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Why I Do This

Dear fellow misfits and fragrance lovers,

I want to tell you a story—one that led me to create BORNTOSTANDOUT. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been (more than) obsessed with perfume. When I was in middle school, I saved up my allowance to buy my first cologne at one of those sketchy perfume shops—the kind stacked with thousands of designer bottles at suspiciously good prices. If you know, you know. I drenched myself in that scent every single morning, making sure everyone could smell me coming. Why? Because perfume gave me something I couldn’t find anywhere else: a sense of identity and confidence. I wasn’t the cool kid. I was the artsy misfit—always drawn to things that stood out. But with a spritz of cologne, I felt radiant. I felt seen. I stood a little taller.

In my twenties, I lived in Korea—a society where fitting in isn’t just expected; it’s required. There’s an unspoken checklist for how to live a “correct” life, and deviation isn’t exactly welcomed. I was always the odd one out. Too opinionated, too creative, too unwilling to just "go with the flow." Still, I tried. I went corporate. I became an investment banker—suited up, played by the rules, and did everything "right." I was good at it (or at least, I pretended to be). But inside? I felt like a bohemian soul in disguise. Colleagues probably thought I was a little eccentric—maybe even a bit much—for my strong opinions, unconventional approach, and refusal to follow the norms blindly. They weren’t wrong. But here’s the thing: who gets to define what’s "normal" and what’s "weird"? Because to me, they were the odd ones—choosing to live life so passively, so uncritically.

For the past two decades, fragrance has been my secret world. I’d rush home from work, sit with my ever-growing collection, and just smell. Every week, I’d add a new bottle to my stash sometimes a rare niche gem, sometimes a weird indie experiment (sometimes an affordable drugstore cologne when my wallet was light). Perfume wasn’t just a hobby. It was a way to explore different identities, to break free from the predictability of daily life. It enriched me. It made me fill more complete every bottle I collected. Each fragrance became a bookmark of my life—tied to memories, emotions, places, people. A scent could snap me out of stress, ground me, or make me feel invincible. It’s not an exaggeration to say that fragrance saved me. When everything around me felt rigid and suffocating, perfume reminded me who I really was—creative, curious, rebellious.

In 2021, I had enough. I realized I didn’t want to just collect perfumes—I wanted to create them. I wanted to build something that didn’t just smell good, but meant something. So, I did something crazy. I quit my banking job, a well-paying, stable job which fit into the societal norms of “success”. I sold most of my art collection to fund this dream. I ignored every single person who told me it wouldn’t work. A rebellious, provocative luxury perfume brand from Seoul? In the middle of a pandemic, while the entire cosmetics industry was in a long, dark tunnel? In a country where big luxury houses and mass-market perfumes dominate? From where nobody had successfully built a globally recognized niche fragrance brand? No one endorsed the idea and said it was possible.

Most local brands played it safe—copying popular scents, slapping a fancy French name on their bottles, and hiring Korean celebrities and influencers to push their sales (which, by the way, costs more than my house). I did none of that. No fake European branding. No celebrity endorsements. No big-budget influencer campaigns. Just me, my vision, and a whole lot of passion. And Then, BORNTOSTANDOUT Was Born.

In April 2022, after years of planning, risk-taking, and a whole lot of instant noodle dinners, BORNTOSTANDOUT launched. I wanted to create fragrances that represented my ideal of life – breaking the norms and embracing my individuality. Instead of polite, pretty packaging, I designed bold white bottles with stark red accents—inspired by traditional Korean porcelain yet screaming rebellion at first glance. Instead of playing it safe with mass-friendly, forgettable scents, I embraced the provocative, the daring, the unconventional. I gave my scents names like "Dirty Rice" and "Fig Porn" to make it crystal clear—we weren’t here to tiptoe around taboos. Every fragrance I create starts as a deeply personal story—love and heartbreak, wild nights and quiet mornings, old books and neon lights. They’re pieces of me, bottled in scent.

Yes, we’re a luxury brand. But luxury to me isn’t about a high price tag or a fancy boutique. Luxury is wearing something no one else has. Luxury is self-expression without apology.

Luxury is art, creativity, and authenticity—not just branding fluff. At BORNTOSTANDOUT, we price our perfumes to reflect the craftsmanship, the ingredients, and the experience—not to manufacture exclusivity. I’d rather see our bottles well-loved on your dresser than locked behind a glass case in a department store.

BORNTOSTANDOUT exists for the outsiders. I want YOU to feel more like YOU when you wear our fragrances. I built the kind of perfume house I wished had existed when I was that misfit kid searching for myself. A place where individuality is sacred. Where no one tells you to tone it down or blend in. A place that says "hell yes!" to the quirky, the bold, and the different. In a world where so many perfumes are designed by focus groups and corporate marketing teams, I wanted to create something raw and real—perfumes with soul. 

We’re not here to please everyone. We choose to build a cult than a crowd. And that’s by design. If there were 100 people in the room, we’d rather make 1 of them a die-hard fan than have 99 people say, “It’s okay.” (BTW, we lost a lot of money last year. So trust me, this isn’t about cashing in.) BORNTOSTANDOUT is building a tribe of fragrance lovers who get us—who crave something real and different. We’re thrilled to be niche.

We’re thrilled to be a little underground. Because that one person who connects deeply with what we do—you—means more to us than a thousand indifferent customers. 

To the misfits, to the dreamers -- If you’ve ever felt a little weird, a little too much or not enough— BORNTOSTANDOUT is for you.

Sincerely,

Jun Lim, Founder, BORNTOSTANDOUT