Scents of Seduction began in 2019, born from a shared passion for fragrance and creativity. At the time, Jean Cilliers’ partner had just completed a perfume-making course and began blending fragrances as a hobby, experimenting with scent combinations inspired by some of the world’s most beloved perfumes.
By December 2019, the idea had grown into something more. Encouraged by the positive response from friends and family, they decided to take the leap and start selling their perfumes at local markets under the name De’ Royal, launching with an impressive range of 62 inspired fragrances.
The response was immediate and encouraging. Demand grew quickly, but balancing full-time jobs with the time-intensive process of mixing, bottling, and selling perfumes became increasingly difficult. Believing in the potential of the business, Jean resigned from his job at the end of February 2020 and invested his entire final salary into expanding the range to 84 fragrances.
Just three weeks later, South Africa entered a hard lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With no income and no certainty about the future, Jean adapted. He began selling perfumes directly from the boot of his car wherever he could find potential customers — often sales staff at essential businesses that were still operating during lockdown.
In April 2020, the partnership came to an end and the stock was divided. Jean continued independently under a new name: Scents of Seduction.
As restrictions gradually eased, Scents of Seduction returned to the markets. Jean booked stalls across Gauteng and trained friends to help with sales, steadily rebuilding and growing the brand through word-of-mouth and loyal customers.
Today, Scents of Seduction is a well-known and much-loved presence at markets throughout Gauteng. The collection has grown to over 180 inspired fragrances, all of which are also available online — each one reflecting a journey defined by resilience, passion, and an unwavering belief in the power of scent.
Scents of Seduction began in 2019, born from a shared passion for fragrance and creativity. At the time, Jean Cilliers’ partner had just completed a perfume-making course and began blending fragrances as a hobby, experimenting with scent combinations inspired by some of the world’s most beloved perfumes.
By December 2019, the idea had grown into something more. Encouraged by the positive response from friends and family, they decided to take the leap and start selling their perfumes at local markets under the name De’ Royal, launching with an impressive range of 62 inspired fragrances.
The response was immediate and encouraging. Demand grew quickly, but balancing full-time jobs with the time-intensive process of mixing, bottling, and selling perfumes became increasingly difficult. Believing in the potential of the business, Jean resigned from his job at the end of February 2020 and invested his entire final salary into expanding the range to 84 fragrances.
Just three weeks later, South Africa entered a hard lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With no income and no certainty about the future, Jean adapted. He began selling perfumes directly from the boot of his car wherever he could find potential customers — often sales staff at essential businesses that were still operating during lockdown.
In April 2020, the partnership came to an end and the stock was divided. Jean continued independently under a new name: Scents of Seduction.
As restrictions gradually eased, Scents of Seduction returned to the markets. Jean booked stalls across Gauteng and trained friends to help with sales, steadily rebuilding and growing the brand through word-of-mouth and loyal customers.
Today, Scents of Seduction is a well-known and much-loved presence at markets throughout Gauteng. The collection has grown to over 180 inspired fragrances, all of which are also available online — each one reflecting a journey defined by resilience, passion, and an unwavering belief in the power of scent.