Confidential · VENUMENT × IFF

Round 1 Debrief
AIR · Shinichiro Oba

A focused debrief on your Round 1 submission of AIR (was DRY 1), with the renamed-scent context, the current sample, and direction for the next round. A standing invitation for a free interpretation of the brief sits at the end of the debrief.

VENUMENT POUR 50ml Eau de Parfum packaging simulation — bottle, carton, and open box
Packaging · Perfume 50ml · Design simulation VENUMENT × OUTLIERS & CO · 2026
Read first · Name change context
Two scent names have changed since the briefs went out. Please apply the new names to everything from this point forward.

The final Phase 1 lineup is now fixed as follows:

POUR AIR FOLD READ DIM

The renaming is meaningful: the storytelling each scent is built around has shifted with the name. This is why we are flagging it at the top of the document, before the per-submission notes. Olfactive feedback on each Round 1 sample will appear in the DEBRIEF section under each card. The briefs the perfumers should now be working against are the renamed ones.

DRY→ AIR
From textural to volumetric. DRY described the surface of cloth after air-drying. AIR describes the medium that surrounds the cloth: the room itself, breath, the air through an open window. The next interpretation should move outward from the surface to the volume of air the surface sits in.
SLEEP→ DIM
From interior state to atmospheric light. SLEEP described rest, the interior of going to sleep. DIM describes the light of an hour: dusk, golden hour, the moment before the lamps are switched on. The next interpretation should move from the state of the person to the quality of the light around them.
DRY 1
Now under · AIR
Perfumer · Shinichiro Oba
Brand concept

A dry, sunlit fabric scent — airy, slightly metallic, with powdery texture and quiet depth. Gender neutral with a slightly masculine edge. (Now under AIR: the medium that surrounds the fabric — breath, the air through an open window, the room itself.)

Perfumer interpretation

“A crisp, green-tinged dryness that feels like fabric lifted into open air — cool, composed, and quietly sharpened by light.”

Submitted formulation
Top Bergamot, basil, lime
Heart Galbanum, muguet, mint, ambrette seed
Base Cedarwood, cypress, hinoki
  • LMR
  • VETIVER OIL JAVA MD LMR
  • GALBANUM AFGHAN RESOID LMR
  • PATCHOULI OIL INDONESIA MD LMR CSM
Brand reference imagery
VENUMENT brand reference image VENUMENT brand reference image VENUMENT brand reference image VENUMENT brand reference image VENUMENT brand reference image
Debrief · 18 June 2026 · To: Shinichiro Oba

Thank you for the sample. The cool, clean character comes through very clearly and left a strong impression on us. To bring the original intention of the fragrance into sharper focus, we would like to ask for a few specific adjustments.

This fragrance is aiming at a calm, composed indoor air, the air inside a room rather than the air outside it. In the current sample, the balance of citrus, herbs, and dry wood is emphasised, so what reaches the nose first feels sporty and bold-lined. That places the impression a little outside the intended concept and closer to the cool, clear air of the outdoors.

We would like to soften that impression, keep the freshness, introduce an unexpected element, and adjust the texture so it wraps softly around skin and the surrounding space, so the more personal and dimensional character of the fragrance comes through. Please consider the following carefully.

  1. Lower the pitch through top and heart, and round the edges. The pitch from the top into the heart currently sits a little high and sharp. Please round the edges so that, in place of a bright sparkling quality, a softer skin-scent nuance settles closer to the skin.
  2. Add a small twist that breaks the familiar. To take this a step further from the standard cologne grammar, we would like to introduce a quiet, unexpected twist in the heart. While smelling, we found ourselves thinking of fig, cardamom, or iris. Any of these, or any other element that sits in harmony with the overall structure while catching the eye, lightly touched in to bring out a more dimensional character.
  3. Slow the diffusion of top and heart, and strengthen hinoki in the base. The top and heart currently carry too far into the base, which delays the appearance of the base notes. The dry-down becomes harder to enjoy fully and a slight olfactive fatigue lingers. Please tone down the residual presence of top and heart a little, and raise the proportion of the base notes that are currently buried (hinoki in particular), so that a composed, comfortable wood profile reads clearly through the dry-down.
An open invitation

Alongside this directed feedback, we would also be very glad to receive a second interpretation of AIR from you under complete creative freedom. Your own reading of the brief, unconstrained by the notes above. We would treat it as an additional, parallel submission rather than a replacement for the reformulation. If your schedule allows, we would be delighted to see where you take it.

Thank you, as always, for the care and sensibility in your work. We are looking forward to the next sample.

Thanks for the work to date. What we have seen sits close to what we are looking for, and the gap to the next round should be a narrow one rather than a wide one. Looking forward to the DEBRIEF notes landing with your team.

Best,
Kelvin

Seonjoon Lee · Cofounder & CEO
VENUMENT × OUTLIERS & CO
kelvin@venu-ment.com · +82.(0)10.8808.1172