Season 4 - Episode 9: The art of creating unique and luxurious scents – Unique’e Luxury Perfumes

Speaker 1 Hello everyone. Max 40 with another Max chat podcast episode. Today we have the pleasure to chat with Mr. Saha. OK from UNIKI Luxury performs a brand that hails from Turkey and has enchanted the world with their incredible creations that are very creative, powerful and very unique in nature. How are you today, Mr. Sahat? You know, Thank you so much for joining us today. Speaker 2 Thank you very much. That's my pleasure, dear Max. I'm very well. Here I'm in Turkey now in Izmir. The time is 6:00 PM. Here today was very hot day and very rush day for us. We have some export and import operations something like that. But it was a very good day for me. Speaker 1 It's great to have you here today, Sir. Hot and uniquey Luxury is a brand that I first discovered back in 2019 at Cent Explorer First Annual. We are commemorating our fifth annual and I think we're both commemorating this, you know, celebration of five years in business, because I also believe Uniki has been in business for five years, correct? Speaker 2 Yeah, this year is our six years, six years, six, we enter to six years. Yes, we first started normally if you first started 2017, but we first release our first six of our perfumes in 2018 April. Around April time, after that, now we have 17 perfumes in six years. We improved our collection. We made new designs, new perfumes for the niche market, niche flowers. And we are proud of it. Speaker 1 Yeah. And I want to thank, I want to give a shout out to Ellen Burgess from Beverly Hills Perfumery because he was the one that introduced me to you and your brand back in 2019. He's a Max. Listen, I discovered this incredible brand. I want to, you know, I want to introduce you to them and I'd love for them to be at Synth Explore this year because I think they're going to be incredible. And he was right. And I believe the first fragrance that I fell in love with the brand was chocolate. Makes me happy. Speaker 2 1st we started with Woodham Moot Izmir Istanbul or Producer Touch Chipratos Cano this six of them that collection after then when we started Alum No, yes yes at that time. At that time we have we had. Six of them. But maybe I remember you first made the task with the check that makes me happy. Speaker 1 Yes, that was my first love. You know of the company, I still have the original bottle because I know the bottle has changed. Speaker 2 Yeah, that's that's very important. They're very important. But honestly, at that time we made very limited quantities of these perfumes and in the world very limited people has these old bottles and old labels. And like it is like a history for us. Because I remember we made approximately 300 check that makes me happy. Speaker 1 Only that's that's version only, correct. So I have a vintage collector edition because obviously the the company has changed. And by the way, the bottles nowadays they look incredible, they look beautiful, state-of-the-art, attention to details. I love the bottles. So let's talk about the creative process. Let's talk about the early beginnings of Uniki Luxury. Sir, why don't you take us through the history of the brand and how you became Uniki Luxury? Take us through everything and how it all started. Speaker 2 OK, this history is a little bit how can I say too much time, too much time take to me. Speaker 1 How can I say you can give me the summarized version OK? Speaker 2 Normally I'm a computer engineer and I was making I was fixing computers and I was doing software at the same time. It was my hobby, like working on perfume, oils and everything. And when I started the oils in 2023 years ago, yeah, I first met with the oils, perfume, oils, perfumes in 2000, but after that, in 2015? I I want to make a brand. I want to make a high quality perfumes for perfume networks and for me, for us. And we started the project but honestly we didn't know very well what's where we should with where should we start. OK, but step by step you know when you and you start the road. You you face up some things and we learn how to make it. We we meet with some performers, some companies, some suppliers, everything. And step by step we create our first perfumes with the MG International in Turkey, with the oil company. They have some perfumers and we work with them and we first release our six perfumes after then. We started our next 12, not next six of them with the another company with the EPS company in Turkey as well. They are the Turkish company, oil company and their oils, perfume, oils. They performers very high, very talented and they helped us about the creations and now we have 17 of them. And you know our unique luxury, very demand in the market now, very high quality. Everybody says in the world unique luxury is long lasting selesh