The perfumery in Braga where you can make your own perfume

Anyone who passes by the Yntenzo store, at number 99 Rua do Souto, in Braga, has no idea that behind that facade hides one of the most innovative perfumery experiences in the country, if not the most innovative. On the three floors of the building you will find, of course, the perfumes of this 100% Portuguese brand, but also scented candles with vegetable wax, body moisturizers, sprays for fabrics, soaps and, on the top floor, a Perfume Museum, which will open in September with free admission to explain the entire process of fragrance design, from harvesting to filtering to blending.

The best part, of course, is the perfumery lab where customers can create their own fragrance. It is this characteristic that makes Yntenzo the first perfumery experience store in the country, according to Daniel Vilaça, the Braga native responsible for the brand. “A few years ago, when I was still starting to work in scent marketing, I realized that Portugal had no perfume brands. And I really wanted to have something that was a bit more ahead of the so-called perfume supermarkets, where you can find fragrances from various brands.”

It has been three years since Daniel Vilaça opened a perfume factory in the north of the country, which now produces 20,000 perfumes a day, not only for its own brand (Yntenzo) but also for other national and some international companies that ask it for perfumes, air fresheners and other scent lines. An investment of more than two million euros, which also includes a “digital nose“, a chromatograph that allows to separate all 200 to 300 components of a perfume, ensuring the consistency of the formulation.

Daniel has now mastered the industry’s lexicon and methodology. A long road traveled since 2006, when he was still working as a designer. Trips outside the country were frequent and it was on one of them that he discovered an olfactory marketing company. “13 years ago, talking about scent marketing in Portugal was almost a bug for many people. But I liked marketing a lot at the time and I started doing campaigns for brands”, begins by explaining the head of Yntenzo, summarizing: “I created olfactory identities and customers would ask me for more. A perfume, an air freshener and so we grew. Then in 2016 we started to create the factory”.

However, she still needed to create her own 100% Portuguese brand. The annual perfumery congresses in Milan gave her knowledge about trends and the future of perfumery. “I realized that more and more people are looking for a personalization of the perfume, natural ingredients and a different service”. That’s how she created Yntenzo, the niche perfumery where fragrances have scents as different as chestnut and green bell pepper, but also more floral scents. “They are stronger perfumes, when compared to those in traditional stores. In Portugal, we are still not very used to these stronger fragrances, because the ones we buy are usually made to please a large number of people,” he says.

Yntenzo ‘s perfumes range in price from €45 to €150, however, any customer can make their own. There are three workshops, by appointment, which allow you to do one or two tests until you reach the perfume you want. The cheapest (€120) lasts an hour, while the most expensive cost €140 and include an explanation of the history of perfumery.

And don’t think that women only like sweet or floral perfumes. “Although women’s lines are typically more floral, the truth is that nowadays more and more women are looking for so-called men’s perfumes,” says Daniel. Among the new trends are also perfumes with oriental scents. If in doubt, it’s best to try it out.