Visually impaired perfumer debuts sun cake fragrance

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) A visually impaired Taiwanese perfumer has created a sun cake-inspired fragrance to share Taiwan's warmth and hospitality with the world at a Taipei exhibition later this week.

Liu Chen-hsiang (劉禎祥), the world's first visually impaired perfumer trained at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP) in France, led her team at Chinxiang Academy to develop the fragrance.

The scent, titled "Bite of the Sun," will debut at Scent Taipei 2026, Taiwan's first professional fragrance trade show, to be held March 20-23 at the Taipei World Trade Center.

"If a scent could represent a city, what would you want the world to smell from Taiwan?" Liu told CNA, explaining that two creations by visually impaired perfumers will be showcased -- one featuring the calm aroma of agarwood, and the other evoking the warm, sweet scent of freshly baked sun cakes.

Liu, 51, spent over 30 years as a professional massage therapist and instructor. Despite being nearly blind, she has developed an acute sense of smell, which she said allows her to "paint the world through aroma."

When the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered massage businesses for months, she began questioning the limited career paths available to the visually impaired.

Drawing on her heightened sense of smell -- a "gift" sharpened by her lack of sight -- she decided to pursue formal training in Grasse, France, widely regarded as the world's perfume capital.

After completing her studies, Liu returned to Taiwan and founded Chinxiang Academy to train aspiring perfumers, particularly those with visual impairments, with the long-term goal of establishing Asia's first internationally recognized perfumery institution led by the visually impaired.

Among the academy's creations this year is "Bite of the Sun." Liu said the idea was sparked by a chance encounter last year with visiting guests from the United States, who expressed a desire to take home a scent that truly represents Taichung.

She drew inspiration from the sun cake -- a pastry with a flaky crust and maltose filling -- long seen as a symbol of central Taiwan's warmth and sunshine.

In developing the fragrance, Liu incorporated Taiwan-native botanical elements and carefully calibrated proportions to recreate the scent of toasted pastry and sweet malt.

She said the fragrance is intended not only to evoke a familiar taste, but also to serve as a cultural vessel, conveying memories, emotions, and a sense of place.

"We want people to feel a simple, profound happiness -- as if they've just taken a warm bite of a sun cake," Liu said.

The creation, she added, reflects how Taiwan's local culture can be reinterpreted in innovative forms and introduced to the world through the language of scent.