Hablur
Perfume poured by hand in a George Town shophouse. Four perfumes, each one the smell of a Malaysian hour.
Drag up, tap or use the arrow keys.
The house
We bottle the smell of a Malaysian hour, not a fantasy.
Hablur is three people in a shophouse in George Town, Penang. Since 2019 we have made perfume from what grows around us: pandan from the next garden, nutmeg from the hill, agarwood from a licensed farm in Pahang. Each perfume starts with a time of day you would recognise.
- 41
- materials, 29 of them grown or made in Malaysia.
- 6 weeks
- every batch rests before it is filtered and bottled.
- 300
- bottles a batch, filled and signed by hand.
01of 045 pm
Pukul Lima
the first rain on a hot road
Five o'clock in March. The sky turns, the first big drops hit a road that has been baking since noon, and the whole street smells green for ten minutes. We made those ten minutes last a day.
Pukul Lima, the notes
Green first, then the ground.
The calamansi is bright for the first quarter of an hour. Pandan carries the middle, soft and a little sweet. Vetiver and our wet laterite accord stay on the skin until night.
Topthe first 15 minutes
- Calamansia smallholding in Pagoh, Johor
Heartfrom 20 minutes to 3 hours
- Pandan leafour neighbour's garden, Balik Pulau
Basefrom 3 hours until night
- Vetiverroots from a farm in Kuala Nerang, Kedah
- Wet lateriteour own accord, the red earth of a roadside drain
02of 047 am
Cempaka Pagi
a temple courtyard before the crowd
Seven in the morning in Air Itam. Fresh cempaka strung for the offerings, a pot of white tea on the step, the air still cool. Soft, clean and close to the skin, the one people ask about at work.
Cempaka Pagi, the notes
Picked at six, in the jar by nine.
Champaca loses its smell within hours, so we tincture the flowers the morning they are picked. White tea keeps the opening cool, jasmine sambac rounds the heart, and a quiet musk holds it close.
Topthe first 15 minutes
- White teafirst flush leaves from the Cameron Highlands
Heartfrom 20 minutes to 3 hours
- Champacaflowers from a grower in Air Itam, picked at dawn
- Jasmine sambacmelur from Kuala Kangsar, Perak
Basefrom 3 hours until night
- White muska clean, skin-like musk, made in the lab
03of 043 pm
Pala
a Balik Pulau orchard when the fruit splits
Three in the afternoon on the hill above Balik Pulau. The nutmeg fruit splits on the tree and the red mace shows through. Warm spice, a flash of peel, a smooth wood underneath it all.
Pala, the notes
The spice the island was built on.
Fresh mace smells nothing like the jar in your kitchen: it is bright, almost citrus. We use both the seed and the mace from one orchard, with dried peel on top and sandalwood to keep it smooth.
Topthe first 15 minutes
- Orange peelsun dried peel from a farm in Tambunan, Sabah
Heartfrom 20 minutes to 3 hours
- NutmegBalik Pulau, a third generation orchard
- Macethe same trees, the red lace around the seed
- Clovea single tree on the same hill
Basefrom 3 hours until night
- Sandalwoodplantation grown, from a certified supplier
04of 0411 pm
Gaharu Malam
after the last prayer of the night
Eleven at night. Agarwood burning slowly in a brass burner, tea gone smoky in the pot, a leather prayer mat rolled away. Deep and slow, but it does not fill the lift on the way to work.
Gaharu Malam, the notes
Oud you can wear on a Tuesday.
Most oud is loud. We use plantation agarwood, cut with smoked tea so it opens dry instead of sweet, and let benzoin do the warm work under it. It lasts all day and sits close.
Topthe first 15 minutes
- Smoked black teaCameron Highlands leaves, smoked over rambutan wood
Heartfrom 20 minutes to 3 hours
- Agarwooda licensed plantation in Pahang, 12 year trees
Basefrom 3 hours until night
- Benzoinkemenyan resin from North Sumatra
- Leathera soft suede accord, no animal material
How it is made
Eight weeks from the scale to your shelf.
Weigh
Day 1
Every formula is weighed to a hundredth of a gram. Pukul Lima has 23 materials, Gaharu Malam has 31.
Rest
Weeks 1 to 6
The blend rests in sealed glass jars in the back room, away from light, until it smells like one thing instead of many.
Chill and filter
Week 7
Two days at 4 degrees, then filtered through paper twice. That is why it stays clear on your shelf.
Fill
Week 8
One bottle at a time, by hand, capped and signed on the box. 300 bottles a batch, then we start again.
Collection
Start small, then choose.
Perfume changes on skin, so we would rather you try it for a week first. Shipping is free above RM 200, to anywhere in Malaysia.
Discovery set
RM 68
All four perfumes in 5 ml vials. The RM 68 comes off your first 50 ml.
Order the setEau de parfum, 50 ml
from RM 260
Any of the four. Wrapped, signed and shipped in 2 to 4 working days.
Choose a perfumeEau de parfum, 100 ml
from RM 390
The same perfume in our larger bottle, for the one you already know you love.
Choose a perfumeRefill, 100 ml
RM 290
Bring back any Hablur bottle and we fill it again at the shophouse.
Book a refillBlending afternoon
RM 180
Saturdays, 2.5 hours, 6 people. You leave with 30 ml of your own blend and its formula.
Book a seatA scent for your space
from RM 4,800
A room scent for a hotel, cafe or shop, with diffuser oil and a matching hand wash. 8 weeks.
Ask about it
Kind words
What people say
I wore Pukul Lima to a wedding in Ipoh and three people asked what it was. It smells like the car park after the rain, which sounds bad and is not.
N. A. Ipoh
Gaharu Malam is the first oud I can wear to the office. Deep, but it does not fill the lift.
H. R. Petaling Jaya
They made a room scent for our 14-room hotel. Guests now ask to buy it at checkout, so we sell it at the front desk.
S. L. a heritage hotel, George Town
Initials only, shared with permission. 4.9 out of 5 from 612 orders since 2022.
Visit
Smell it on paper, then on skin.
The shophouse is open Wednesday to Sunday, 11 am to 7 pm. Walk in, or book a quiet half hour and we will take you through all four.
- Where
- A shophouse in George Town, Penang. Directions come with your booking.
- hello@example.com
- Phone
- +60 12-000 0000