high quality oils. These are our science. Speaker 1 Maybe we can say absolutely. I think that's the DNA of the brand. I think it's high quality ingredients, long lasting, powerful and great creations, very, you know, very intriguing, but at the same time very wearable. So let's talk about the creations over the last six years from where you started in 2018 up until now, what do you noticed Sir Hot were the main changes that the brand, you know, came between 2018 and 2023. What were the main changes besides the bottles the presentations give us? You know, what was the brand six years ago and what is the brand today? Speaker 2 OK. What change for especially we change our oil quality much more after 2019 with the new new partner, everything changed. New perfumers especially. I will say we have we we are working with Turkish perfumer Gokhan Shimshek and he's helping us too much, maybe you know our last design to mango new percent. Mashimaro Zengi crush on me. I remember at tennis a lot of our hits he designed, he designed for us and. Our DNA little bit changed that side, more high quality side. On the other hand honestly when we start you know we are we were start up and we have some struggles but now we are very powerful. We know how to do. We know how to work and in the world. Now we are exporting our perfumes over 25 countries in the world. And so this makes us more powerful. And you know, we are very lucky we are together with you. We will attend the Sent Explorer with you. Speaker 1 It's good things for us and everything's changed day by day for sure. So it's safe to say that the brand has in all essence increase their quality, has upgraded their their bottles of greater their their their compounds or ingredients, the perfumers, everything is upward, which is great and I can attach to that from everything I've tried so far. Now is there anything in the works right now? Is there anything that you're looking to change or to add on to the brand, maybe candles, you have any special releases that you're working on for the end of the year? You know, tell us what's going on right now. Are there any news that we should know about? Speaker 2 Honestly, our main focus focusing is niche perfume and we don't want to make any another candles or something like that. We don't want to release anything for now. Maybe for five years later we will think, but for now we only focus what can we do for the niche? For the niche for you know, you know we don't want to make some similarities with the with the other companies. We want to make something released for the niche market because this is the this is very big struggle in the niche market because niche means something it must be a little bit new or different kind of quality. You know perfume levels, especially perfume, niche perfume levels. Wants to smell different, want to smell new. Ingredients name no new things. Our main focus is trying to do new things or some not new but high quality different kind of sustainable high quality things. How to say I don't know, sorry about that. You know my English not clear sometimes, but I want to say we are using very high quality molecules because I know what what are we doing now for future. For future, near future, I mean we want to make some Rd. changing for niche sectors to talk about unique lecture. You know, for example, last year we released the for example, everybody says in the world, our partners, our customers, everybody says. What is, well, what she want is very different kind of perfume. Never, never smell like this, something like that, very strong, something like that. Or you know, we just released for four months ago Mango Nipperphone in the market a lot of mango perfume has, but our Mango is like a juicy real mango. It's a little bit, sorry. We try to feel, try to make a real feeling of the mango. What do you cut? What do you feel at the same original, the food, like the fruit. Another thing I just remember for the marshmallow, for example, our perfumer partner, perfume partner Mr. Gokar Shimshek told me while he's creating them mashimaro, he said he directly make a fire of the marshmallow. And he got the, he got the vapor in a bottle, OK And he analyzed this bottle, this smelling in the GCMS, OK And he keep trying to figure out the molecules, what type molecules it has while he burnt the marshmallow, what what is smelling. And after that he started the creating the marshmallow oil and he explained to me and you know Mushma is very strong and it is really strong, a little bit woody. Burned marshmallow, it's like that. And the third one I will say, for example, now in two weeks we are going to release the new Zengi. Speaker 1 It is grapefruit Vargo mud little bit summer. Speaker 2 Supreme perfume for me or false, false, False sight. It is, for example, I will say this perfume, Zengi. Our most expensive