In the bustling city, the fast pace of life often leaves people feeling exhausted. Returning home to a quiet corner filled with a soothing scent can instantly dispel the day's fatigue. For Kris, fragrance embodies this subtle power.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, Kris, an interior designer from Hong Kong, resolutely immigrated to Taiwan due to political and work environment considerations. The quarantine measures and long-distance living created distance between people, filling the void with loneliness and anxiety. During this time, Kris hoped to use "fragrance" as a medium to make it the gentlest companion in life. After sharing the same idea with her partner Rita, the two jointly founded the fragrance brand "TINT STUDIO". "We named it 'TINT STUDIO' because we hope to use our work to infuse everyone's daily life with a healing scent," Rita explained.
Rita (left) and Kris (right), co-founders of TINT STUDIO.
Starting from scratch with
boundless passion, the two, despite initially knowing nothing about the fragrance industry, bravely pursued their dream. Kris recalled, "Starting a business was quite impulsive. Although I had a design background, I had absolutely no experience with fragrances. I just started learning on my own with Rita because I liked it." Initially, they only dared to use 10ml bottles of essential oil for repeated blind tests, trying various proportions to analyze the top, middle, and base notes, trying to find the fragrance that belonged to their brand. Rita added, "Thanks to the advanced internet, there are so many channels to find resources now." With the accumulation of fragrance knowledge and experience, the two have become highly skilled at visually reproducing the fragrances in their minds.
In the early years of their business, Dye Life focused on incense sticks and aromatherapy diffusers as their main products. The aromatherapy diffusers were made from recycled materials sourced from reservoir silt, allowing each piece to naturally change its texture due to humidity, temperature, and pores, preserving the warmth and feel of handcrafted goods. Their most challenging creation was undoubtedly their dream piece, the "Whale Aromatherapy Diffuser," where, when the incense is lit, smoke rises from the whale's back, creating a lifelike effect. However, due to the complex manufacturing process and the fragile structure, they were concerned about damage during transport, so "currently, it can only be sold exclusively at markets; mass production is not possible," Kris said helplessly.
Whale-shaped cement incense burner holder; handmade incense stick set. Images courtesy of TINT STUDIO.
During a period of low ebb and breakthrough
, incense sticks were not a mainstream fragrance product, and their need to be lit limited their public acceptance. "We tried to develop other fragrances, hoping to diversify our products and attract different customer groups." Limited product lines and distribution channels made them difficult to see in the market. During that time, Kris fell into self-doubt: "I kept thinking, is the product itself not good enough? Or did I not do well in online sales? I was really confused."
Fortunately, he had the optimistic Rita by his side, who always encouraged Kris to break out of his mindset and transform his low mood into creative motivation. Burning silently, they eventually achieved a room full of fragrance. As their product line gradually expanded, they launched scented candles, fragrance sachets, diffusers, etc., allowing fragrances not only to calm the mind but also to add a sense of ritual to life. Among them, the most noteworthy is the beloved woody diffuser "Night Series".
