Have you ever wondered what a K-pop Idol smells like?
For most of us, we will never know (unless we meet them, which, due to the K-pop industry still doing online fan meets due to the pandemic, might be impossible for at least another year), but thanks to Idols vlogging in their dorm, or posting Instagram pictures of their perfume collection, then we have some sort of idea.
READ ALSO: Barking And Meowing: K-Pop Idols And Their Pets
NCT 127’s Doyoung
Doyoung of NCT 127 is a big Le Labo fan. On his birthday on February 1, he did a VLive where he showed his current scent that year, AnOther 13. According to the Le Labo website, “it’s composed of ambroxan, a synthetic animal musk, making AnOther 13 an addictive dirty potion blended with twelve other ingredients such as jasmine, moss, and ambrette seeds absolute – which gives it spike and shine.”
He also told High Touch magazine that he liked LYS 41 (“A blend of jasmine, tuberose absolute and lily, bewitching in its noble, warm and sunny approach yet treacherous once caught in its web of noble woods, vanilla Madagascar and musks.”).
Another (pardon the pun) recent favorite is Neroli 36 (“Rose, musk, mandarin orange (slightly aldehydic), jasmine and vanilla, among other essences, complete the portrait, bringing Neroli 36 spikiness, ease, zest, and heat”), a scent he shares with fellow member Jaehyun (who also mentioned it in the same High Touch interview).
A few months ago, Doyoung and Jaehyun were photographed on a shopping trip to the Galleria Department Store in Seoul, where Doyoung bought the fragrance, and a few weeks after that he took a picture of his current collection. In the middle is Neroli 36, labeled in Galleria on the date August 13, 2021 (I am not a stalker: Le Labo labels all their bottles thusly. I have Santal 33, it’s great! Even if I smell like every hipster in New York, apparently).
Another Doyoung scent is Blanche by Byredo. This is described on the Byredo site as: “Blanche explores the smell of texture and skin; bodies slipping beneath fresh sheets; laundry baskets filled to the brim; a punch of detergent. An aldehyde hit softens into delicate rose; through sandalwood and musk, the allure and intimacy of human touch.” It was seen on a vlog he did, and soon after that, sold out. Park Seojoon also likes this perfume, and I do too: I owned a bottle way before I became a Doyoung (and a PSJ) fan.
SNSD’S Taeyeon
On Taeyeon’s What’s In My Bag Vogue Korea video, she showed off her gorgeous Louis Vuitton purse (the Twist MM in black), her cute dog Zero, the Tamburins hand sanitizer she got from Tiffany, her favorite candy (Milk Duds), and her current scent of choice: H24 Eau de Toilette.
This Hermès scent has “a combination of an enveloping sage, an electrifying narcissus, an invigorating rosewood, and a warm, metallic note of sclarene. A lively, sensual, and bright perfume.” According to the @stylebytaeyeon Instagram account, Taeyeon has also liked Davidoff’s Cool Water, Byredo Bibliotheque, and J.Lo’s Glow.
BTS’ Jin
Another idol I share a scent favorite with is BTS Jin, who is a huge fan of Diptyque Philosykos. I am obsessed with fig scents, and Philosykos was the very first I ever bought. “Philosykos is an ode to the entire fig tree: the green freshness of the leaves, the milky flavor of the figs, underpinned by the woody density of the tree,” says the Diptyque website.
Jin is not just the only Idol who likes this: Wonder Girls’ Hyelim uses it too, and according to her, 2PM’s Nichkhun favors the fragrance as well.
Astro’s Eunwoo
Astro’s visual, and actor Cha Eunwoo (you know him from Rookie Historian Goo Haeryung with Shin Se-kyung and last year’s True Beauty)’s go-to is Tom Ford’s Soleil Blanc. Described as sultry and addictive on the Tom Ford website, of course it makes sense that Eunwoo smells like this. I mean, look at him! Truly a seductive and sultry man. Eunwoo showed it off on his What’s In My Bag Vogue Korea video, and says that he keeps a bottle just inside his front door, to remember to use it when he leaves. A big fan of fruity scents, unfortunately, Eunwoo’s spraying method (spritz on one wrist, rub on the other, then the neck) leaves a lot to be desired: this weakens the strength and longevity of the fragrance. It’s better to spray once on your neck and leave it alone.
