An ‘angel’ sings the praises of this perfume

What started out as a hobby and an “accidental discovery” has now become a full-fledged business for Jo-An A. dela Cruz “Jac” Tripon, the founder of local handcrafted home fragrances Favori—a venture that also helped her transition smoothly from corporate executive to entrepreneur.

“I spent 15 years in the telecommunications industry; I was part of the Sun Cellular launch team. And then I moved to ABS-CBN—so I was a marketing person for 23 years,” she says.

However, the desire to “have something of her own,” Tripon adds, has always been there—she just didn’t know exactly what she wanted back then.

The 45-year-old did have a penchant for scents, and says she always made it a point to keep her home and office smelling nice. During her travels, Tripon would also buy scents abroad, but always found them too expensive and not exactly suited to her taste.

“So when I quit corporate and started to go into business with my husband, I put together all the ingredients and just started doing it at home, on my own—concocting, just as a hobby,” she recalls. “It was all my own research.”

From there, Tripon and her husband, who ran a dental business, started using the scents in their clinics. Soon, Tripon started selling at the convention of Philippine Dental Association by positioning her products as “something that would relax the patient while in the dental chair.”

Her break came during one bazaar, after a representative from one the country’s largest mall chains approached their booth and asked if they could invite Favori to occupy a space in one of their establishments.

Three years and five mall locations later, Favori has become synonymous not just with great-smelling aromatic oils and sprays, but also high-quality ones. “Modesty aside, lots of persons swear by our products. They tried [other brands], and they say ours isn’t overbearing, doesn’t make their throat feel itchy—that [our products] are just right,” she says.

And it doesn’t exactly hurt to have actress Angel Aquino not just as endorser, but also as business partner. Friends for almost 20 years, Tripon says she asked Aquino to come on board a year after she started making the scents—but only after the actress tried the products herself.

“I didn’t want to offer [Aquino] something just because we’re friends. I said, I have this product, do you want to partner with me on this? And I really told her, ‘Don’t say yes just because we’re friends; I want you to really try it,’” says Tripon.

Aquino agrees, saying, “She really makes us part of the research and development.”

“Yes, [even] the people in the office, my friends; because my taste may not be the same as theirs. I may think it’s nice, but perhaps to them, it isn’t,” Tripon adds.

Favori, which has stalls in Robinsons Place Manila, SM Megamall, SM City Marikina, SM Southmall, and Market! Market!, is poised to open a sixth branch in Glorietta come July 1. Tripon and Aquino are also expanding the business by offering scent delivery solutions, or industrial scenting, to corporate accounts.

“Scents are a big part of the [retail] experience. They’re used to getting people to linger longer, and the propensity to buy is higher,” says Tripon.

Their flagship line continues to be their home fragrances, Tripon and Aquino say, thanks to the wide variety they offer: over 30 scents divided into four collections (Refreshing, Relaxing, Upbeat, Sexy) so that clients can pick the ones that fit their moods.

“I wanted anyone to identify with any scent—and it would become their favorite. That’s why our tagline is ‘create your favorite feeling,’ because it’s all up to you,” says Tripon. “We wanted a brand name that would be all-encompassing. We chanced upon ‘favori,’ which is French, but even if you’re Filipino, you would easily associate it with [the word] ‘favorite,’ and that’s what I want people to realize—that there is a scent that could be their favorite.” —ANNELLE TAYAO-JUEGO