Sapphire Scents Featured on Fragrantica in Interview with Founder Wale Jana
Sapphire Scents gained international fragrance industry exposure following its feature on Fragrantica, one of the world’s established online fragrance communities and perfume information platforms.
Published on July 27, 2025, the article, titled Nigerian Based Perfume Brands: SAPPHIRE SCENTS, featured an interview with the brand’s founder and perfumer, Adewale Aladejana, popularly known as Wale Jana.
The feature explored the story behind Sapphire Scents, its approach to perfume creation and its ambition to contribute to the growing African fragrance industry.
The Story Behind Sapphire Scents
During the interview, Wale Jana shared how Sapphire Scents began in 2015, initially operating as a perfume retail business importing fragrances from Dubai.
He explained that his experience as a perfume merchant helped him understand customer preferences and recognise fragrances with strong market potential.
The decision to develop an independent fragrance brand eventually grew from his experimentation with perfume oils and raw materials, alongside an opportunity to create a custom fragrance for a client.
The name Sapphire was inspired by the precious stone, which he associated with beauty, resilience and the richness of its different shades.
An Affordable Luxury Philosophy
One of the central themes of the Fragrantica interview was Sapphire Scents’ approach to making quality fragrances more accessible.
Wale described the brand’s philosophy as an Affordable Luxury Strategy: creating perfumes for Africans, by Africans, at prices that more consumers can afford.
The approach reflects the brand’s ambition to make distinctive fragrance experiences accessible while developing products that speak to African tastes and preferences.
Rather than simply reproducing international fragrance trends, Sapphire Scents aims to create compositions that reflect its understanding of the African consumer.
Bringing African and Oriental Fragrance Traditions Together
The interview also explored Wale Jana’s approach to fragrance composition and the influences behind Sapphire Scents’ creations.
He discussed working with materials such as musk, sandalwood, frankincense and oud, including oud sourced from Ethiopia.
He also explained the brand’s preference for combining different fragrance profiles, blending the depth of oriental ingredients with notes such as citrus, lavender and musk.
This approach reflects Sapphire Scents’ interest in developing distinctive compositions that draw from different perfumery traditions while responding to the preferences of African consumers.
The Fragrances Behind the Brand
During the conversation, Wale highlighted two Sapphire Scents fragrances: Jagaban and Lust.
He described Jagaban as one of the brand’s best-selling fragrances, with an oud and citrus composition and a name inspired by an African cultural expression associated with leadership.
He also discussed Lust, a composition featuring oud, amber, musk, patchouli and vanilla.
These examples offered readers an insight into the creative thinking behind the brand’s fragrance portfolio and the stories associated with its products.
Expanding the Sapphire Scents Vision
Looking towards the future, Wale shared the brand’s ambition to replicate its Nigerian business model across other African markets.
He also highlighted the importance of partnerships and collaborations in supporting that ambition.
The interview provided an opportunity to introduce Sapphire Scents to an international fragrance audience while sharing the ideas, influences and entrepreneurial journey behind the Nigerian brand.
About Sapphire Scents
Sapphire Scents is a Nigerian fragrance brand founded by Adewale Aladejana, popularly known as Wale Jana. Established in 2015, the brand focuses on creating distinctive fragrances inspired by African and international perfumery traditions, with an emphasis on accessible luxury.
Media source: Fragrantica | Original feature: “Nigerian Based Perfume Brands: SAPPHIRE SCENTS” by Dr Ruqayya Abba Tofa | Published July 27, 2025.