Fragrance of Korea’s Regions

Once upon a time, I imagined a perfume that could embody the memories of places. Of course, there are many luxurious brands like Lanvin, Chanel, Dior, and Bvlgari that create perfumes representing their countries. However, these perfumes often evoke the brand’s prestige rather than the true atmosphere of the places. So, I kept the idea of an imaginary perfume on my bucket list. 

Found one of bucket list

But about two months ago, I found a special perfume brand at the Korea Travel Expo. They were operating their own sales booth, but what captivated me most was another booth with a huge map that had their perfumes matched to different regions. This display appeared to be supported by the organizers of the Expo. I was mesmerized and shared Instagram IDs with the owner. Then, I began to delve deeper into their offerings. 

Dreamt to visit a shop

In the middle of May, they opened a pop-up shop in the Bukchon Hanok Village, near Changdeokgung Palace, for about a week. They prepared well-designed postcards for their customers, and I hoped to get one, but I couldn’t find the time. Things always seem to happen this way. I decided to make another chance because I had already noticed their main store was near the pop-up shop. Finding it was not difficult for me, as I am used to traveling around there as a tourist guide. 

Make a chance

The shop is conveniently located near a bus stop and a metro station. However, what made it challenging for me to find was that it was situated in an office building. I hesitated a bit as I got into the elevator, but then I saw their brand name above the floor button, which helped me find it. 

Finally, got entered

‘Le Plein Été’ was neatly decorated with its perfumes, experimental instruments, and ingredients. As soon as I entered, one of the owners started spraying all their perfumes on testing papers for me. I focused on smelling each one. Most of all, I loved the view from the window. Being near a traditional village, I could enjoy the sight of roofs covered with black tiles. 

‘Le Plein Été’’s Specialty

The perfumes inspired by different regions were gathered on the center table. However, the fragrance for Jeju Island was placed on a window shelf, beautifully framed by the background seen through the window. I initially thought they only sold perfumes, but they also offer home incense products such as room sprays and colognes.

What adds even more charm is their naming sense. They label the perfumes with names of the cities that inspired them, but these are not the real names. The real names, like ‘Roasted,’ ‘Hay Wood,’ and ‘Silver Bay 182,’ are marked at the top of the labels. This poetic naming felt like reading a poem and allowed me to imagine the cities I had traveled to. One moment, I was sitting on the beach watching surfers; the next, I was in a Joseon scholar’s traditional house. Each city perfume was created after the perfumer (who is also the company owner) traveled to those cities.

Bought Gangjin city

I bought the ‘Gangjin’ city perfume, named ‘Dreamer.’ Gangjin is the city where the scholar Yak-Yong Jeong was unjustly exiled for about 18 years. Yak-Yong Jeong was a prominent scholar, inventor, author, and architect who supported the construction of Hwaseong Fortress in Suwon. Despite his dishonorable stay there, he wrote many books for the people and drank a lot of tea, a local specialty. I imagine he dreamed of returning to Hanyang (now northern Seoul), navigating his bitter, spicy reality. This perfume captures his flowery dreams amidst a heavy, spicy reality. I dream of traveling to Gangjin in the near future; it was a grateful journey to be here.

In the second meeting, the owner graciously presented one of their signature room sprays to me, offering a delightful way to refresh the air. If you’re a traveler seeking to preserve your memories through fragrance, don’t hesitate to visit their first shop. Additionally, they hinted at plans to open a second shop in the Bukchon area soon!. Keep an eye out for updates on that. 🙂 

Information

Price range(USD)

Home Fragrance: 15 USD
Perfume: 35 USD

Contact

Insta
https://www.instagram.com/lepleinete_official?igsh=Z2NhMGhkazJxMm9v
Website
https://noseseoul.com

1st Shop

Operating hour

13:00 ~ 19:00 (Monday to Friday. Closed on Sunday)

Address:

401  82, Yulgok-ro, Jongno-gu Seoul, Korea

EZsPEDIA © 2024 by YUNMI LEE is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0