Selin Kolonya's Success Story from 1912 to the Present

We conducted an enjoyable interview with Serhan Boduroğlu, R&D Director of Selin Kolonya.

Could you tell us about yourself and your professional background?

Eczacıbaşı Tüketim A.Ş. I have been serving as Innovation Director for approximately 1 year. Since I was interested in natural sciences from an early age and dreamed of becoming a scientist, I chose the chemistry department. After graduating from Boğaziçi University Chemistry Department in 2001, I decided to pursue a doctorate abroad and completed my PhD in Organic Synthesis at The University of Akron in America. I then worked as a Research Assistant in the Engineering Sciences Department at Penn State University for 1 year before returning to Turkey. [caption id="attachment_93838" align="aligncenter"] Serhan Boduroğlu[/caption] These years coincided precisely with the government's R&D center incentive law designed to encourage companies to invest in R&D. Large companies made significant investments in the R&D field, and scientists like myself, who would normally only find academic career opportunities, gained the chance to pursue corporate careers. With this career goal in mind, I began my first position as Project Leader at Kordsa R&D Center. After that, following more than 10 years of management experience in R&D and innovation at various companies, I started my position as Innovation Director at Eczacıbaşı Tüketim Ürünleri last year.

Could you tell us about the history of Selin Kolonya, whose roots extend back to the 1900s? In particular, would you like to share with our readers the tradition of discounts you apply to your products on 9 September, the liberation of Izmir?

Selin's story begins in 1912 with the production of Turkey's first cologne by Süleyman Ferit Eczacıbaşı in Izmir. Süleyman Ferit Bey, one of Izmir's first licensed pharmacists, produced Golden Drop Cologne in the historic Şifa Pharmacy in Kemeraltı, which became a symbol of Izmir at that time. In fact, almost everyone who visited Izmir would buy a bottle of Golden Drop Cologne as a gift for their friends. [caption id="attachment_93839" align="aligncenter"] Selin Kolonya[/caption] The tradition of offering large discounts on all products every year on 9 September, the liberation day of Izmir, as a gift to the public, originated from this interest and demand. By 1980, Eczacıbaşı set out again with the principle of "producing the finest cologne" and, together with a century of experience, created the Selin brand and began producing three different sizes of lemon cologne. "Selin" was also established as the new name for the colognes. This is because "Selin," which means flowing water, reflects the feeling of relief and freshness created by the products. From this point forward, Selin has continued to bring its distinctive lemon colognes and fragranced colognes to consumers in the most natural way, differentiated by its unique character in Eczacıbaşı expertise.

What are your product varieties? Could you tell us about the essentials of your company in the personal care sector you serve?

As Turkey's first cologne on the market since 1912; in addition to lemon cologne, our portfolio includes 6 varieties of fragranced cologne that we have added since 2017: Juniper, Garden Rose, Honeysuckle, Lavender, Myrtle and Blue Fir. We introduced our "Scents of Life" fragranced cologne series, composed of scents inspired by nature, to consumers in cologne format. With the slogan "Everything in life has a scent, everything is forgotten, scents never are…" which we developed for the "Scents of Life" series, all scents manage to transport consumers to their memories, and for this reason, they continue to increase our brand awareness by leaving a lasting impression on consumers. Selin brand's strategy is to continue enriching its portfolio by focusing on scent in the cologne category and especially in the fragranced cologne segment, and to bring the best products to consumers without compromising on quality in the path toward our vision of being Turkey's finest cologne.

What are your domestic and international sales activities? How would you describe the impact of your transition to fragranced colognes in 2015 on your sales?

We do not have exports under the Selin brand, but we conduct analyses in markets with cologne consumption habits. Exports are among our goals. Selin has proven itself in lemon cologne since 1980. However, we are now focusing more on fragranced cologne, the growing category in the market. The "Scents of Life" series succeeded in bringing life's own scents and familiar fragrances to consumers in the fragranced cologne segment, our new playing field. In the most important period following the launch, we increased our market share from 6 percent to 20.1 percent, proving product success on the shelf as well.