perfume in the world for us, our most expensive oil we are using for that one. We use a lot of naturals inside and honestly when you, when you and our perfume level see they will feel the differences of the smelling they will. They will end. Speaker 1 How to say they will be able to experience the quality they will be able to? Speaker 2 Yes, it's it's different. It's totally different. It's tough. Speaker 1 It's very amazing to think Sir Hot that when you talk about your perfumer, that he wanted to capture the essence of roasted marshmallows. So and what he did with marshmallow is is incredible because he captured the essence of roasted marshmallows so perfectly. That's very nice. And also with manga nificent, I love what they did with that fragrance because it captures different nuances of the mango, the green part of the the juicy part of the mango. So it's a complete mango experience. So I do enjoy that one, but I also want to talk about some of the other ones and obviously I haven't tried the whole collection of Uniki luxury, which I'm very much looking forward to trying it synth explore and all of you listening to this should also be, you know, looking to try because what I've tried so far is absolutely incredible. I want to talk about Kutai, because I also think Kutai. Is Kutai your number one seller at this point or has it been the number one seller for the for the company? Speaker 2 Yes, in the world Kutai is the number one seller. Honestly, I will say crush on me and Kotai is in competition now, very, very similar quantities in the world only crush on me a little bit expensive than the Kotai. That's why it affects its ranking little bit but they are very, very similar. Ranch in the world especially, you know Kotai is whiskey bourbon. It is a little bit woody or it's very, very high quality especially. After October, I will say little bit winter side, it's working very high. We couldn't reach the enough amount for the production side for the Kuttai. On the other hand, the Crash on Me is our second bestseller Caramel Patchouli. It's very strong, very strong and it has. Very real caramel vibe and the earthy Patchouli combined, you know these are opposite sides of smelling for me. Patchouli is very different, earthy little bit darky side for me, greeny darky side and caramel is little bit yellowish, a little bit Sweety side and it's combat, it's combining. Very, very popular in the world. Speaker 1 Now I do enjoy the brand so much because you take even these most common or popular ingredients, but you guys are always trying to give it a nice twist and add something different. Just like the marshmallow. Given the roasted marshmallow smell, not just the marshmallow by itself, but an extra twist or an extra you know, ingredient of creativeness. I think, you know, unique luxury has that in their DNA to really make things unique, exotic, different than the norm and that's what I think sets you guys apart, wouldn't you say? So, so let's say like the three things that sets unique luxury apart from all the other, you know, niche brands in the world. How do you think what what is the mission number one of unique luxury to the world of perfumery? What is your mission, your your your ethos? And what do you think are the three things that sets the brand apart from all the other niche brands are hot? Speaker 2 I will be saying our first mission is, like its name, unique. We are focusing to being unique. Second our mission. We prefer what our perfume levels pay and what they get. Okay the price range for them and the quality has to match for us. We we are trying to make really high quality things. OK, we are focusing this very too much. We are focusing for deep too much. And the third thing you know niche must be unique must be boutique. I will say if for example we don't want to be must we don't have to make a mass production. OK. Mass production is little bit different kind of. The business model, production model, perfume. In perfume sector it's different kind of model but in niche it must be boutique side, it must be limited, it must be labor. You have to make extra labor for the perfume, for production, for creation. Until creation to finish the finished product. OK, Our main 3 focus is these, these three things. Speaker 1 I agree. I think exclusivity, limited quantity is definitely important and I think your brand definitely covers those areas very, very well. I want to give another shout out to Ellen Burges with Beverly Hills perfumery because I know you did a limited. Is it Was this a limited edition or is this still available? The the Beverly Hills exclusive fragrance? Is this something that's still available today? Speaker 2 It is. It is not limited, but it is only selling in Beverly's Performary in with Alan. Yeah, we made it exclusive for the for for the shop when we work together. Yeah, have