[Report] The Meeting of Art and Luxury... Alluxe's Special Perfume Class

Coupang R.LUX 'Perfume Masterclass' Experience
A World of Luxury Perfumes Revealed to a Select Few
"Perfume is an Olfactory Artwork... The Meeting of Sight and Scent"

The intense strawberry scent first brushed past the tip of the nose, followed by a subtle rose fragrance that enveloped gently, and finally, the cedarwood scent completed the experience.

The VIP lounge of the Seokpajeong Seoul Museum of Art annex in Jongno-gu, Seoul. This place, where Seokpajeong can be seen through the cool glass windows, is not open to the public. However, the 60 people invited to the perfume 'Masterclass' recently organized by Coupang fully enjoyed the world of luxury perfumes in the "space loved by kings."

The view from the VIP lounge at the Seokpajeong Seoul Museum of Art Annex in Jongno-gu, Seoul. (Photo by Jae-Hyun Park)

Coupang's luxury beauty service R.LUX launched a perfume masterclass for purchasing customers over three days starting from the 21st. It is part of the program 'Art of Luxury' in collaboration with the Seoul Museum of Art.

Art of Luxury is an exhibition held at the Seoul Museum of Art since the 18th of last month. Famous works such as Kusama Yayoi's 'Pumpkin,' Andy Warhol's 'Flowers,' Salvador Dal?'s 'Sofa,' and Joseon white porcelain were exhibited, and scent diffusers were installed throughout the exhibition halls, allowing visitors to experience representative fragrances from global brands. For example, in the 'Inspiring Luxury' exhibition hall, the Hinoki scent from Sweden's representative perfume brand 'L:A BRUKET' was placed, subtly filling the exhibition space.

'Spiky Muse' brand zone by Xnihilo installed in the exhibition hall. (Photo by Jaehyun Park)

A Coupang official explained, "If a museum is a space where you can experience visual art, perfume is an olfactory artwork," adding, "This project started from the idea of experiencing visual and olfactory artworks together in one space."

On the first day, the perfume masterclass introduced the representative fragrances of the French niche perfume brand 'EX NIHILO.' EX NIHILO is a luxury perfume brand founded in 2013 in Paris by three founders. The Latin name means 'from nothing,' expressing the brand's aspiration to present avant-garde and innovative scents that transcend existing limits and rules in the perfume creation process. The hexagonal logo was inspired by Place Vend?me in France, and the brand color blue represents the avant-garde spirit. The product price is around 400,000 KRW for 100ml.

Products from Xnihilo are placed on the table. You can layer and sample each perfume. (Photo by Jaehyun Park)

Manager Lee Seolhee from Shinsegae International and Store Manager Kim Miyoung from Galleria Luxury Hall led the session, introducing the brand's signature scents: 'Fleur Narcotique,' the sweet soda scent 'Blue Talisman,' the forest-like 'Viper Green,' the cream soda-scented 'Santal Collin,' and the spring perfume launched this year, 'Spiky Muse.'

The most impressive scent was 'Spiky Muse,' which clearly featured the perfume's raw materials of strawberry, rose, and cedarwood. It was explained that the strawberry scent particles are very light and evaporate quickly. Manager Kim said, "Extracting strawberry scent is costly and difficult because the scent does not last long," adding, "Considering the cost, distillation is used to extract as much fragrance as possible."

She also guided on how to layer with other perfumes. Manager Kim emphasized, "Perfumes can create different scents when combined (layered) with other fragrances," adding, "If Spiky Muse is the lead, you can place calm and elegant supporting scents on top, allowing you to use the fragrance in various versions."

Kim Mi-young, store manager at Galleria Luxury Hall, is introducing Ex Nihilo's 'Blue Talisman'. (Photo by Park Jae-hyun)

R.LUX's 'Perfume Masterclass' is an event that started amid the heated interest in the Art of Luxury exhibition. According to the Seoul Museum of Art, the number of visitors to the exhibition was more than 20% higher than usual. An R.LUX official stated, "The masterclass will be a completely new cultural experience that deeply provides customers with the grammar and secrets of how luxury perfume brands are created," adding, "We plan to continuously offer differentiated customer experiences in the future."