Julia from Truely Life Smelling Great at all Times with These Fine Fragrances
Updated: Sep 25, 2020
When we smell great we feel great. Carrying a fragile bottle of our favourite perfume all around town for the entire day, however, is inconvenient and then there is another problem ... Not all scents go with every occasion.
So what to do?
Try solid colones. They are long-lasting, easy to carry, handcrafted, packed with natural ingredients, affordable and smell amazing. Perfect for every on-the-go moment.
Alwis & Xavier is one such innovative brand. With scents that are fresh, woody, floral, citrusy, rosy, and leathery, they cater to all scent profiles in Malaysia and beyond. Best of all, their fine fragrances are easy to carry and allow you to feel and smell great at any time of the day.
Drop a solid perfume into your bag or leave it at your desk at work so you can apply a little scent whenever you need that little feeling/smelling great-boost. To find out more about Alwis and Xavier, continue reading ...
What inspired you to start this business?
Both avid lovers of perfumes and colognes, both owning scents that we use for different occasions and times of the day.
We love to smell great at all times of the day but found that conventional bottles were heavy, fragile and cumbersome, especially when going to the gym, to work, or the night out. Hence, we looked to create something creative and revolutionary, that would ease our lives and the life of the everyday cologne-user.
What are some of the milestones that you have achieved since you founded Alwis & Xavier?
We are so proud of where we are and where we've come from, through the couple of years working hard and striving to succeed. We fondly remember the days where we used to drive all around the Klang Valley, meeting the few customers who wanted to view or test out our products.
From then to now being stocked in numerous countries, to having expanded our range of products and the thousands of happily satisfied customers whose lives we have touched. It's something that we would never have imagined and are so blessed to be in this position.
What were some of the challenges that you successfully overcame so far since you started your business?
Our biggest hurdle so far was the recent Covid-19 pandemic, where all our brick and mortar stores we are stocked in had closed. Hence during this period we really had to step up our online efforts, whether it was having special promos to kick start spending, as well as utilising digital ads to push our products out there and gain a wider audience.
What are your objectives for the next few years?
We are looking to grow the brand past just solid colognes, and are excitedly experimenting with a range of body care products that in line with our unique selling proposition - being solid and portable.
Alwis & Xavier has been your side business for a few years now? Are you planning to turn this into your full-time job?
Being both full-time employees for most of the time the business has run, one of us has decided to focus more on the business for the time being to grow it and expand our range.
What is your strategy to further raise awareness for your products in Malaysia and beyond?
Currently, we have expanded into different countries outside of Malaysia, namely Singapore, Taiwan, Macau, Brunei, and Hong Kong. We're looking to move into Europe and America too, and are all ears to those who would like to work with us!
Scents are something very personal and subjective, how long did it take for you to develop your scents? Where do you get your inspiration from for your scents?
During the initial stages, it took us a long year of product testing, and getting the formulation of our solid colognes just perfect to where we were satisfied in opening it up to the market.
Choosing our scents are carefully chosen and tweaked to the point where they are full-bodied and include a range of rich base and top notes, so they are not flat and one-dimensional.
We try to cater to all scent profiles, ranging from scents that are fresh, woody, floral, citrusy, rosy, and leathery. We guarantee you'll find one or two that suit you perfectly.
What are your favorite scents from your collection?
Since we both chose each scent, we love them all and can't pick!
*Side note: We from truely.life are having a hard time choosing as well. By now we have three different solid perfumes at home that we use for different occasions.
Customers can buy your products in a tin. Is your product sustainable?
Yes! In a few of our shops, we offer a cash-back to returned tins, which we then sterilize and reuse.