Beverly's exclusive. You know it's very demand in the United States especially it's working very well and we made this together with Alan. Speaker 1 The great thing about a brand that is privately owned and operated and not as big as the huge conglomerates, Sir Hat, is exactly what you guys do. You have the freedom to do unique things. Number one, like you said, really be in touch with the with the consumer and also really enforce the quality of the product. So would it be possible to see other great collaborations with unique luxury in the future, perhaps with other content creators or I don't know, celebrities? Is this something that you look to do possibly in the future, even on a limited scale, but is this something that you would consider doing? Speaker 2 Honestly, honestly, yes, we can consider like that because it's a little bit chance. It's a little bit. How it's it's randomly happen and honestly randomly will happen one day. Sometimes you know how how to, how to do it. I will explain you. You know sometimes we are making project with partners with oil companies OK and sometimes we are making 4-5 different kind of oils in our hand but we don't use it at the same time because it needs extra investment. It needs good timing. You know a lot of things it needs and sometimes we make. For now for example, we have some secret designs waiting in our database. OK, for future, for example, we are ready for two thousand 2627. Speaker 1 Yes, we are ready because we have a lot of Dna's and creations already prepared for the future. Speaker 2 Yes, for future, for future it's in our database. It's waiting because. You know I have a partner Saleem and we are working for the background for example while we are creating the Zengi. At the same time we are thinking what we can do for 2024 second quarter for example. And we are going to make our bottles design coloring outside. You know our sleeve, our boxes has sleeves outside all boxes has own design, different kind of design. We are. We are almost ready for 2026 now for example. It's amazing of course, of course God knows, God knows what will happen in the future. But we are making our future plan and especially you know in the niche the perfume OK bottle, cap box, everything is important but main main important thing is the oil in essence what type notes, what type ingredients you are using. That's why the evolution process for the creating the oils takes sometimes six months, eight months sometimes one year. Because of that we create we made we worked with our perfumers perfume partners how to do. After then it's evaluation start and at the end we like the perfume and we keep in our mind and we put in our database in our ship. After that we are trying to start its design, its color, its art, its history everything. And now we are ready and in that case what do you ask? I want to explain, for example I have a very different kind of suite perfume or marine perfume or for summer perfume. For example, if I met someone, if we will make a collaboration with them and we can make something exclusive with the brand companies, perfume shops, celebrities. Honestly, I don't know. God knows for now, but for future we are we can do that. Why not? Speaker 1 Amazing. It's good to know that you opened to those opportunities. Like you said, it's all about destiny. How things happen, only God knows. But you never know. Maybe you cross paths with somebody. You have the affinity, you know, you can work together on something. Why not? So that it's nice that you're open to that. That's great. Speaker 2 Now we're we're always open our our DNA. It's like that we are living a little bit randomly honestly. You know, we we how can I say we start to we we we want to go to Rd. A but now we are Word D Word H I'm not sure. Sometimes on the road we have to exit and enter another Rd. Speaker 1 Of course. It's whatever life throws at us and we have to adjust and adapt. I want to talk about the new. Zengi because the bottle For those of you haven't seen the bottle go to Unity Luxury on Instagram, go check it out. Zengi is soon to be released and the bottle looks absolutely stunning. It's a beautiful gold with black bottle. Looks absolutely incredible. Tell us about Zengi, the creation and and the bottle is the first of its kind, correct? This, this golden black bottle is the first of its kind, right? Speaker 2 Yeah, yes. We made it Zengi with the gold metallization painting outside and we create a new cap for only Zengi, the black cap with the little bit yellowish yellowish Swarovski on it. But how we start for the Zengi? You know we first worked with our perfumers go kashim check and he made this creation for us. After then maybe I remember 7-8 months we make some changes on it. We put some ingredients with removed some ingredients inside and then then we see the end end