What would you like to say about the "Scents of Life Series," which you realized production of in 2017 by reviving cultural scents in consumers' memories? How would you evaluate consumers' approach to products in this direction?

We are going through times when our needs and expectations are changing rapidly. Cologne, which was once used only between holidays and purchased during home or sick visits, now occupies a larger place in our daily lives. This happened with fragranced colognes. Lemon cologne is now considered traditional and is particularly associated with holiday periods. For this reason, consumers are very open to different scents and different experiences. Fragranced colognes appear to be exactly at this point the market's new focus and candidate for becoming the most important category in the coming period. We observe that cologne, in addition to its scent and refreshing benefits, is used by white-collar workers especially in the fragranced category as an "escape from the moment." We can also say that its use as a decorative element in homes and post-shave use among men is of considerable importance. Carefully maintaining the expertise of Süleyman Ferit Eczacıbaşı, who introduced Turkey to cologne, since 1912, we bring happiness and pleasant moments to those who want to refresh themselves with scents from our lives and from us. With the Selin Scents of Life series, we aimed to offer scents that have correspondence or find a place in the cultural scent memory of the Turkish people.

Slogan: "Scents of Life"

With the "Scents of Life" series, which we launched with the slogan "Everything in life has a scent, everything is forgotten, scents never are…" all scents manage to transport consumers to their memories, and for this reason, they continue to increase our brand awareness by leaving a lasting impression on consumers. With the "Scents of Life" fragranced cologne series, composed of scents inspired by nature, we take our users deep into nature. It could be a honeysuckle garden according to its scent, or it could be a forest full of myrtle or juniper trees. We promise them the same scent as the flower they will smell from the branch. At the office, at home, on the road, on vacation, whenever needed, we offer an instant experience of freshness, rejuvenation and feeling good. As a brand that does nothing but cologne, we continuously renew and enrich our product varieties in line with our consumers' expectations and demands. Since colognes consist of a single note, when smelled they evoke the natural, emotionally take one back in time, and provide freshness. For this reason, they are very much appreciated and sought after by users. This series, developed together with perfumers with extensive scent experience, underwent hundreds of studies from which selections were made. Each scent has its own unique story; the juniper is majestic, so is its adventure. Escaping from the stifling heat of the Mediterranean, starting from sea level and ending at the 3,767-meter peak of the Taurus. Selin Juniper 3767 takes you to the freshness at the peak of these forests. The delicate flower that heralds summer reflects its beauty on people's faces. The peace given by its scent covers the entire neighborhood. Inspired by honeysuckle's scent being released every evening at 19:00, Selin Honeysuckle 19:00 brings you together with this scent at every moment of the day.

What would you like to say about R&D? What is the place and importance of R&D in the variety of colognes you produce as Selin Kolonya?

According to the OECD, R&D is defined as 'Creative work systematically undertaken to increase the knowledge base and the use of this knowledge to create new applications.' R&D essentially means a company's future. We can say it is the only method of offering innovative and value-added products to customers. Specifically for cologne, our R&D processes actually start with determining scent notes that are trending in the world and Turkey. Following this stage, formulations prepared as a result of long-term work by scent experts within our company and suppliers are tested with consumer panel tests and final products are determined. The newly developed products are prepared in fully automatic mixing and filling units and presented to consumers. Selin is an experienced and well-established brand in the cologne market since 1912. Our aim and what we have always achieved is to use the brand's experience and accumulated knowledge to be able to provide consumers with the most suitable product. R&D comes into play exactly at this point. With our R&D department, we conduct studies on different scents according to changing needs, expectations and demands. We conduct research to bring our users together with the most natural option, and we try to make the best use of the scent's interaction with our feelings, associations and experiences.

