A group of Filipino perfumers has introduced a new fragrance line inspired by three of the country’s most iconic destinations, marking a milestone for the local perfume industry.
The Elements Collection, created under GP Fragrances by founder John Greg Parilla with perfumers Bernadette Lim, Shale Albao, and Gib Ang, was recently unveiled, with the goal of translating the identities of Siargao, Baguio, and Banaue into scents that tell stories.
Each fragrance was designed to reflect a distinct sense of place, reminding users of the memories tied to each location.Siargao is represented by feelings of freedom, energy and joy—translated into the fragrance of Siargao Escape. In an interview with Manila Bulletin, perfumer Bernadette Lim shared that she wanted to evoke the feeling of carrying the sea breeze and the island’s night life with you by blending calamansi zest, gin accord, and salty amber musk.
Baguio Verde represents new beginnings, which Shale Albao describes as carrying nostalgia and the warmth of memories. The scent uses dalandan, damp earth, vetiver, and musks to capture the city’s mountain air and pine-filled landscape. As for Gib Ang, Banaue Bliss combines earthy notes of soil, moss, and milled rice to capture Banaue mornings, an ode to the country’s national treasure—the Banaue Rice Terraces.
GP Fragrances founder John Greg Parilla, the collaboration is a way to present our culture to a more global stage. “Scent is identity. Too often, we wear perfumes that tell stories from Paris or Milan. Creating original Filipino perfumes means telling our own story—smelling our mountains, our fruits, our flowers, our rains,” he shared.
Experience our culture through scent with the Elements Collection, now available through GP Fragrances. For more information about these local fragrances and other collections, visit: instagram.com/gp.fragrances.