Mezziun: South Korean Independent Fragrance Capturing the Beat of the Streets

“Express your own unique appeal with a perfume that suits your style and that you enjoy.”

— From copy on Mezziun’s Wadiz crowdfunding page

Basic Information
The Founder and the Origins of the Brand
The Brand’s Distinctive Approach
The Fragrance Lineup
By the Way…

Basic Information

Year founded: 2017 (the year activities as a perfumer began); the first collection was released in 2019
Founder and perfumer: Jang Ji-un (장지운)
Country of manufacture: South Korea (Made in Korea)
Official website: www.mezziun.com
Instagram: @mezziun

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

A Fashion-Loving Designer Turns to Scent

South Korea’s perfume scene was long a market dominated by imported brands. With global names such as Chanel, Dior, and Jo Malone London filling the shelves, it was not easy for a Korean perfume brand to establish a firm presence of its own.

One designer stepped forward to challenge that situation. Jang Ji-un (장지운), who describes himself as “a designer who loves perfume and enjoys fashion,” completed the full formal perfumer-training curriculum at a specialist institution in South Korea before teaching himself how to launch a brand.

In 2017, Jang Ji-un formally began working as a perfumer, seeking to imprint his own sensibility and philosophy on the still-uncultivated terrain of South Korea’s independent fragrance scene.

Starting on Wadiz: Crowdfunding Weaves the First Scents

In 2019, Jang Ji-un brought Mezziun’s first collection to Wadiz, South Korea’s largest crowdfunding platform. The project was titled “Sensual scents that complete your style” (“sensory scents that complete your style”). This line distills the essence of the brand.

On the Wadiz page, Jang Ji-un described his aspirations in these words:

“Imported brands account for most of the domestic perfume market, while domestic brands have very little standing or recognition. Mezziun wanted many people to know that there are good-quality domestic perfumes that are every bit as good as imported ones, and that domestic perfume brands with distinctive concepts that work well with fashion do exist. Rather than simply selling products, we will be a brand that safeguards its philosophy and creates and grows together with those who love Mezziun.”

— Jang Ji-un (장지운)

The first collection, “Crush & Jazzy,” was released as eau de toilette (EDT). Icons of street culture came to life in each scent. “Crush” took its cue from Justin and Hailey Bieber’s relaxed yet sophisticated streetwear looks, combining natural green notes, radiant florals, sweet fruity notes, and the woody musk of sandalwood. “Jazzy” drew inspiration from hip-hop fashion icon A$AP Rocky and his song “Purple Swag,” opening with fresh lilac and citrus before developing into deep, rich woods and enveloping amber musk.

The Wadiz project attracted attention, and Jang Ji-un’s brand formally began its journey.

2021: The Turning Point Toward Becoming a Maker

A few years after launching the brand, Jang Ji-un took an even bigger step. In 2021, Mezziun expanded into specialist fragrance manufacturing, establishing a system that handled everything from fragrance formulation and development through to production. Rather than outsourcing as a brand owner, he chose to become the maker himself, taking control of the entire manufacturing process.

With this transition, Mezziun’s fragrances came to reflect Jang Ji-un’s sensibility more directly.

The Brand’s Distinctive Approach

Philosophy: A Gender-Free, Seasonless Sensibility

Mezziun’s core concept is clear: “To break free from established frameworks divided by gender and season, creating addictive, sensory fragrances through the pursuit and reinterpretation of new values.” This is not marketing copy but a design philosophy that runs through every product.

All products are designed to be unisex, deliberately excluding categories such as “seasonal,” “for men,” or “for women.” Jang Ji-un himself explained this on the Wadiz page:

“All Mezziun perfume products are designed to be unisex. You can experience varied changes in scent over time and depending on who uses them, enjoying the essential pleasure of perfume infused with Mezziun’s uniquely androgynous appeal.”

— Jang Ji-un (장지운)

Sources of Inspiration: Subculture, Hip-Hop, Music, and Art

The motifs Jang Ji-un chooses for his fragrances are neither luxury-brand runways nor natural landscapes. They are subcultural fashion, hip-hop, music, and art: expressions within what is known as counterculture. He incorporates into his scent motifs the individuality and sensibility expressed through distinctive high-end fashion and trendy streetwear styles.

He describes his fragrance-design process as follows:

“Through numerous fragrance materials and hundreds of formulation experiments, I design free-spirited, wonderful scents imbued with harmony, balance, and rhythm.”

— Perfumer Mezziun (Jang Ji-un)

Production: Low-Temperature Aging and High Concentration

The most distinctive feature of Mezziun’s current Extrait Fragrance line is its primary use of highly concentrated natural materials, finished through a proprietary manufacturing process called “low-temperature aging.” Slowly aging highly concentrated accords, the structural framework of a scent, is said to create delicate fragrances with depth. The brand positions this line as “original and the most daring of scents.”

