Kaiseraugst (Switzerland), Maastricht (Netherlands), July 28, 2025
dsm-firmenich, innovators in nutrition, health, and beauty, brings Connect: Future You to Southeast Asia, presenting a highly anticipated, immersive fragrance sensorium experience, where customers can explore new opportunities in the world of fragrance that break through boundaries of scent expression.
Connect: Future You, launching in Jakarta, brings inspiration in fragrance and technologies to Indonesian customers and showcases dsm-firmenich’s capabilities to meet the future needs of consumers. Indonesia stands out as one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic consumer markets — fuelled by a young, digitally connected population, a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, and a rapid pace of product innovation. New launches in fragrance, beauty, and home care are occurring at an unprecedented rate, setting the pace for Southeast Asia’s future. It’s not just a market — it’s a launchpad for what’s next. Connect: Future You explores the future of consumer desire and how fragrance can be the bridge between who we are and who we aspire to become.
“With Connect: Future You, we are investing boldly and creatively in Southeast Asia’s fragrance future, starting with Indonesia — a market of immense potential and cultural richness,” shares Levenza Toh, Vice President, Regional Consumer Brands, Southeast Asia, Japan & Korea, Perfumery & Beauty. “This marks a strategic step in expanding our footprint in Southeast Asia, a commitment to co-create with Indonesian brands and partners through innovation, local relevance, and olfactive storytelling,” adds Veronique Xue, Head of Fine Fragrance Experience, Asia.
The insights from dsm-firmenich’s proprietary research reveals that wearing a fragrance is not about just smelling good. Fragrance has the power to evoke emotions and move consumers through different moments of life. Set within the ART:1 NEW MUSEUM, this installation invites visitors to explore the future of fragrance for consumers, as both experience and exhibition.
Visitors will see, smell, and experience the future — immersing themselves in a narrative where art, scent, and self-expression converge. Through the vision of Indonesian artist Yawara, a forest is reimagined as a spiritual and emotional landscape. They will step into the world of “The Forest and Its Fragrance” – a mixed media installation that invites viewers to reconnect with the forest not only through sight but through scent, emotion, and tactile presence, evoking not just who they are, but who they want to be.
“Creativity has no boundaries – no frontiers – no boxes, no rules,” says dsm-firmenich Master Perfumer Honorine Blanc. “Like in art, Abstract artists inspired the Impressionists, your beginning is always the end of another’s. It’s the same for upcycled ingredients. I love the notion of upcycled creativity, reimagined through upcycled ingredients. You can get inspired by what was done to create something new.”
“The artist came to me with her vision: a forest, not of trees, but of batik — hand-dyed textiles suspended in space like living foliage,” explains dsm-firmenich Perfumer Alessandro Croce. “Her art felt alive, textured, unfiltered. I didn’t want to recreate it — I wanted to respond to it. To translate it into scent. That’s where the idea came in. I chose ingredients that were themselves imperfect: 100% upcycled. Each note had a past. Their imperfection felt essential — their unpredictability, their honesty, their unexpected beauty. Just like batik, they don’t follow rules, they resisted control, they pushed back.”
With fresh insights into the evolving desires of tomorrow’s Indonesian consumers, alongside twenty-two original fragrances crafted by global and local perfumers, Connect: Future You will highlight ingredients from the region and their impact on fragrance creation. Additionally, this fragrance collection is featured across various formats including Eau de Toilette (EDT), body wash, fabric conditioner, laundry detergent, dish washing products, and more.
Connect: Future You will run from August 4 to 15 at the ART:1 NEW MUSEUM, Jln. Rajawali Selatan Raya No.3, Gn. Sahari Utara, Jakarta Pusat.
