Nopal
Some phrases are marked. Tap them for the liner notes.
Naufal, called Nopal by everyone who knows him, is a finance intern in Solo with a habit of structuring things into movements. His days, his playlist, his cabinet of bottles: all of them open heavy, find a light in the middle, and resolve. He came to fragrance in 2022 through his brother’s Eau Sauvage, bought too much, sold most of it, and kept the part that mattered, which turned out to be the people. This issue is arranged the way he asked us to listen: in order. It begins in the dark, and it does not stay there.
The pyramid, in order
His playlist unfolds like a fragrance. The next movement will not play until the one before it has finished. His rule, not ours.
Press play on the top notes. The rest will wait.
The hard way, on purpose
“I am currently chasing my dream of building a career in finance. It is not an easy path: it demands hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. But I believe every sacrifice brings me one step closer to the life I am working toward. It hurts sometimes, but I always see the bigger picture beneath it. At the end of the day, I live for those moments, the ones that test me, challenge me, and shape me into a better version of myself. I want to live a meaningful life, so let me experience everything.”
“I did not grow up in a family with any connection to fragrance. Everything changed in 2022, when my brother bought a bottle of Eau Sauvage and let me use it. That single fragrance sparked my curiosity, and before I knew it I had fallen deep into the world of perfumery. Like many people who discover a new passion, I went through a phase of buying far more than I actually needed. Eventually I realised collecting was not about owning the most bottles, so I sold many of them. Looking back, the best part of this journey was never the collection. It was the people I met along the way. The connections became far more valuable than the bottles.”
Two frequencies
“I feel there is a strong connection between music and fragrance. Both can change my mood almost instantly: a single song or a single scent can completely reshape how I experience a moment. Here is my hot take: I actually prefer fragrances with moderate performance, something that lasts five to seven hours, instead of the current beast-mode trend. I enjoy experiencing different chapters throughout the day. Just as I switch between songs to match my emotions, I like changing fragrances as the day unfolds. I would rather let one fragrance tell its story, then move on to another that fits the next moment.”
“And I stopped caring about compliments in 2025. To a lot of people, the iris in Dior Homme Intense smells like lipstick, face powder, makeup, things often called feminine. To me, it smells like my mom’s handbag. Fragrance is not about smelling attractive or collecting compliments. It is about emotion, nostalgia, and the places and people a scent can bring back in an instant. Every time I wear it, I can revisit those memories. That is worth far more than any compliment.”
A scent that stays on the skin for twelve hours is like listening to the same song on repeat.
The warnet years
“When I was a teenager, my brother introduced me to PC games at an internet cafe near my house, and it became a serious addiction. I went every time I had the chance, easily seven hours a day on holidays. The smell of that moment is the metallic odour of computer equipment, with ashy tobacco and something musky underneath. The fragrance that nails it perfectly is L’Orpheline by Serge Lutens: metallic and musky at the same time, with a little sorrow, sadness, and regret in it, reminding me I should have studied harder instead of playing like a maniac. But as I grew older I realised: life goes on, and it bounces back harder than ever.”
The billing box
Every warnet had one: a green screen counting the hours you would answer for later. Start the session.
One fragrance nails that room perfectly: L’Orpheline by Serge Lutens. Metallic and musky at once, with a little sorrow folded in.
He should have studied. He knows. Life went on, and it bounced back harder than ever.
The traditional ashy internet cafe: rows of towers, one ceiling fan, seven hours that smelled of metal and clove smoke.
The handbag
“In my middle school days, my mom used to restrict my smartphone to keep my grades above the minimum. It did not work, because I was a very clever kid, in a bad way, not academically. So in the middle of the night she would hide my phone, most of the time in her handbag. And me being me, I would sneak out silently, take the phone, and play until I felt sleepy.”
“I remember vividly how that handbag smelled: a bunch of makeup, lipsticks, powders. Dior Homme Intense captures it perfectly. Every time I smell that fragrance, it brings me back to that moment. Fortunately I managed to find the older formulation, and I am super grateful for that.”
Her handbag, midnight
The phone is in there somewhere. Open the bag quietly and do not wake anyone.
Years later, one fragrance would smell exactly like this.
Exhibit: the handbag, reconstructed. Powders, brushes, the whole quiet perfumery he was never supposed to notice.
Close to the skin
“These days I reach for iris more and more. Iris is simply my favourite thing in perfumery. It stays close to the skin like a quiet second presence: soft, intimate, comforting. It is a note that rewards those who come close rather than demanding to be noticed. And I love patchouli: Coromandel by Chanel is the favourite of my collection. Patchouli can feel effortlessly clean and soapy, or dark, earthy, and challenging. The same ingredient can tell completely different stories depending on how it is used.”
“For daytime I have been reaching for Diptyque Fleur de Peau and Chanel 31 Rue Cambon, with Diptyque Orphéon here and there. At night it is Le Lion de Chanel, and of course Dior Homme Intense, which I often layer with Fleur de Peau to make something majestic. And when I do not know what to wear, it is Decision by Amouage or Bleu de Chanel L’Exclusif. Those two are my Swiss army knives, day or night.”
Before the opening bell
“Other than carrying a fragrance, my daily ritual is giving an outlook on macroeconomics before the stock market opens, usually with my father. He sends me news; I send him mine. It is super fun, because we really do share the same passion in investing.”
His own frequency
“To me, taste is completely subjective. That is why I do not believe there is a universal definition of good taste. Having good taste means staying true to what resonates with you, instead of chasing trends or listening to the noise around you. It is about wearing a fragrance because it speaks to you, not because it is popular or expensive. At the end of the day, the best fragrance is the one you enjoy wearing for yourself.”
“Live a meaningful life, and you will stop searching for the purpose of life.”
Interview 42 · Nopal · Solo, dry season 2026