David Guison, Tony Labrusca, Jennica Sanchez, and Manila’s creative set slipped into Open House World for an intimate afternoon where fragrance became a mood and a supercharged feeling.

PHOTOGRAPHY Paul Vincent Paredes
When can you say that a perfume is euphoric? Is it the richness of the scent, the mixture of notes that creates an indescribable mood or emotion, or simply the way it makes you feel the moment it hits the skin? At the&nbsp;Initio Parfums Privés x L’Officiel Philippines launch of the perfumer’s new Supercharged Collection, the answer seemed to be all of the above.
For Initio, fragrance has never been purely decorative. Since 2015, the house has positioned itself as a pioneer of what it calls “functional fragrance,” approaching perfumery through the relationship between scent, emotion, and science. Its mission, according to the House, is to create fragrances that can change “how people feel, how they live, how they connect.” The Supercharged formulas are calibrated around patented active molecules selected for their interaction with the nervous system, an approach the house uses to explore scent not simply as something one wears, but as something capable of shifting a state of mind.

It made Open House World an apt setting for the collection’s Manila introduction. Tucked in the heart of Makati, the discreet café and speakeasy played host to a tightly curated group of Manila creatives, personalities, and fashion insiders, including David Guison, Tony Labrusca, Jennica Sanchez, Caitlyn Stave, Sofia Jahrling, Kenn Dayandayan, Miko Reyes, Andrei King, Alliana Dolina, Yvonne Aresu, Maria Galeria, Haylu Lu, and Benjie De Schepper.

David Guison

Tony Labrusca

Andrei King

Jennica Sanchez

Haylu Lu

Miko Reyes

Sophia Jahrling

Alliana Dolina

Benjie De Schepper

Yvonne Aresu

Kenn Dayandayan

Caitlyn Stave

Maria Isabela Galeria

For David, that smaller scale was precisely the appeal, “Oh, I love this event because it’s so intimate,” he said. “They told us that they carefully curated the guest list.” More importantly, there was something to learn. “You think you know a lot about fragrance, but when you’re here, you will just really learn a lot. So, I really love this experience. It’s so immersive, it’s so intimate, which I really like.”
<h3 dir="ltr">Two Ways to Feel Good</h3>
Throughout Open House World, guests moved between content nooks and fragrance vignettes devoted to the two scents at the center of Supercharged: Wild Rush and Sugar Blast. Together, Initio describes them as two interpretations of joy: the former capturing the first jolt of energy waking up the body, the latter translating pleasure into something sweeter, louder, and more uninhibited.

Wild Rush is the more kinetic of the pair. An aromatic fougère Eau de Parfum, it opens with bergamot before moving through lavender, vanilla, caramel and red fruits, grounded by sandalwood and patchouli. The effect moves between freshness and heat, sweetness and spice. Initio positions it as a fragrance intended to activate energy and confidence.
That contrast immediately appealed to Tony Labrusca, “I got to try the two scents, and I was blown away by Wild Rush,” he said. “It’s the kind of scent that I’m really into. It’s androgynous, it’s unisex, it’s a bit spicy, and also sweet. So, yeah, I’m loving it so far.”

Sugar Blast takes another route. An ambery gourmand Eau de Parfum, its composition brings together lavender, coconut, vanilla, praline and rum with cashmeran and ambroxan. Vanilla provides the initial rush before praline and coconut lend it a creamy, confectionary quality. Initio describes the fragrance as being “fueled by joy,” formulated around the idea of activating dopamine and feelings of pleasure.
<h3 dir="ltr">The Science of Feeling</h3>
Midway through the afternoon, guests gathered for a closer introduction to the thinking behind the bottles. L’Officiel Philippines Editor-in-Chief Loris Peña welcomed the crowd with brief remarks before turning the floor over to Prestige Brands Philippines Brand Manager for Initio, Paolo Gomez, who unpacked the house’s approach to functional fragrance and the science informing Supercharged.

“Initio is the only fragrance that utilizes pure molecules so the fragrance affects your mood and well-being,” Gomez told guests. For Supercharged, that concept has been directed toward one particular emotion: joy. The house describes the collection as “driven by emotion, backed by science,” with formulas built around active molecules and an emotional territory encompassing joy, exaltation, energy, connection and life force. “More than just being a fragrance, these scents are meant to affect you positively and should evoke the feeling of happiness,” Gomez added. “That’s why it’s called the Supercharged Collection.”
After the fragrance discovery, the afternoon loosened into a social hour and continued portrait sessions, giving guests time to revisit the scents on skin rather than simply on blotters. It was also a chance to see how differently two fragrances built around the same broad emotion could register from one person to the next.

David, who had researched the collection before arriving, found that smelling the fragrances in person complicated his expectations. “When I was able to smell it in person, it really changed my perspective on both of the fragrances,” he said. “They’re so different, but in a way, they’re really similar.” For him, the appeal ultimately came down to Initio’s ability to make fragrance feel personal: “With Initio, I feel like they never fail in creating great fragrances.”

Caitlyn Stave found herself caught somewhere between Wild Rush’s spice and Sugar Blast’s gourmand pull. “Wild Rush really does have that musk, that spice, but at the same time, it’s still fresh,” she said. “I think that for me, though, I kind of resonate more with Sugar Blast because it’s sweeter and it has that vanilla scent.” It was the coconut, however, that shifted the equation for her. “Vanilla can tend to be really heavy, but because this has some coconut in it, it makes it more fresh, airy, light, perfect for days and for night, too.”
Perhaps that is the most interesting proposition behind Supercharged. Luxury fragrance has long been sold through the language of precious ingredients, beautiful bottles and the identity we hope to project when we wear them. Initio is interested in adding another question: How do you want to feel?
After all, the best fragrances rarely remain expensive objects sitting prettily on a vanity. They become part of the ritual of getting dressed, an invisible final layer that can make someone feel sharper, sexier, calmer, bolder, or simply more themselves. With Wild Rush and Sugar Blast, Initio proposes perfume as a kind of modern elixir: joy in a bottle.

Inside Initio’s Alchemic Euphoria With L’Officiel Philippines

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