Born to Stand Out

The story

Born to Stand Out was born in Seoul in April 2022 from the obsession of one man, Jun Lim. Perfume has been with him since he was a kid: he bought his first one in middle school with his allowance, then for twenty years added a bottle a week to his collection. By day he was an investment banker, in suit and tie; in the evening he went home and smelled. He felt, he says, like “a bohemian soul in disguise”. Until collecting was no longer enough: he quit the bank, sold almost all his paintings to fund the project and founded his house, with no celebrity faces and no fake French name.

The name says it all. Jun Lim describes Korea as a society where fitting in is required, and chooses to do the opposite: “Why fit in? You were born to stand out”. The house motto is “Rebel against standards”, and the names of the perfumes, from Dirty Rice to Fig Porn, are chosen on purpose so as not to tiptoe around taboos. The goal is declared: “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”. The bottle speaks Korean too. It reinterprets the white porcelain of the Joseon era: white is the colour of the country's identity and tradition, the red running through it is the colour of rebellion.

Every perfume starts from a personal story, which Jun Lim entrusts to a perfumer; the brand always declares the name. Olivier Cresp signs Dirty Rice, Quentin Bisch Fugazzi and Black Crème, Jordi Fernández Purple Stain, Margaux Le Paih-Guérin Dirty Heaven, Véronique Nyberg Black Karak together with Maxime Exler. The Eaux de Parfum exceed a 30% concentration. Why not call them extrait? “Because we prefer to underpromise and overdeliver”, the house replies. February 2025 brought Extrait Extrême: over 50% fragrance concentration, natural oud and three months of maturation in onggi, the earthenware jars of Korean tradition. A few months later came Eau Intimité, the same soul in a second-skin version.

In just a few years the small house that says it is thrilled to be “a little underground” has reached more than sixty countries, from Selfridges and Harrods in London to Sephora in the United States. In Seoul there are two flagship stores, in Hannam and Seongsu. Yet everything is still made in South Korea, in small batches: bottles, filling, packaging. Only the perfume oils come from the rest of the world. The brand claims it against those who print “Made in France” to raise prices: “No misleading claims. Just real craftsmanship”.

The collections

At OUD Profumeria Artistica you will find the three Born to Stand Out collections. Next to each name are the notes that make it recognisable.

• Extrait Extrême, the house's most intense Extraits de Parfum, in a 50 ml bottle: Black Karak (karak tea, saffron and oud), Purple Stain (spices, caramel and oud), Black Crème (milk, candle wax and leather), Black Mango (mango, vanilla and oud), Black Guava (guava, rose and oud), Oud Candy (brown sugar, oud and leather), Melón Malo (melon, rose and oud).
• Eau de Parfum, the collection the brand was born with: Dirty Heaven (white flowers, vanilla and ambergris), Drunk Lovers (woods, spices and cognac), Dirty Rice (basmati rice, milk and sandalwood), Dirty Milk (milk, caramel and black pepper), Sugar Addict (sugar, cocoa and rum), Indecent Cherry (cherry, almond and rose), Fig Porn (fig, pear and rose), Fugazzi (milk, incense and suede), Filthy Musk (musk, honey and pineapple), DGAF (citrus, incense and sandalwood), Nanatopia (banana, cinnamon and caramel), Nuts (pistachio, almond and tobacco), Cola Addict (cola, lime and vanilla).
• Eau Intimité, second-skin perfumes, in 30 and 100 ml: Candy Dust (raspberry, milk and powdered sugar), Gold Juice (rhubarb, mango and white flowers), Cuvée Skin (champagne, ambrette and white leather), Musc X (incense, cotton candy and musk), Warm Air (roasted caramel, rum and amber woods).

OUD Profumeria Artistica is an authorised Born to Stand Out retailer, online and in our store in Nettuno (Rome).

Frequently asked questions

What does Born to Stand Out mean?
It means exactly what it says: born to stand out from the crowd. The brand writes it as one word in capitals, BORNTOSTANDOUT, and has turned it into a manifesto: “Why fit in? You were born to stand out”. It is an invitation not to blend in, and it also explains the provocative names of the perfumes, from Dirty Rice to Fig Porn.

Is Born to Stand Out a Korean brand?
Yes. Born to Stand Out was born in Seoul in April 2022, founded by Jun Lim, a former investment banker and perfume collector. The fragrances are composed by international perfumers such as Olivier Cresp and Quentin Bisch, but everything else is Korean: the brand declares 100% production in South Korea and bottles inspired by the white porcelain of the Joseon era.

What is the difference between Eau de Parfum, Extrait Extrême and Eau Intimité?
The Eaux de Parfum are the main collection and have a concentration above 30%, higher than usual: among them Dirty Heaven and Drunk Lovers. Extrait Extrême is the most intense collection, with over 50% fragrance concentration, natural oud and three months of maturation in onggi, the Korean earthenware jars: it includes Black Karak and Purple Stain. Eau Intimité is the most discreet, designed to stay close to the skin like a veil: for example Musc X and Cuvée Skin.

What is the best Born to Stand Out perfume?
It depends on what you are looking for. The three to start with, for us, are Black Karak, a spiced tea that ends in oud and leather, Purple Stain, warm spices and caramel over a dark base, and Dirty Heaven, white flowers and vanilla with a luminous trail. The house's most celebrated is Drunk Lovers, woody and spicy; the most original remains Dirty Rice, with its creamy basmati rice.

What kind of perfume is Born to Stand Out Purple Stain?
Purple Stain is a spicy, woody Extrait Extrême signed by Jordi Fernández, launched in 2025. It opens with saffron, cinnamon and nutmeg, moves through a heart of orange blossom, caramel and vanilla and closes on oud, patchouli and cypriol. The image it comes from is a purple wine stain on the pages of an old leather journal. It is unisex and very long-lasting.

What kind of perfume is Fugazzi by Born to Stand Out?
Fugazzi comes from the meeting of two cult houses of niche perfumery: Born to Stand Out and Fugazzi. It is a 2024 Eau de Parfum signed by Quentin Bisch, woody and leathery: milk, grapefruit and incense in the opening, iris, suede and saffron in the heart, vanilla, styrax and musk in the base.

Are Born to Stand Out perfumes for men or for women?
They are conceived as unisex: the house does not divide its fragrances by gender, and the very idea of the brand is that everyone chooses without rules. Those looking for a darker signature usually turn to Black Karak, Drunk Lovers or DGAF; those who prefer a softer, sweeter trail to Dirty Heaven, Sugar Addict or Candy Dust. These are matters of taste, not boundaries.

Where to buy Born to Stand Out perfumes in Italy?
OUD Profumeria Artistica is an authorised Born to Stand Out retailer: you will find the three collections online and in our store in Nettuno (Rome), where you can try them in person. Shipping is free in Italy over €60, and over €100 we add 10 complimentary samples.