne, we sit down with John Domjan, the creative director behind ÖRÖK Fragrances, a narrative driven Australian fragrance house where storytelling, identity, and self expression converge.
Rooted in a belief that fragrance can give voice to the different parts of who we are, ÖRÖK creates perfumes that translate memory, atmosphere, and emotional landscape into scent. Working in close creative collaboration with perfumer Flora Gourdon, each composition begins as an image, a feeling, or a moment in time, then is built with care into a finished fragrance. The house is committed to narrative driven perfumery, a respect for individual expression, and a considered approach to creating worlds that listeners and wearers can step inside.
In this note by note masterclass, we explore 5AM, a fragrance inspired by the quiet hour just before sunrise, the threshold between night and day. It opens with clean, watery freshness that evokes still morning air before moving into a heart of petrichor and soft florals, the unmistakable scent of rain meeting waking earth. As the fragrance settles, it reveals a grounding base of amber and white musk, designed to hold the atmosphere of early morning long after the dawn has passed.
Watch or listen now as we journey into the creative world of ÖRÖK, exploring how a brief becomes a finished fragrance, how the dialogue between creative director and perfumer shapes an unmistakable identity, and how narrative driven perfumery invites the wearer into a story that becomes their own.
https://orokfragrances.au/

In this episode of Olfactive Melbourne, we sit down with Hilary Schofield, the creator behind Liminus, an Australian natural perfume house where botanical craftsmanship, place, and sensory intention converge.

Rooted in a deep connection to Australian landscapes and ecosystems, Liminus creates fragrances that honour the complexity of natural materials and the environments that inspire them. Working exclusively with 100 percent natural ingredients, each composition is built with care and structural precision, celebrating the dialogue between the raw beauty of nature and the discipline of formulation. The house is committed to skin safe, non toxic perfumery, transparency around allergens and ingredient disclosure, and a considered approach to sustainability, including refill systems and responsible packaging.

In this note by note masterclass, we explore Thamnic, a fragrance inspired by mossy woods, forest floors, and the quiet depth of the natural world. It opens with bergamot, petitgrain, and Huon Pine before moving into a heart of spices, ferns, and mossy woods. As the fragrance settles, it reveals a grounding base of tonka bean, vetiver, and sandalwood, designed to capture the warmth, earthiness, and enduring character of the Australian landscape.

Watch or listen now as we journey into the creative world of Liminus, exploring how each composition is built, how natural materials shape identity, and how a deeper understanding of structure allows us to experience fragrance with greater clarity and appreciation.

https://www.liminus.com.au/

In this episode of Olfactive Melbourne, we sit down with Kimberley Ngo—the perfumer behind KOLIDO, an independent Australian fragrance house where scent is approached as both process and expression.
Based in the Yarra Valley on Wurundjeri Country, KOLIDO is built on a hands-on, iterative approach to perfumery, where each fragrance is developed, worn, and refined entirely in-house. Rather than following traditional structures, the house focuses on accords and composition to translate ideas into scent.
Guided by Kimberley’s perspective as both collector and creator, each fragrance is developed from a central concept and resolved through experimentation, resulting in compositions that feel textural, deliberate, and quietly distinctive.
In this note-by-note masterclass, we explore Bareback—a bold and textural composition that opens with a striking interplay of leather and aromatic facets, creating an immediate sense of rawness and tension. As the fragrance develops, the heart reveals deeper tonal shifts, where animalic nuances, soft woods, and subtle warmth begin to emerge, adding dimension and complexity. It settles into a rich and lingering base of worn leather, musks, and resinous undertones, leaving a trail that feels both intimate and unapologetically visceral.
Watch or listen now as we explore a fragrance house where process is everything, storytelling replaces structure, and each perfume is carefully constructed to be experienced as a complete and evolving composition.
kolido.au
@kolido_