Mdantsane-born entrepreneur Sibulele Bodla was in high school when he discovered the euphoria of a beautiful smell.
Now 38, he and his wife Sisipho have slowly crafted their dream into reality over 10 years, with a luxury perfume line called InScentive Fine Fragrances.
They offer wearables, home diffusers, car diffusers and premium range fragrances that reach up to R450.
Raised in NU3, Bodla and his best friend Ntsika Sishuba, would often stroll down Oxford Street from East London High School in Braelyn after class to the East London CBD.
“We would go into Edgars to test exotic designer fragrances from overseas,” he recalled, his face lighting up.
“LaCoste was one of our favourites. At the time we loved anything that was aquatic, anything that made you smell fresh.
“You’d look so good in a clean uniform and you’d smell aquatic and fresh.
“At the time, Gravity was my best. It had citrusy notes and felt like a sea breeze.
“Since high school, I have been refining my ability to differentiate between various classes of scent,” he explained.
But it wasn’t until 2016, when he was 28 and working at Sasol, that he suddenly got serious about his talented nose.
“I met a man who was selling ‘smell-like’ perfumes, or generics.
“Immediately I was interested. I asked him how to get into the business and where I could buy stock.
“He generously told me how to get started.
“I discovered that those perfumes were just as resilient as the ones that cost R1,000 for a tiny bottle that Ntsika and I used to test in high school.
“A few months later, I began learning to manufacture these perfumes.
“And that was the birth of InScentive Fine Fragrances.”
With the little money they had, Bodla and Sisipho splashed on their new logo, and that was the start of investing every spare cent into the new company.
“We bought bottles with grocery money.
“We bought essential oils.
“We were determined to make a high-quality product that was affordable for guys like us.
“Here in the location we do not break our necks paying a grand for a designer scent when the next best thing is much more affordable.
“That was my vision,” Bodla said.
He applied for funding through the National Youth Development Agency and from there on, the wheels gradually began to turn.
Now the company manufactures at their own laboratory and keeps costs down by selling via their website.
They offer both wearable and ambient (room) fragrances, including signature reed diffusers and luxury curated gift sets.
Because of the high concentration of essential oils, the product has a much stronger staying power and scent trail than standard drugstore body mists or commercial colognes.
“At the beginning of this year, we teamed up with a couple we go to church with, the Gadu family.
“They saw our product, fell in love with it and wanted to be part of our movement.
“They were keen to invest, but we invited them to join us and take the whole thing to new heights.
“We are about quality, longevity, and local pride.
“The logo says it loud and proud: ‘Made in Mdantsane’ because we want to fly the flag of where we come from.”
Advice for youngsters?
“To make it in this industry it takes effort. One: do your research. Two: know what outcome you are looking for. Three: if there is a manual and there are measurements, work according to the manual and the measurements.
“But before making a badge, make a miniature version of that badge and test it. Then do quality control.
“And then once you are happy with the outcome of that product, use consistency.
“You ride that formula, and you don’t change it, ever. It takes focus and consistency, that is all.
“Once you have learnt the mix, stick with that formula until Jesus arrives for you.”
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