Since its early collections, the brand has also made its position clear: “We want you to experience the fragrance notes freely, rather than in the three stages of top, middle, and base notes.” This refusal to confine a scent’s evolution to a fixed framework can also be seen as one of the brand’s distinctive qualities.

Packaging and Distribution

Mezziun’s products are distributed mainly within South Korea, but in Japan they are carried by retailers including LE SILLAGE, a niche-fragrance specialist in Kyoto, and have gradually become better known among Japanese perfume enthusiasts. For the legal classification of the products, please see the “By the Way…” section below.

The Fragrance Lineup

Mezziun’s current main line is “Extrait Fragrance,” with all products made in South Korea and offered in 50 ml bottles. Below is an overview of representative creations that could be confirmed.

FUCKING BEAUTIFUL

“The smell of smoking tobacco is not pleasant, and smoking is bad for your health. Yet the rich, fresh scent of tobacco leaves is also beautiful, and tobacco is sometimes called the devil’s plant. The word ‘Fucking’ before ‘Beautiful’ carries many meanings beyond profanity.”

This scent grew out of the experience of a perfumer who once loved smoking, nostalgic for tobacco he no longer smokes. It constructs, through a tobacco-and-woody accord, the scent of tobacco whose distinctive sweetness emerges from the bittersweet smell of dried leaves. Under the hot sun, the freshness of green tobacco leaves combines with burning desire and woody accords, while spicy notes and patchouli create a dangerous allure.

Notes: Top: tobacco leaf / Middle: tobacco, patchouli / Base: woody notes, musk

LUSCIOUS ASS

The scent is described as “Sweetness flowing over a full silhouette. Sensual accords transferred to clothing reveal the beauty hidden within: a sensory exposure in a candid mood.”

Ylang-ylang lends a sensual mood to the luscious pleasure of ginger oil blended into the fleshy textures of peach and coconut, while a rich, vibrant amber accord sustains a gentle addiction.

Notes: Top: peach, coconut, ginger / Middle: ylang-ylang, vanilla / Base: amber accord

KILLING ME SOFTLY

“There are so many fragrances expressing softness, and they all resemble one another. Rather than the ordinary softness everyone likes, I created a fragrance with an intense, ecstatic softness.”

This creation was inspired by the Fugees’ celebrated song “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” known in Japanese as Yasashiku Utatte (“Sing Softly”). It expresses the song’s sweet, rhythmic melody and the direct mood of its lyrics through scent. French lavender absolute forms the core accord, a touch of sage oil adds luscious vitality, and a base infused with animalic musk creates a scent that “kills you gently.”

Notes: Top: violet, sage / Middle: lavender absolute / Base: cashmere, animal notes

RETRO VIBEZ

A fresh opening of bergamot and blackcurrant is followed by a luscious heart of cinnamon and rose, finishing with a deep base of transparent amber and powdery musk. This collection expresses through scent the modern refinement within a retro atmosphere.

Notes: Top: bergamot, blackcurrant / Middle: cinnamon, rose / Base: amber (transparent), powdery musk

NAKED VINYL

The latest creation has the concept of “recording and replaying moments from the past through scent, like memories revived at the instant a record needle scratches the disc.” Detailed note information could not be confirmed on the official website or elsewhere at the time this article was written.

By the Way…

Perfumes Sold as “Air Fresheners (Room Sprays)”

Mezziun products carry the following instruction: “Directions: Spray into spaces such as rooms, or onto carpets and similar surfaces, from a distance of around 20–30 cm. Do not use on skin.” Korean sales pages also describe them as “방향제” (air fresheners or room fragrances), but no public documentation has been confirmed that would establish this as an issue of authorization under South Korean cosmetics law, nor have details of individual applications or approvals been verified. Although some Japanese enthusiast blogs report applying the products to skin, these individual practices do not establish that the brand intends them for skin use. Even if the richness of their scent evokes parfum, the intended uses are in spaces and on carpets and similar surfaces, as described by retailers. They should be enjoyed in accordance with the instruction not to use them on skin.

The Connection Between the Brand Name and the Perfumer’s Name

The brand name “Mezziun” appears to reflect “Ji-un,” the name of its founder and perfumer, Jang Ji-un (장지운). Since “Mezziun” is difficult to pronounce for English speakers, it is often rendered in Japanese katakana as “メジウン” (Mejiun).

Publicly Available Information About This Brand

Mezziun is an independent South Korean brand, and detailed interviews and primary-source information in English or Japanese are limited. At the time of writing, widely available primary sources on founder Jang Ji-un’s background in greater detail, or on his specific descriptions of his perfumery philosophy, could not be found. This article is based mainly on the Wadiz crowdfunding page, product descriptions from official stockists, and information from various retail websites.

References