In conversation: Adrian Yu and Jasper Li from TOBBA
Please introduce yourselves in 3 sentences:
Adrian: Hello this is Jasper and Adrian, founders of TOBBA from Hong Kong. Jasper is the mind behind the brand taking care of creation and overall brand image while I’m focusing on external communication, sales and marketing.
Tell us more about TOBBA and your creative process?
Jasper: The story started from me being a painter before. I used to use painting as my language to communicate my thoughts. However, I have always been inspired by the fact that art is not bound by one dimension. All the different art forms are only different tools for one to express oneself and that’s how I started to explore the olfactory medium to further my artistic career. Our brand is essentially my journey transforming the art language from visual to scent. It might sound quite unrelated but they share a whole lot of similarities like construction of layers, temperature, ingredient contrast and harmony etc. I usually get inspired by the quality of ingredients for my creations. TOBBA is the name of my dad’s art studio. He’s also a painter.
How has Hong Kong influenced your creation process?
Jasper: Many people see Hong Kong as a cosmopolitan, modern and fast city with skyscrapers and beautiful harbour, but it retains a lot of traditional Asian culture and customs making it a special landscape for business and heritage. With its speedy growth, more and more traditions are sadly fading out. I draw inspiration from the heritage of Hong Kong, of times when I had the most vivid and intriguing memories and incorporate them into my creations.
Adrian: Also, with the basis of East meets West, the chemistry of it always serves as a perfect blueprint for us to clash ideas.
How do you see the Hong Kong fragrance landscape and its future?
Adrian: In Hong Kong, our warm, humid climate has historically led customers to favour fresh, citrus, and clean fragrances for their practicality, often choosing scents from traditional houses and prominent “niche” brands backed by major companies. With the global niche fragrance trend gaining momentum, local preferences are evolving. Customers are now more open-minded, exploring smaller, local indie brands and embracing diverse, creative scent profiles as a form of personal expression. Department stores are also responding, increasingly showcasing niche perfumes to meet this growing demand.
Favourite ingredient / aroma?
Jasper: Patchouli, frankincense, powdery notes.
Any perfumer / artist / person you’d like to collaborate with on a fragrance?
Jasper: If I could choose, I would love to collaborate with one of my favourite artists, Donald Judd, to create a perfume. His work stripped away the excess to focus on essence, and I like his precision in using raw materials.
What’s your first fragrance memory?
Jasper: My mum plays a vital role in my olfactory enlightenment and journey. Dad used to come back from business trips bringing perfumes from overseas for my mum. She would treasure them in her little fragrance cabinet. The one fragrance I always remember from that period is Chanel No.5, a classic masterpiece. I used to hate it so much (can you imagine), really could not appreciate it as a kid. When I grew up, I started to learn how masterful No.5 is and it planted an important seed in my olfactory enlightenment.
If you could change anything in the industry, what would it be?
Jasper: If I could change anything in the industry, I’d seek a balanced approach to IFRA regulations, valuing safety while exploring research and safer alternatives to preserve the perfumer’s palette.
Adrian: I’d also refocus on quality and creativity in perfumery and campaigns, countering aggressive niche marketing and fast-fashion fragrance trends with authenticity and creativity.
Any upcoming project / launch you want to share?
Adrian: Indeed, we are super happy to share that we are launching two new perfumes on September 2nd, 2025. It’s the first release after our debut collection. They are called Higher Self and Lovers and Strangers. Higher Self is Jasper’s 7th creation for the brand exploring Asian nostalgic scents, such as Tiger Balm. It’s a levitating and spiritual experience. Lovers and Strangers is our fragrance venture with Maxime Exler, an experienced perfumer from Mane, capturing this romantic rendezvous with coffee, rum and vanilla. That fleeting but electric tension.
Tune of the day: Lovers and Strangers - Faye Wong
Fragrance of the day: Lovers and Strangers - TOBBA
Sunset in Berlin, 2024
- Flo