Curiosity is a small door. Most people look through it and keep walking. He went in.
Ojil
“Once I find something I enjoy, I go all in.”
Fragrance enthusiast & freelancer · Bekasi
He arrived for a trend and stayed for a language. Ojil on florals, on tropicals, and on the hour of the day when nothing at all is required of him.
He is not a person who dabbles. He is a person who arrives, and then keeps walking further in than anyone expected.
Ojil · Bekasi · photographed by a friend
Ojil did not grow up around perfume. There was no bottle on a dresser, no house note handed down, no grandmother's garden waiting at the other end of a memory. There was a trend, and there was a person constitutionally incapable of being casually interested in anything. He tried one. Then another. Then he was reading about compositions, and then he was in rooms full of people who disagreed pleasantly about the same bottle. By that point it was already too late.
What follows is an interview about what happens when curiosity is given permission to keep going. Somewhere along the way it stops being a hobby and turns into a language, which is a different thing entirely. A hobby fills your time. A language lets you say something.
The file
The soundtrack
The playlist he says describes him. Put it on for the rest of this.
He went looking, and then he did not stop looking
I didn't really grow up around fragrance. It was something I got into out of curiosity, but I'm the kind of person who tends to go all in once I find something I enjoy. Before I knew it, I found myself learning more about perfume, trying different scents, and eventually joining fragrance communities like JFC and Scent Society.
Meeting people with different tastes and hearing their perspectives made me appreciate fragrance in a completely different way. It stopped being just a hobby and became something I enjoy learning, talking about, and sharing with others.
Curiosity, and then everything after it
It started from curiosity. At first I was drawn to perfumes because they were becoming a trend and I wanted to explore them. But I'm the type of person who, once I find something interesting, tends to dive deeper into it.
What started as simply trying different perfumes slowly became a passion, where I began exploring different notes, learning about compositions, and understanding the stories behind each scent. For me, fragrance is now more than just something that smells good. It is something I can appreciate, learn from, and use as a form of self-expression.
“The same person can express different sides of themselves through different scents.Ojil, on keeping two kinds of days
Two ways of being
Floral scent takes me somewhere, because it represents beauty, emotion, and character. I've really fallen in love with florals, because I love how they can feel delicate yet still have a strong presence. To me florals are not only about being soft or elegant, but also about expressing different sides of someone's personality.
On the other hand, a tropical scent reminds me of playful and joyful moments with my friends. The fresh, fruity, vibrant character brings me back to sunny days, spontaneous conversations, and memories where we were simply enjoying the moment. For me a tropical scent represents freedom, happiness, and a carefree spirit.
I think that's what makes fragrance interesting to me. The same person can express different sides of themselves through different scents.
Two ways of being
He does not keep one self. Move the dial from the florals to the tropicals and watch the flower change its mind. Stop in the middle, and you will find the one that never had to choose.
Beauty, emotion, character
Delicate, and not remotely fragile. He is precise about this: a floral is not the soft option. It can hold a room without raising its voice, and it can carry a whole personality that a person might not otherwise say out loud.
The current rotation
These days I've been rotating between a few scents: HoM Haute Fortuitous Rendezvous, Ghaier Silver Song of a Lark, Ghaier Melancholy Verse of a Forgotten Flower, and Gerimist Origami.
I think I'm currently drawn to fragrances that feel lighter, playful, and easy to enjoy. I've been enjoying scents that give a sense of freshness, happiness, and a little bit of curiosity. They feel more effortless, and they match my current mood, where I want something uplifting and expressive.
Four bottles, one appetite
What is actually on the shelf this season. Open one.
Five o'clock, and the vehicles pass
A small daily ritual that matters to me is spending some quiet time in the afternoon, usually sitting at a convenience store while watching the vehicles pass by. It may sound simple, but I enjoy that little moment of slowing down after a long day.
It gives me time to reflect on what I've experienced, appreciate the small things, and be grateful for the day that has passed. These quiet moments are important, because they remind me to pause and appreciate the present, even in the middle of a busy routine.
The hour he keeps for himself
Move through his afternoon. Nothing happens in it, which is the point.
The day is not finished with him yet.
Somewhere behind this hour there is a list still holding its shape. He is not here yet.
The part he keeps
A private agreement
To me, good taste is about having the confidence to appreciate what you personally connect with. It's not always about following what is popular or what most people enjoy, but understanding your own preferences and the reasons behind them.
I believe good taste is about appreciating what you truly enjoy, even if it's different from what most people like. Everyone can have a different interpretation of the same scent, and that personal connection is what makes it meaningful.
Curiosity leads somewhere
I believe that curiosity can lead us to unexpected passions. Many meaningful things in life start from simply being curious, and when we allow ourselves to explore deeper, we might discover something that truly connects with us.
Good taste is appreciating what you truly enjoy, even if it's different from what most people like.
Ojil · Bekasi · Issue Thirty-Six
I'm grateful that fragrance found its way into my life. One thing it taught me is to trust my own preferences. The most meaningful scents are the ones that truly connect with you. That's why I fell in love with florals. They remind me that fragrance is about finding what feels true to you.
Interview by HoM Haute · Photographs by Ojil · Bekasi, 2026
Harum Oleh Memori
HoM Haute · Interviews · No. 36