Launched in 2015, Phlur has undergone a complete transformation, largely thanks to savvy entrepreneur and lifestyle influencer Chriselle Lim.
After taking over the dormant fragrance brand in 2021, Lim completely reimagined it within just 12 months. Out went the old, boxy, opaque packaging; in came sleek, clear oval bottles with simple typography and refined accents, and most notably a new approach to storytelling.
The first fragrance released under Lim’s direction was Missing Person (€99 for 50ml), a skin-like scent that’s musky, floral and almost ethereal. In a risky move, it was launched direct to consumers online – no retail partner, no physical location where potential customers could try out the fragrance before purchasing. In essence, a fragrance that no one had ever smelled before. “We were not sure if the strategy would work, honestly,” Lim says, speaking to me from her home in Los Angeles.
The strategy in question is Lim’s personal story. One she shared online when Missing Person launched. “I spoke about missing a moment in my life, missing a time. It was a very emotional period for me as I was going through a divorce. I was feeling very nostalgic, and so we created a scent that felt like someone’s skin; that felt warm, that felt like you were being held or hugged. I shared it with the hope that we would sell a few bottles.”
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Not only did the strategy work, but something else happened. Lim’s honesty and openness in sharing her story sparked a huge reaction online, resulting in others sharing their own emotional moments of missing people and missing periods in their life. The fragrance sold out almost immediately.
“It’s something I’m very proud of. I believe in authenticity and transparency and being able to show up as your full self and I think Phlur represents that. Missing Person became almost therapy for people, where they felt they could be vulnerable with themselves. And it created this excitement around every scent we launched after that.”
The scents that followed, Not Your Baby and Tangerine Boy, also proved popular, but the buzz around Missing Person resurfaced with the launch of Father Figure (€99 for 50ml). Designed in partnership with Frank Voelkl – the nose behind Le Labo’s Santal 33 – Father Figure is a powdery, woody and androgynous fragrance. It’s clean, sensual and subtly spicy. As Lim describes it, “It’s not hypermasculine, it’s not feminine – it’s somewhere in between. I always say Father Figure channels your inner boss while remaining graceful and sophisticated. It’s one of our staple fragrances.”
Phlur’s fragrance line has since expanded to include more than 14 perfumes, as well as body mists, lotions, oils and deodorants. The core fragrance collection is available at Brown Thomas – where nine of the fragrances are offered, along with several body mists and a body lotion. A Discovery Set (€39) is also available. It contains eight 2ml tubes of the brand’s best-sellers.
When asked what she would recommend to Irish consumers trying Phlur for the first time, Lim suggests “it’s like creating your capsule wardrobe with that first key piece, that first base layer. Missing Person is that scent for us. It’s a skin scent, so it’s a different experience for each person. It’s also great for layering with other fragrances. Our other hero scent is Vanilla Skin (€99 for 50ml). It’s grown up, not too sweet, a little spicy. It’s sexy and sophisticated.”
We end our conversation reminiscing about the fragrances from our teenage years that left a lasting impression. She leans out of frame, before returning and waving a bottle of CK One and Clinique Happy in front of the screen. “These are mine” she says, laughing. She also mentions her grandmother’s penchant for Coco Chanel, a bottle of which was always a fixture on her vanity.
“It’s so different now,” she says. “The consumer is very, very different. Our mothers and their mothers had one sacred scent that they wore at night. I think the modern woman today has different emotions, different moods. They have different places to go, they have to wear different hats throughout the day, throughout the week. We really believe in creating fragrances for men and women that are well-rounded, that represent the different experiences and emotions we all go through.”
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