Chriselle Lim’s First Fragrance Captures The Unmistakable Feeling Of Missing Someone

Science has long since concluded that scent is the sense tied closest to memory, but anyone could have arrived at that realisation independently. A lover’s almond shampoo lingers on a pillowcase and reminds you of the night before, a father’s old shirt smells like back home, and a rush of May air mingling with just-cut grass immediately triggers “school’s out” nostalgia no matter how old you are. The association of scents with long-gone places, experiences, and even people is an incredible, often bittersweet one, and it’s at the heart of Chriselle Lim’s PHLUR fragrance, Missing Person.

Designed to be a very literal representation of longing and remembrance, this scent will be the first launch from the reimagined brand after the acquisition by Lim. PHLUR’s Missing Person fragrance launches today February 22 on the brand’s site but there’s more to come as yet-unveiled releases also helmed by Lim are still on the horizon.

Described by Lim herself as the fragrance version of “nude” in all forms, the scent is stark, sensuous, and comforting. Housed in a vintage-toned, burnt-pink glass bottle marked by minimal lettering, the musky-floral scent has been Lim’s signature since it was first developed. It’s the sort of scent that, once you catch a whiff, feels both recognizable and utterly unique, the way an uncovered memory seems at once achingly familiar and strangely foreign — like you almost can’t remember if it happened to you, or if it was all just a dream.

The fragrance opens with a distinctly human scent, skin musk, which is like a deeper and richer version of skin. It’s animalistic and unforgettable, yet inoffensive and surprisingly light — which makes sense considering Lim’s “just like nude” descriptor. The top notes continue with bergamot nectar and sheer jasmine, both fresh and floral. At the fragrance’s heart is orange flower and neroli blossom, the latter of which is both warm and sweet and a bit citrus-zesty.

Finally, the base is anchored by sandalwood, blonde wood, and white musk, making it a perfect perfume for the warmer months — it’s like a slip dress, impossibly light and floaty yet undeniably powerful.

If you’re familiar with Lim — which you probably are if you lurk Instagram and TikTok’s more fashionable corners — then you’ll know this launch is a deeply personal one for the influencer-turned-mogul. Lim’s Missing Person scent coincides with what seems to be a very painful, public separation from her husband. Lim’s TikTok still mostly features her famously creative outfits, jet-setting lifestyle, and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, but now those videos are punctuated by others dealing more explicitly with her grief.

In one, for example, Lim is very the picture of the high-dollar influencer decked out in a matching sweat set and gleaming skin on a first-class flight to Paris, but tears are uncontrollably falling from her welled-up eyes. Her pain is palpable through the screen, and it’s at once beautiful, healing, and hard to witness — not unlike the cycle of feelings involved with actually missing someone, too.

But the story has a happy ending. Not only has Lim managed to literally bottle her pain and turn it into art through fragrance, but she’s also turning it into yet another highly successful business — now that’s worth following.

We only include products that have been independently selected by TZR's editorial team. However, we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.