Josh Lee is the man behind Josh Lee Fragrances, a wholly Malaysian brand of beautiful perfumes that capture the essence of our beautiful country. His wonderful perfumes are sold in gift, souvenir and perfumery shops at selected hotels, tourist attractions, shopping malls and airport duty free shops. The fragrances are made in Malaysia and produced in Penang by Malaysians. So, it is truly a ‘Made in Malaysia’ brand.
We catch up with Josh Lee and he tells us all about his journey and what he hopes to inspire other Malaysians to do!
1Twenty80: Firstly, what inspired you to start your fragrance business?
Josh Lee: When I was three, my father used to spray some of his cologne on me before I left the house. Since then, I have always been intrigued by different scents. Moreover, I grew up in a family who operates a shop that sells cake ingredients. It was always filled with comforting aromas like vanilla, chocolate, strawberries as well as spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. My family’s shop, Hong Yap in George Town was indeed the perfect environment for the making of a perfumer.
I’m a dreamer passionate about scents and will always pick up scents and aromas from flowers to food and wherever I go or travel to. Since I was little, I have always wanted to create my own fragrances based on the reflections from my life’s story, the places I have been and the cultures
I was immersed in. That’s why after graduating with a degree in Chemistry at Universiti Putra Malaysia, I went to ISIPCA, the top perfumery institute in France, to take up the European Fragrance and Cosmetic Master course. From there, I learned how to create and formulate perfumes, colour cosmetics and skincare from top perfumers, marketing experts and notable fragrance historians.
After working for 10 years with sufficient experiences and support from local and overseas suppliers, I took a big leap of faith to quit my job as Senior Product Development Manager in SimplySiti (a beauty brand by Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza) and established Josh Lee Fragrances. As I believe that we need to preserve our heritage in order to move forward into the new century, therefore my brand concept is preserving our heritage through scents. Hence, the brand’s tagline is “Heritage through Scent”.
1Twenty80: When was your first fragrance launched and how did that make you feel?
Josh: My first fragrance, George Town by Josh Lee Eau de Toilette was launched in December 2012. I felt really proud while excited that it is finally out there and then the thrill to see how people react when they first experience the scent of Penang. It makes me really happy that this refreshing fragrance reminds people of Penang in a special way with the scent of the sea, Penang spices (nutmeg and cinnamon) and the scent of sandalwood from the incense in Chinese and Indian temples.
Quote: “Heritage through Scent”
1Twenty80: How was it like during the early days?
Josh: Before creating the scents, I had to spend a lot of time on research. For George Town, I wanted to understand George Town from a historical, social and economic standpoint.
Usually I will take about one year to create a perfume and they’re all unisex as I believe scents are personal. If you like the scents, just use it and that’s why I do not label my perfume as men’s or women’s perfume on the label. For example, my OUD perfume has strong woody and spicy scents and it is recommended for a strong character or personality. Thus, a strong-headed character woman will like my OUD perfume and tend to use it.
After creating the fragrance, I am lucky to have a few of my close friends to help come up with packaging design, marketing and even modelling for the fragrance promotional video and poster before their launch.
1Twenty80: What was your inspiration for your signature fragrances?
Josh: George Town by Josh Lee is inspired by the listing of George Town, Penang as World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2008 and as a tribute to my hometown. This perfume evokes sparkling and refreshing sea water nuances and the sunny warmth of George Town with its heritage landscape. This fragrance features the fresh citrusy scent of the sea of Penang island, heavenly gourmet spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom), romantic floral bouquet (hibiscus and rose) and opulent woody incense notes (sandalwood incense is used in the temples of Penang).
OUD by Josh Lee is a unisex fragrance with a strong personality and yet subtly elegant. It captures the scent of Malaysian rainforests with its rich bio-diversity of flora and fauna. OUD opens with fresh notes of dawn break and followed by a medley of indigenous spices, herbs and flora before unfurling the elegant yet exotic OUD blend built with zesty bitter orange, bergamot, spicy clove, hibiscus petals, patchouli, agarwood, sandalwood and cedarwood.
Nyonya by Josh Lee is inspired by the culture of the Peranakan people. This fresh floral fragrance embodies the graceful femininity of a modern Nyonya. She embraces flowers as part of her Peranakan culture; with rose and jasmine symbolising her eternal beauty, lotus reflecting her purity, champaca expressing her eternal love while peony and orchid portraying her nobility. This Eau de Parfum is blended with bergamot, neroli, the Nyonya Flowers (peony, rose, jasmine, lotus, champaca and orchid), cedar, sandalwood and musk.
1Twenty80: What sets your fragrances apart from the others on the market?
Josh: All my fragrances are personally conceptualised, designed and created with all my heart and soul. Josh Lee Fragrances also conform to the International Quality standard set by International Fragrance Association (IFRA).
We are one of the first premium brands to be certified HALAL by Jakim Malaysia too. This is a great milestone and we are very proud of it. For our Muslim users, they can rest assured that ingredients that are deemed harmful and unhygienic, are not being used in the fragrance and hence they can wear the fragrances to prayers without washing it off. The alcohol used in the fragrances is denatured alcohol derived from plants which is non-drinkable and hence it will not cause intoxication. Our other users can also be confident that the fragrances are produced in a safe and hygienic environment with the highest in quality control.
1Twenty80: Who inspires you to be the successful person you are today?
Josh: I especially admire Jean-Claude Ellena whom I met in Grasse and now he is Hermès exclusive in-house perfumer! Honestly, I get my inspiration from what I am surrounded with which is the rich diversity of culture, food and nature in Malaysia.
1Twenty80: As an entrepreneur, we’re quite sure you’re very busy. How do you ensure that you have work-life balance?
Josh: For me, I will prioritise my work tasks first. It is important to determine the most urgent tasks for the day and allocate sufficient time to complete them. Sometimes I will take breaks during the work day, especially a short nap or coffee break to clear my nose if I am working on a new scent. I would sometimes go for a swim in the evening and then continue working later at night. I also believe in making use of annual holidays to recharge my body and mind.
1Twenty80: How do you ensure that you stay healthy while managing your business?
Josh: I will make sure that I drink at least three litres of water a day. Sometimes on a very hot day, I can drink up to five litres of water to hydrate myself. I love to eat chocolate and I will eat a small piece of dark chocolate almost every day. I guess chocolate can help you to de-stress and put you in a better mood.
1Twenty80: What do you do to unwind?
Josh: I love travelling because I’m always inspired when I travel to places that have great diversity of cultures, nature and food. Places like Bali, Thailand, Vietnam, Provence and the Côte d’Azur in France have intriguing scents of flowers and herbs such as lavender, lemongrass, frangipani, rose, jasmine and much more!
Besides travelling, I will take my two dogs out for walks at the park or go to the cinema to watch a movie during the weekend to unwind.
1Twenty80: Words of wisdom to any of our readers who want to become an entrepreneur/ chase their dreams?
Josh: You have to be passionate in what you want to do and the things that make you feel excited. Diligently study what you want to do to gain more knowledge then harness your skills, get more experience and business contacts (stakeholders, suppliers, customers) by working for others first for a few years before becoming an entrepreneur!
For more information on Josh Lee Fragrances and where to purchase their products, visit their website at www.joshleefragrances.com or follow their Facebook page.