product, OK and smelling we we figure out after then its color. Its color. Because when I when I first smelled the Zengi, I feel it's rich for me. OK. It's a little bit rich like Beverly like it feel like that for me. OK. And then after that? Speaker 1 One second. So I just to make sure to the audience, when you say rich, it means because it's rich maybe it's too powerful rich because the way. Speaker 2 No, no, no, no, no. I mean, I mean but. Speaker 1 Today's Hang on one second. It conveys elegance, luxury, like rich in that essence, the essence of the smell. Speaker 2 Yes, yes. When I when I first paper for myself, when I first tested Zengi, I feel it's like you are in Wall Street. For example, the man where. Upscale, Upscale, Upscale, Yeah. After that I, me and my team, we we think about it. What can we do about it? How to release Zengi? What type bottle it will has and then we think it must be gold 1st and it must be a little bit black. Black and gold will suit for Zengi. Yes. And the name I will explain our listeners. It's very important thing for me. I think first you know, finding a name for the perfume is very hard, OK? And it's for Zengi. First I I think a little bit Zen, little spiritual thing. OK. Zen, Zen Spirit. State of Zen Yes, it's done. After that in Turkish we say rich. In Zengen, Zengen, Turkish. In Turkish Rich. OK. And its name is Zengi and one of my friends. She is from Russia. She said in the Russian language Dengue. How to spell, I don't know, but dengue is money. Wow, OK And I make a combination of zengi. There is no meaning, there is no meaning in any word, any, any language. Sorry about that any language. But it feels good and I make an apostrophe on on it. Zengi like our brand unique key. For example, I am making some word touch ups. OK, word touch ups. Honestly it doesn't have direct meaning but it has a lot of meaning maybe in supertal side and I gave its name its name. Zengi make color metallization gold outside is black blackish and it looks luxury now. I hope its its fate will be good in two weeks. We are gonna we are gonna release it. We are now it's under production. We are making production now maybe we will we will release. We will launch the Zengi in two weeks to the world. Speaker 1 And what's the tentative release date for Zengi, Sir? Hot right now, What's the tentative release date? Speaker 2 Maybe maybe August, August 2nd week, maybe August. I will check from here. And honestly, I didn't make the exact date, but in two weeks, maybe, maybe 14 of August, maybe it will be in the way in the shelves. Speaker 1 OI understand exactly what what the fragrance means and I love that you create these acronyms. You create these names that don't have quote UN quote meaning if you translate it, but when you combine all the thought behind the fragrance, it actually means. A great state of mind, a great of accomplishment, a state of luxury. Highend, refined. So I do understand what the fragrance is trying to convey, and I can't wait to smell it. When you look at the notes, guys, we're talking grapefruit, bergamot, ginger, pink pepper, alabanum, honey, which I love. Yes, Cedarwood Vativer Amber Patchouli. And the bottle looks absolutely stunning. Speaker 2 Yes, you're right. You're right. Speaker 1 Very curious, very, very curious to smelling this fragrance. Sir, would you say, because I know you went through the whole process with this creation, would you say that this new Zangy, this new creation has the potential of becoming one of the best sellers for the brand? Speaker 2 What do you feel about that fragrance It will be, it will be, I'm not sure it can be crash on me Kutai, I'm not sure for now. But this has different kind of honestly Zengi's DNA is a little bit different than our uniquely actually DNA little bit, little bit exchange maybe 10%, a little bit different kind of way because you know before we talk in our collections we are always making some strong Gurman side. But in that Vorzengi, we don't want to make a little bit Gurmanish okay, not Gurmanish. We want make a little bit. We want to make a popular thing. OK little bit popular not for for example our some of our perfumes is for not everyone. OK who knows niche very well whose knows is a little bit different. For example, you know mashimaro, Mashimaro. Everybody says Oh my gosh, that's too, too, too, too much strong for me. Everybody says like that, too much strong but in the niche everybody. A lot of people say, Oh my gosh, what's that how you did, how you did that, how it's strongest. But Zengi is a little bit for everyone. For example, 95% people when we tested, when they forced to pray, they say oh what's that? It's amazing. Everybody likes it. OK, all you know, manganificent. When everybody sprays the manganificent they love for Marmoshimaro, 75% people likes maybe 25% people. Oh, too much