Perfume has become a powerful form of self-expression with scents, ranging from floral and sweet to aquatic and woody, shaping how individuals present themselves, reflecting their personal identity and preferences for different occasions.
Especially in Sarawak where there are many perfume enthusiasts, an entrepreneur of Lab13 perfume, Kho Swen Jack, has become the pioneer of the first local brand to portray Sarawakian elements in his perfumery crafts.
Started in May 2025, Lab13 perfume is no stranger to the local perfume community due to its unique and accurate portrayal of each scent that brings out the scenery and scents of a place that are nostalgic to Sarawakians.
With collections named Kek Lapis, Waterfront, Gula Apong, Damai and more of other memory grasping scents, Kho said that his inspiration to create Sarawak identity perfumes is rooted from his exploration outside of Sarawak.
“What inspired me to bring out the perfume culture of Sarawak is because I went to Peninsular Malaysia, where they have perfumes that represent each region. Sabah and Indonesia also have their own scents but not Sarawak,” Kho said.
“So, I figured to myself, why not create perfumes based on Sarawak, by capturing places, memories and most importantly, the culture of Sarawak.”
He added that all his scents are created originally through experiences and to capture specific experiences and environment into a bottle.
Creating a culturally accurate scent
Having an educational background of chemistry student and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) in Medical Anthropology, from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), it has become a part of his creative way in emerging these two to shape his brand identity.
“To be specific, I am currently studying the culture of medicine of Orang Ulu,” Kho said.
“Although I am a solo entrepreneur, there are many UNIMAS students who are actively helping me design the brand and also took part in the social media marketing.”
Showing his gratitude for the overwhelming support, he noted that his ideas were mainly inspired by customers and students, making it a collective creative effort of the society in contributing ideas.
With brainstorming and combining the creative ideas from the public altogether, he then started to make the perfume, which typically takes about three to four months, considering mixing of scents, maceration process and also trial and error.
“Instead of relying on my own assumptions about the atmosphere of places or even food, I develop my scents based on customer feedback.
“Then every time my tested perfume is ready, I evaluate whether it resonates and suits certain occasions before refining the formulation accordingly and in fact, many of our earlier fragrances were shaped by input from UNIMAS students,” Kho reiterated.
Introducing Sarawak through scents
Through his active participation in events and booths beyond Sarawak, particularly at KLCC and Pasar Seni, he brings iconic elements of the state to a wider audience, allowing both the public and homesick Sarawakians to reconnect with familiar experiences through scent.
“Lab 13 has always done its best in everything we do, and through the events we joined in Kuala Lumpur, we have gained loyal customers who regularly message us each month to have our perfumes delivered to them,” Kho stressed.
Kho added that as Borneo is widely known, he did a research on tourist attractions before releasing new scents to focus on the cultural or inspirational aspect that is unique and emphasising attractions that are synonymous to Sarawak.
“The best seller when we’re at Kuala Lumpur would be the Borneo after Dusk, where we extracted the vanilla from Sandakan, Sabah, with lavender on the opening and dates as the middle notes, giving it a dating scent,” he said.
Meanwhile, for the Sarawak community, he said that the most loved scent would be the Kek Lapis, allowing Sarawakians to reminisce the experience of being in a layered cake house, where the space is filled with the sweet aroma.
“When you walk into any cake house, you are greeted by the aroma of vanilla, strawberry and blueberry, with hints of pandan lingering throughout the store, all of which come together in our Kek Lapis perfume,” he added.
“This is the kind of scent that makes you feel bold, strong and distinctive, one that clearly expresses your identity as if to say, hey, ‘I’m a Sarawakian’.”
He noted that many customers are amazed by how closely the scents resemble familiar Sarawakian experiences, with the Kek Lapis perfume drawing amazement, remarking on how accurately it captures the distinctive aroma of the traditional cake.
Another scent, Kuching, initially sparks curiosity as people wonder what the city might smell like, only to be pleasantly surprised when they try it and find it clean, airy and appealing.
“Kuching is my personal favourite – a clean, musky scent that smells nice on the skin,” Kho said.
“It is effortlessly good, versatile and leaves a good impression. I use it every day for any occasion.”
Most of the brand’s fragrances are inspired by places and food, making them easily relatable as he expressed that scents such as Damai can evoke specific memories.
It carries fresh marine and coconut notes that remind wearers of the calm and peaceful atmosphere of Damai Beach.
However, recreating certain scents can be challenging, particularly Apong, where achieving the right balance between salty and sweet notes proves difficult as Lab 13 gives their full effort to mimic the real Gula Apong as closely as possible.
“Meanwhile, the Waterfront perfume is actually meant to be something romantic, sweet and also from my memory, when there is bazaar at the Waterfront, there will be sweet smells rising from the drinks in the transparent cylindrical jars, which we incorporate the sweet, rosy, romantic feel in it,” Kho said.
He noted that some fragrances call for specific moments to preserve the true scent, where richer scents integrated with sweet vanilla notes like Kek Lapis, Borneo and Matcha are better suited for the evening while lighter options such as Damai and Limo, with their fresh citrus and floral notes, are ideal for daytime use.
He also shared that there are multiple upcoming scents that symbolises the hornbill state, such as Pulut, Durian, Satay and also perfumes with pepper notes, making it one of a kind to portray the complexity of each flavour into a scent.
Guiding Aspiring Perfumers
Other than selling out perfumes, Lab 13 also actively encourages entrepreneurs who are into perfumes to customise from their own lab to create their curated scent.
“We also guide businesses who want to create their own local perfume where we will provide supply without a frontal charge, allowing them to start the business easily,” Kho shared.
“We will guide them on how Lab 13 grows by providing all the data and strategy we have, and then they can come to our booth to test and sell their perfume.”
He said that among the businesses guided by Lab 13 are Runa Perfume, Diana Perfume and Adinta Satria Perfume, which involve a lecturer, a salesgirl and a student from Kuala Lumpur respectively, where he also provides guidance on improving their perfume products.
Kho said that the initiative is aimed at helping local perfumery businesses expand, particularly within Sarawak, as part of a wider effort to strengthen and develop the fragrance industry in the region.
He explained that beyond building his own brand, he hopes to contribute to a growing ecosystem where more local perfumers can emerge, improve their products and gain wider recognition.
“I want to grow the fragrance scene in Sarawak, not just Lab 13, as I want us to be identified as only one of the brands,” he noted, highlighting that his focus is also on nurturing other entrepreneurs and elevating the overall standard of local perfumery.
