Shale Albao, founder of Tadhana Fragrances, merges science and scent to tell Filipino stories, using perfumery as a medium for heritage, memory, and cultural representation. Photographed by Karl King Aguña
As founder of the independent fragrance house Tadhana, she captures memories with distinct Filipino ingredients.
Before she became a perfumer, Shale Albao was first a chemical engineer who carried fond memories of her loved ones’ perfumes growing up. Building her independent fragrance house, Tadhana, later on was an alignment of her studies and her lifelong appreciation for scent.
A recurring theme in Shale’s journey is making bold choices: In the male-dominated semiconductor industry, she founded her own successful industrial chemical distribution company. After a while, she left corporate life to pursue her passions and build her first business from the ground up. Then, she applied to Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l’Aromatique alimentaire (ISIPCA), to pursue this new and unexpected chapter in her life as a Filipina perfumer at France’s top perfumery school.
In France, she discovered a deeper purpose in combining science and art. She recognized the lack of strong representation for Philippine perfumery on the global stage, so she aimed to lead a movement to represent excellence in Asian fragrance-making.
Her brand’s first collection, Persona, focuses on telling Philippine stories through scent by highlighting heritage ingredients unique to the country. Through cultural storytelling and community building, Albao helps place Philippine heritage and innovation on the same pedestal as global luxury brands. They are committed to using only the best quality ingredients, sourcing from all over the world and highlighting our local resources.
“We Filipinos are very much layered. We’re bold, but also we have all these contradictions. I wanted to introduce that contradiction by putting in ingredients that are not very common in the global market.”
Rockstar, for example, was inspired by the vision of headstrong, empowered people in her life who are now able to relax on holidays by the sea. Through bright notes of mango and coconut, she pays tribute to a successful self-made friend of hers who hails from the beachy shores of Camiguin island. Lover, on the other hand, is an ode to her childhood memories in Bacolod. The rich muscovado and dark rum paired with cozy notes of ginger, cocoa, and tuberose whisk wearers to her beloved hometown of Bacolod, found in the sugar capital of the country.
More stories unfold as wearers try the Innocent, Classy, Scandalous, and Rebel fragrances. In many ways, this first collection is an anthology of perfumed stories that capture the dynamic dimensions of our culture. The collection successfully exhibited at the first-ever Grasse Perfume Week, also becoming the first Filipino perfume brand to debut there.
Now, momentum is building for Albao and Tadhana. While the fragrance house is gaining media attention and recognition from respected institutions, Albao also puts effort into building a stronger community around her.
Alongside her business, Albao co-founded the Filipino Perfumers Society with other leading perfumers in the country. They hope to educate aspiring perfumers and champion the Philippine perfumery industry as a whole. She emphasizes that their community shares a belief in collective success, one brand’s achievement uplifts the entire industry, especially as the local scene continues to grow.
They have also worked with the Hand and Heart Organization, an NGO providing disability services and support for persons with disabilities in Quezon City, to conduct perfume-making programs for deaf perfume enthusiasts.
There is still so much space to grow for the Philippine fragrance community. As Albao continues to pave the roads for more Filipinos in the industry, she is also supported by many other passionate perfumers who believe in the country’s potential. “The fragrance community is very strong and shares one vision: to promote Philippine perfumery on the global stage,” she says. “It’s our common goal to raise our flag [and say,] ‘Our local talent and our rich Philippine ingredients are the gifts and uniqueness we bring to the world.’”
For more information, visit their official website. Follow Tadhana Fragrances on Instagram.
Photographed by KARL KING AGUÑA, Art direction by CHRISTINA ZABAT, Styling by GAIL ONG, Hair and Makeup by ROSELYN PEDAYO of NIX INSTITUTE OF BEAUTY, Videography by RCE LIMITLESS CREATIVE PRODUCTIONS INC., stylist’s assistants KYLENE BEA NG DU and RICO GUEVARRA, Produced by ESAB RAYMUNDO, Multimedia artist LARA CASTAÑEDA, Account manager ICE LEE, Written by PAT VILORIA
