EVNNE’s Park Hanbin is all for nostalgia. Every moment — from his early days as a K-pop trainee to rising as one of the industry’s must-watch talents — is marked with a particular scent, or at least, he tries. “Perfumes can be used as a tool for nostalgia,” the singer tells Teen Vogue over Zoom. “I’m trying to build a habit of connecting my memories with scents to make them even more special.”
But the memories Hanbin talks about aren’t all glamorous — some are mundane, like the sweet scents of street food filling the streets of Seoul, and others are moments of hardships, which he often spent at Han River. Eventually, he would overcome those challenges and join Jellyfish Entertainment’s boy group EVNNE (an acronym for EVENing’s Newest Etoiles) after appearing on the hit survival show Boys Planet. Despite not making the final lineup for the show’s group ZEROBASEONE, Hanbin — alongside bandmates Keita, Lee Jeonghyeon, Yoo Seungeon, Ji Yunseo, Mun Junghyun, and Park Jihoo — would go on to debut with “Trouble” and “Ugly” in 2023 and very quickly, garner acclaim as one of K-pop’s must-watch artists.
Through a flood of gifts over the years and a curiosity to discover his signature scent — one that didn’t smell typically “manly” or caked in artificialness — Hanbin is officially the group’s fragrance aficionado, and he knows a thing or two about finding what works. Now, with their fourth mini album HOT MESS, Hanbin welcomes a new era that may or may not smell a lot like a dessert shop. No matter the vibe, “putting on perfume is for self-satisfaction,” he says.
Ahead of the release of HOT MESS on February 10, EVNNE’s Park Hanbin sat down with Teen Vogue to chat about fragrances, tips and tricks, and more.
Photos courtesy of Jellyfish Entertainment for Teen Vogue. Product images courtesy of brands. Art by Liz Coulbourn.
Teen Vogue: How did you get into perfumes? Do you have specific memories growing up or during your time as a trainee that sparked this interest?
Park Hanbin: I wasn’t too interested in perfumes or scents because I thought many of them smelled artificial to me. Then, I was given some perfumes one day — Jo Malone’s Blackberry and Wood Sage — and shared them with my bandmate Lee Jeonghyeon. Since that moment, it sparked my interest in fragrances.
TV: What’s your perfume routine at the moment? Do you layer different scents? Are you big on touching up throughout the day?
PH: I personally don’t layer perfumes because I also use body lotion. They’re usually scented ones such as lemon, tangerine, and anything that’s very citrusy and fruity.
But I actually watched a video of Ariana Grande introducing her perfume, and she shared how she puts it on. She actually puts it on her neck so she can smell her perfume better. That inspired me to do the same: I usually spray around my neck area so I can smell myself better.
TV: What’s your fragrance collection looking like? How many would you say you have in your collection? What are some of your more regular scents in rotation?
PH: So far, I have about 20 fragrances in my collection, some of them are gifts and others I bought myself. I’ve been using Diptyque’s Fleur de Peau a lot lately, and it has a very approachable, fig-slash-natural skin scent. Most of my scents are also from the brand Acqua di Parma. I actually have most of their fragrances.
TV: What scents or notes do you gravitate towards?
PH: I used to prefer more fruity scents. But when I turned 22 years old [international age], I wanted to have a more masculine image. I tried typical “manly” fragrances from different lotions and toners, but honestly, it wasn’t for me. These days, I’m experimenting with woody notes and fig scents.
TV: Would you say your perfume routine differs depending on the day, like back-to-back schedule days versus days off when you want to relax?
PH: I don’t change perfumes on a day-to-day basis. Instead, when I like a scent, I tend to stick to it for a while. If I really want to change my vibe, then I will switch it up — like whenever I’m out for work. Something that I also enjoy is using bath bombs or bath salts from Lush. I love soap-y scents because it makes me feel very relaxed. I also recently bought a diffuser and I’m loving it at the moment.
