Why We Want to Smell Like Our Favorite Korean Celebrities
From Jennie's TAMBURINS campaigns to a sweet encounter between Kim Woo-bin and a fan, there's something surprisingly personal about sharing a scent with someone you admire.
There's something funny about wanting to wear the same perfume as someone you've never met.
You might have completely different lives, different wardrobes, and very little in common. But once you find out what fragrance they wear, suddenly you're curious. What does it smell like? Would you like it too? And perhaps, somewhere in the back of your mind, you wonder what it would be like to smell just a little like them.
Perfume has a way of making someone who feels very far away seem a little closer.
In September 2025, a fan reportedly asked Korean actor Kim Woo-bin to recommend a perfume that would suit her during a fan signing event. Rather than simply suggesting one, he reached into his own bag and handed her a bottle of Acqua di Parma's Mirto di Panarea.
Not a sample or a recommendation scribbled on a piece of paper, but a fragrance he actually used.
Mirto di Panarea is a fresh, citrusy fragrance with notes of lemon, bergamot, and basil, settling into warmer cedarwood and amber. According to Korean entertainment reports, Kim Woo-bin had also worn it while filming the Netflix series Genie, Make a Wish.
Imagine being that fan. You went in hoping for a perfume recommendation and left with a bottle from the actor's own bag. Even if the fragrance hadn't been your usual style, it would have been a pretty unforgettable souvenir.
But the story didn't end there.
About a year later, Kim Woo-bin appeared in an advertisement for Acqua di Parma, and a video of another encounter with the fan brought the original moment back into the spotlight. He reportedly thanked her, saying that he'd even gotten to film an advertisement thanks to her, and gave her gifts he'd purchased himself. He'd apparently been keeping them in his car, unsure when they might meet again.
It's a wonderfully sweet little story, especially considering that it all began with a simple question about perfume.
And it captures something that makes fragrance different from the other things celebrities inspire us to buy.
Recreating a celebrity's outfit isn't always easy. The jacket might cost more than your monthly rent. The shoes could be sold out, or the clothes might not suit your body, your lifestyle, or even the weather where you live.
Perfume is a little more forgiving.
You don't have to be the same size, age, or gender to wear the same fragrance. You don't need a stylist or a particular wardrobe. As long as the perfume is available and within your budget, you can experience it for yourself.
There's also the pleasure of discovering that you might genuinely have the same taste in scent as someone you admire. Not because you're trying to become them, but because you've found one small thing you both enjoy.
And unlike a handbag or a jacket, fragrance stays with you in a quieter way. You catch it on your sleeve, notice it when you turn your head, or recognize it lingering on a scarf at the end of the day. A smell can bring back a memory almost instantly, even when you weren't expecting it.
Of course, not every celebrity fragrance connection begins with such a personal encounter.
Jennie's campaigns with Korean fragrance brand TAMBURINS are almost the opposite. They're elaborate, imaginative, and visually striking. The unusual bottles, theatrical imagery, and beautifully designed stores can make you curious about the fragrances long before you've smelled a single one.
You might not know whether you'd enjoy the perfume itself, but you already recognize the world surrounding it.
That's another curious thing about fragrance. For something so dependent on smell, we often discover it through photographs, videos, and the people associated with it.
A celebrity campaign can make a bottle desirable before we know what it contains. But finding out what someone genuinely wears feels a little different. There's a sense that you're being let in on a personal preference rather than simply being introduced to a product.
Naturally, wearing the same perfume doesn't mean you'll smell exactly alike. Fragrances can develop differently on different people, and something that smells wonderful on an actor might not be quite right for you.
Still, there's something lovely about the possibility.
Most of us will never share a celebrity's wardrobe, home, or everyday routine. But we might be able to walk into a perfume store, pick up a bottle, and discover that we love the same scent.
And for a little while, that small coincidence can make someone else's world feel just a bit closer.
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