What is the most recent investment you have made in R&D? Could you share with our readers the values this investment has added to your products and company?

Our company's vision for the future is to have a say globally in the consumption category. Of course, this vision can only be realized through value-added innovative products. With this awareness, our R&D investments have continued to increase in recent years. The process of becoming an R&D center that began last year was completed this year, and we received our license from the Ministry of Industry. We are currently conducting our activities in our R&D center with 20 researchers holding master's and doctoral degrees. We can say our main areas of activity are tissue paper, cosmetics, baby care, home care and personal care product groups. In the personal care field, the most important processes we undertake are formulation development and conducting all tests in our R&D center before these formulations are converted into final products. Since the products we develop are products that contact the skin and are inhaled, conducting all necessary laboratory tests and sometimes clinical studies and proving that they have no negative effects on human health is our primary priority. In this scope, necessary dermatological and hypoallergenic tests are conducted for each product.

Can you tell us about your R&D investments in the coming years?

Within the framework of our company vision, we plan to continue our R&D investments without slowing down in the coming years. We will support our human resources, which is the most important pillar of R&D, by expanding our staff. Additionally, we have plans to establish a microbiology and a cosmetics application laboratory to increase our analysis capacity so that clinical studies and microbiology tests conducted within universities can be performed within our company. Our infrastructure work continues for comprehensive projects that we can undertake jointly with universities and domestic/foreign companies in order to develop our competencies.

Could you tell us about the technologies used in the products you produce? In this context, how do you define the importance of technology for your brand?

Our greatest value as a consumption group is our brands. The value of our brands stems from the high quality standards that are the result of the technologies and knowledge they contain in the background. In the production of Selin Colognes, our technological infrastructure plays an active role at every step from the entry of raw materials into the factory to the packaging and transportation of the final product to our warehouses. The ethyl alcohol obtained from sugar cane used in production and other raw materials are carefully checked in our fully equipped quality laboratories for spectrum compliance. Prototype products prepared with essence samples to be used are subjected to shelf life and stability tests in our R&D laboratory. Additionally, shelf life and stability properties are verified in accredited testing facilities, and as with all products that contact the skin, dermatological tests are also conducted for cologne. Successful formulations in all these product development processes are put into production. After the cologne is produced, it is rapidly cooled and filtration is applied while cold. Thanks to this technology, it is possible to preserve its scent and clear color for many years. In summary, our effective use of technology at every stage from raw material selection to production is vital for maintaining our brand value by ensuring sustainable quality standards in the products we deliver to our consumers.

Can you provide information to our readers about the most recent product you have introduced to the market? How would you evaluate this product's impact on your brand?

We want to further strengthen our presence in the fragranced cologne segment with our strong scents. For this purpose, we recently enriched our Scents of Life series with Blue Fir scent. Standing out with its blue-silver color and capable of living for four centuries with its majestic structure, Blue Fir captivates with its distinctive scent as much as its impressive and beautiful appearance. The scent of fir, which is characterized as bold, calm and patient, appeals to our users who, wherever they are, want to experience the freshness of the forest as an "instant escape."

What precautions have you taken as Selin Kolonya while producing for a more livable world?

Sustainability is one of our top priorities in the Eczacıbaşı Group. As a reflection of this, we produce with the principles of minimum waste and recycling as much as possible. We purify and use rainwater in our factories and undertake projects to minimize electricity consumption. Since alcohol, the main raw material we use in Selin Cologne production, is also a highly flammable chemical, we conduct production in a specially designed, high-security building separate from our other production areas. Thanks to these precautions, we take the highest level of precautions to prevent possible accidents and fires as well as prevent environmental disasters that could result from loss of life and property. Additionally, with the new projects we have launched, we aim to produce our final products with minimum packaging weight and with packaging made from recyclable materials. We continue our work on new formulations and packages that minimize environmental impact for our other products outside the Selin cologne family.