Free Malaysia Today - Alwis & Xavier’s solid colognes smell of success
Couple launches a business selling handcrafted solid colognes, natural deodorants and candles, among others.
KUALA LUMPUR: Niegel de Alwis and his wife Kimberly Xavier, have always loved scents. Whenever they travelled, they would pack a number of scents for use at different times of the day. However, these were confiscated at airports because they’d forget to check these bottles in.
“So, that’s when we started thinking about an alternative,” Xavier, 30, told FMT Lifestyle. Putting their heads – and noses – together, the duo created a solid cologne.
“We learned from Google, YouTube and online forums,” recalled de Alwis, 34. And after many near successes and outright disasters, they finally created the perfect solid cologne.
They only intended it for their own use, but it caught the attention of family and friends. So the couple gave them away and were delighted with the positive feedback they received. This led to the birth of their business – Alwis & Xavier – and the launch of their first four solid colognes at a bazaar in late 2018.
Since then, they have introduced more scents, ranging from woody to fresh and floral. The packaging, designed by the couple themselves, is eye-catching. After all, they knew exactly what they wanted to achieve since both have full-time jobs in marketing.
“Our scents might look a bit masculine, but surprisingly, around 70% of our purchases are made by females,” said de Alwis.
“When we were looking at packaging, I wanted something very slim for women. I put mine in my clutch. For men, they can slip it into their pockets,” Xavier added.
And how would one use a solid cologne? “Click open, swipe your fingers across the balm and apply,” de Alwis explained.
The colognes are handcrafted by de Alwis at their production facility in Sungai Buloh, Selangor. Among the ingredients used, he shared, include beeswax, shea butter as well as essential oils, fragrance oils and almond oil. Their colognes are alcohol-free.
“Not using alcohol allows our scent to be more concentrated. We use a higher concentration of essential and fragrance oils, so it lasts a bit longer on the skin,” de Alwis explained.
“During the pandemic, we noticed that not many people were using colognes. Not one was going out. So, we came up with other products that could be used at home,” said de Alwis.
These other products include natural deodorants, natural solid shampoo bars, natural exfoliating body bars and candles. “Everything we do here is in solid form, so it’s portable, convenient, travel-friendly and easy to use,” said de Alwis.
One can’t help but smile when looking at the Kopi-O candle, which releases the scent of freshly brewed coffee and is packaged in a vintage cup and saucer!
“Not using alcohol allows our scent to be more concentrated. We use a higher concentration of essential and fragrance oils, so it lasts a bit longer on the skin,” de Alwis explained.
“During the pandemic, we noticed that not many people were using colognes. Not one was going out. So, we came up with other products that could be used at home,” said de Alwis.
These other products include natural deodorants, natural solid shampoo bars, natural exfoliating body bars and candles. “Everything we do here is in solid form, so it’s portable, convenient, travel-friendly and easy to use,” said de Alwis.
One can’t help but smile when looking at the Kopi-O candle, which releases the scent of freshly brewed coffee and is packaged in a vintage cup and saucer!