Lumiere Parfum Yeonnam: Make Your Own Perfume in a One-Day Class Near Hongdae

This visit was sponsored by Lumiere Parfum. As always, all opinions are my own.

I have always picked my perfume off a department-store shelf — someone else’s scent. This time I made my own. My boyfriend and I booked a one-day class at Lumiere Parfum in Yeonnam-dong as a little date, and honestly? It beat buying a bottle. We both walked out with a scent nobody else in the world has.

Name	Lumiere Parfum Yeonnam (뤼미에르퍼퓸 연남)
Address	3F, 227-11 Donggyo-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul 서울 마포구 동교로 227-11 3층
Getting there	Right in front of the Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Yeonnam-dong · 3F is the Yeonnam store (2F is the separate Hongdae store)
Hours	13:00–20:00 · Last booking 19:00
Price	Class B (signature notes, 50 ml) ₩45,000 per person · up to 2 people
Reservations	Small groups only, so book before you go
Instagram	@lumiere_parfum_
Disclosure	Sponsored visit

Finding the right floor

The studio is in a corner building, so it is easy to spot. A glowing arched logo sits on the wall, and the hanging sign lists the floors: 3F Yeonnam store, 2F Hongdae store. They are two different branches in the same building, so head up to the 3rd floor for this one.

Posters line the stairway on every floor, so the mood starts before you even walk in. The opening hours and last booking time are posted by the door.

A pretty studio with big windows

The first thing you see is a long blending bar lined with rows of little brown note bottles. Soft light comes through the curtains, and every photo turns out lovely. The velvet bar stools are comfortable, even for a long session.

There is also a sofa by the window — a nice place to wait or think about your scent. Further in, finished perfumes and diffusers are on display, and a side table holds testers, photo books and a globe. They also had a seasonal signature scent you can only find at the Yeonnam and Hongdae stores.

The class: it starts with a scent note

We took Class B: signature notes, 50 ml, ₩45,000 per person. When you sit down, you get a blending sheet. This sheet is the heart of the whole class.

First, under Mood, you pick the feeling you want — words like Elegant, Lovely, Sensual and Fresh. Then, under Olfaction, you tick the notes that draw you in from 36 options, from bergamot and yuzu to wild rose, vetiver and ambergris.

Smelling top, middle and base

Each note bottle has its layer on the label — cassis is a top note, wild rose is a middle note, and so on. You smell them one by one and mark what you like and don’t like. This part was way more fun than I expected.

Next, you mix your picks and smell the blend, then try again. You can adjust the ratios up to six times. The teacher kept guiding us — “What if we lower this one a little?” — so even as total beginners we never felt lost. She was really kind and paid attention to every detail, which made a huge difference to the final scent.

Bottle, filling and your own label

Once the scent is decided, you choose a bottle. Here is the size difference between 50 ml and 100 ml.

They measure your formula, fill the bottle and seal it with a machine. Then comes my favorite part: you can put any name you want on the label. That one label makes it truly yours.

Done: two one-of-a-kind perfumes

We made one each, so we left with two bottles. They pack them in a box with a shopping bag, so it is nice enough to give as a gift.

Walking out with our bags, we caught the sunset along the Gyeongui Line Forest Park — a sweet way to end the date.

Good to know

– Right after blending, you may smell a little alcohol. They say the scent gets much softer after 2–4 weeks of resting. – When you run out, you can reorder the same formula. – They told us there is a free 6-month after-care service.

Zoapik’s verdict

– Smelling and choosing from 36 notes is the most fun part – You learn top, middle and base notes as you go, so it is easy to understand – Small groups, so beginners get plenty of help – Custom labels make it a great gift – Big windows and soft lighting — a perfect date or friends’ outing – Reorders and a 6-month after-care service – Heads-up: let your perfume rest 2–4 weeks before judging the final scent

If you want a souvenir from Seoul that is truly one of a kind, try this class with a friend or partner. I am already thinking about my next scent.