strong, different, different kind of wipes for them, You know, for not for everyone. But Zengi is for everyone. Everybody loves it. Speaker 1 Understood. So the brand has a lot of fragrances that are a little bit daring, very strong and only much for the connoisseur. And Zengi is going to be more universally appealing because it's going to be very likable in character. Speaker 2 It's it's main, it's main note is main note is grapefruit and grapefruit notes. It's very popular, you know. Everybody loves the grapefruit. It's citrusy, very. Speaker 1 Happy. Very bright. Speaker 2 Very uplifting, Yes. And first before I told the very important thing, we use very special molecules of grapefruits. Not not smelling like regular grapefruit. It is really really different kind of high quality. When you, when you feel, when you see, when you see. You will feel it. You will feel it. The quality and and. Speaker 1 Who's the perfumer so hot for this one? Speaker 2 Go Gokan Shim Shake Turkish Carfumer Gokan Shim Shake. Speaker 1 Gongkam Shim Shake. He's the main perfumer mostly for all your fragrances, right? Speaker 2 He's remaining, yes, yes, yes. We are working with. In house, perfumer okay, Yes. Speaker 1 Is he gonna come to the event? Speaker 2 Is he coming to self exploring? Maybe he will be there, maybe he will be there. Honestly I'm not sure. But I will talk with him if possible. He will be there. Normally. We are working to the EPS Turkish oil company. Normally this year they want to attend the Santa Explore and the owner Hussein are Doom, which wants to be there. But at that day, that day, you say not doom, which has another very important appointment in IFRA if aside if I think that's why he couldn't come, but maybe Mr. Gautam will be with us. Speaker 1 Can we expect to see, perhaps a Uniquey boutique? Maybe at some point, maybe someday we'll have a Uniquey luxury boutique. Speaker 2 Our own boutique, you mean maybe after 2025 we are planning to do this, but for now, for now, we don't want to share our power for new investment and for like this because we just focused on making high quality platforms. We don't want to stick with our powers for now, maybe, yeah. In two years, three years later, we will make our song own. Boutique shops in the world. Maybe United United States in Europe, in Gulf countries. Maybe we can make it. But for now only just only focus to our main perfumes. Mis quality perfumes. Speaker 1 Instead of, you know, overstretching yourself, that that's perfectly, you know, appreciated. I know the listeners love that when when companies are really focused on their juices or focused on the ingredients, they're focused on the creations. And I think Unique Luxury is definitely 100% focused in creating incredible exotic and unique frequencies, just like the name of the brand. So Sir hat, I can't wait to try New Zangy. I can't wait to see you in New York in a few months. We're only four months away. It's coming up very fast. Everyone, if you haven't heard of Uniki Luxury, I'm sure you have. You must try this brand. It's one of the my my favorite niche brands in the world. They're incredible. I love their creations or long lasting. Kutai is one of my top 20 favorite niche fragrances of all time, and I own more than 3000 niche bottles, so it shows you how much I love this brand. I'm very, very excited to have them with us. Any parting words? By the way, Sir, where can people find unique luxury fragrances in the United States? Are you in different brick and mortar stores just in the Beverly Hills boutique? Speaker 2 Tell us about how they can find you and of course, your website. Yes, in the United States, we are in Beverly Hills partner, Mary and our second partner is Lucky Sand. And the third partner we just started with them, Maxorama, we started with Maxoroma, Lucky Sand and Beverly is now in three locations, 3 companies, I mean the unique luxury our customers are parking levels will find our lines, our collections. Speaker 1 And you said the brand is in different parts of the world too, right? Speaker 2 How many countries over 25 now? Speaker 1 It's amazing. Yeah. Well, so listen, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you. And you know, you know we've you've been a partisan explorer a couple of times last year, 2019 and you're coming back for the third time. We love to have you and it's going to be a great event and I can't wait to share your fragrance with the world. So thank you so much for being here at the podcast and we will see you guys in the next one. Thank you Sir. Hot. Speaker 2 That's my pleasure. I'm looking forward to being in Santox during December 1st and 2nd day. I hope we can be together. And hi, from Turkey to all our listeners. Speaker 1 Thank you, Sir. Speaker 2 We'll see you guys in a. Speaker 1 Few more. Thank you, everyone. Speaker 2 Bye, bye, bye, bye.