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Collection · Patina on Brass · 50 ml

The Patina bottles

six scents

All six scents of R Parfums, an independent fragrance house from Saigon, Vietnam, come in Patina on Brass, 50 ml, from 4.212.000 ₫US$170 incl. 8% VAT. Its plate is three pieces of brass, corroded and polished by hand: one left brass, one turned fully to patina, one caught midway. No two plates are coloured alike, so yours appears on no other bottle.

From4.212.000 ₫US$170Incl. 8% VAT · 50 ml

See the six bottlesPatina or Ceramic?
Close on the Pluviophile Patina bottle: ‘R PARFUMS Pluviophile’ on a brass plate, drops of water on the glass, its reflection in a black surface below
Pluviophile, close: brass under drops of water, reflected in black.

Patina on Brass · 50 ml

The six scents in Patina

You choose the scent; the plate comes as it was finished. All six are by the perfumer Rei Nguyen.

Two shades of patina: Verde Patina, a green-blue, for the first three scents; Brown Blue Patina, deeper, for the last three.

Prices include VAT and are shown in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. Pay in US dollars by Credit Card, or in dong via Bank Transfer by VietQR. We deliver within Vietnam.

  • 221B in the Patina bottle, close and at an angle on rose petals: green flecks of patina beside a dark brushed-brass piece printed R PARFUMS 221B
  • A Patina bottle on a weathered stone post in low afternoon sun, its gold cap catching the light, a hillside and a red roof soft behind it

221B up close, its brass still turning; and a Patina bottle out of doors, photographed by Rei Nguyen in January 2023.

The plate

One plate, three ages of brass

The scent keeps time on your skin, in hours. The brass keeps a slower clock, and each piece on the plate shows a different hour of it.

Two brass pieces up close: crystalline turquoise patina across the face, a thin rim of bright brass at the edge
  1. Brass

    Left whole. It keeps the warm yellow of brass.

  2. Turning

    Halfway between brass and patina, as it was when the plate was set.

  3. Patina

    Turned all the way, to the blue-green that old metal reaches only after years of air and damp.

A Patina bottle with a gold cap on top of a rough stone post, lit by low sun; a dark railing to the left, dry grass and dark water behind

On piece II, time left its fingerprint halfway.

The making

How a plate is made

The idea came from relics in Huế; twelve months of research and development went into the Patina line. Chemistry gives the colour; the hand that lays it on gives the pattern.

Hands polishing a patina brass piece on a black ceramic plate, finished pieces laid beside it
Step two: filing and polishing.
  1. 01

    Warmed, then coloured by hand

    The brass is warmed until the moisture lifts, then given thin washes of oxides and metal salts, laid on by brush, spray or sponge.

  2. 02

    Filed and polished

    Each piece is filed to shape and polished.

  3. 03

    Three pieces set on the glass

    One left whole, one fully turned, one caught midway. Each plate is one of a kind, made for one owner.

  4. 04

    Sealed under a UV-resistant coat

    The coat guards the surface and still lets the patina breathe.

Series #1 · Film

The Patina Bottle

A Pluviophile Patina bottle in snow, close: gold cap, a piece of blue-green patina, a piece half brass and half patina, and a piece of bright brass printed R PARFUMS Pluviophile, sprigs of russet conifer to the right Watch the film — The Patina Bottle

The first film in our series follows the Patina bottle and its brass, from the first day to now.

Series
#1

Two bottles, one scent

Patina or Ceramic

The scent inside is the same. The bottles keep time differently: on Patina, each piece of brass was taken to its own stage before the plate was set; on Ceramic, the glaze differs from one firing to the next and shifts with the light.

Patina · 50 ml

The bottle
Three pieces of brass, corroded, filed and polished
Over time
Very slowly, even after the bottle is yours. The coat slows the change; it does not stop it.
Price
4.212.000 – 4.860.000 ₫US$170 – US$195 Incl. 8% VAT
On film
Series #1 — The Patina Bottle
The six Patina bottles

Ceramic · 50 ml

The bottle
A ceramic cap fired at 1000°C, in glazes that recall Chu Đậu ware; a tassel and a two-sided ceramic charm (the R logo on one face, the name of its scent on the other)
Over time
The glaze differs from firing to firing and shifts with the light
Price
3.580.200 – 4.131.000 ₫US$145 – US$165 Incl. 8% VATCurrently unavailable · expected back late November
On film
Series #3 — Ceramic and fire1:29 · silent
The Ceramic collection

Same scent, two bottles: Patina on Brass or Ceramic — see how each is made.

Smaller sizes share one page: the 12 ml bottle from 1.069.200 ₫US$45, 2 ml samples from 194.400 ₫US$8, and the Discovery Set, five scents in 2 ml, at 918.000 ₫US$35. All incl. 8% VAT. Smaller sizes

Questions

How is a Patina plate made?

The brass is warmed and coloured with thin washes of oxides and metal salts, then filed and polished; three pieces are set on the glass and sealed under a UV-resistant coat. Twelve months of research and development went into the Patina line. The full craft →

Can I choose the plate?

You choose the scent; the plate comes as it was finished, and yours appears on no other bottle. Eau de Hajime, Pluviophile and Nostalgic March wear Verde Patina, a green-blue; 221B, Shadow Éclat and Béton Chaud wear Brown Blue Patina, a deeper shade.

Is there a smaller size?

Yes. Every scent also comes in a 12 ml bottle, from 1.069.200 ₫, and a 2 ml sample, from 194.400 ₫. Five of the six are in the Discovery Set, five 2 ml vials for 918.000 ₫. Prices include 8% VAT; all three are on the Smaller sizes page.Yes. Every scent also comes in a 12 ml bottle, from US$45, and a 2 ml sample, from US$8. Five of the six are in the Discovery Set, five 2 ml vials for US$35. Prices include 8% VAT; all three are on the Smaller sizes page.

Where can I smell the Patina scents?

Smell all six at our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City, open every day. The Houses →

Do you deliver outside Vietnam?

We deliver within Vietnam only — see Stockists for Taiwan. Stockists →

Hold the brass before you choose

All six scents are at each of our three houses in Ho Chi Minh City to try on skin, open every day.

A showroom wall engraved R PARFUMS, five bottles under glass bells on a wooden shelf below
  • Nguyễn Duy Hiệu

    R Space, 34 Nguyễn Duy Hiệu, Thảo Điền — An Khánh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

    Open daily · 8:00–18:00

  • Nguyễn Huệ

    42 Nguyễn Huệ, Level 2, Sài Gòn Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

    The Café Apartment building, inside NOTE – The Scent Lab

    Open daily · 9:00–22:00

  • Lý Tự Trọng

    26 Lý Tự Trọng, Level 3, Sài Gòn Ward, Ho Chi Minh City

    Inside Saigon Scent Lab

    Open daily · 10:00–21:30