Andrea Brillantes starts perfume line despite having no sense of smell. Here's why
Andrea Brillantes is delving into the business of selling perfume despite her condition of having no sense of smell.
The actress announced her new venture in a recent post on her Instagram page, sharing a picture of herself with Kyle Echarri in promotion of her "Lucky Potion" fragrance line along with a few of the products.
In the caption, she quickly addressed the concern of her congenital anosmia, a condition that renders her inability to smell.
"As many of you know, I was born with congenital anosmia (no sense of smell), but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the scent I use! In fact, my disability has made me more conscious of how people perceive my smell," Andrea highlighted.
"So, even though I can’t smell, I still enjoy wearing perfume and I’m often asked about the fragrance I use," she added.
The local star admitted that she is both "so excited and nervous" to share her perfume line, writing, "I didn’t want my disability to hold me back from creating products that are related to scents."
The Lucky Potion perfumes are produced under Andrea's Lucky Beauty cosmetics brand and are available on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.
"Our Lucky Potions are stories and feelings bottled through the art of fragrance. A perfume and a charm in equal parts, each scent weaves a tapestry of aromatic notes and accords with heartfelt intention," the products' description read.
The actress first opened up about her condition in an interview with Karen Davilla in July 2022. During the candid conversation, Karen asked Andrea directly about her diagnosis. "Is it true? You've been diagnosed with congenital anosmia?"
Andrea confirmed the condition, revealing, "Wala po akong pang-amoy at all. Wala po talaga. As in pwede po akong ututan sa mukha."
Congenital anosmia refers to a lifelong inability to smell from birth. It may manifest as an isolated abnormality without additional symptoms or be linked to specific genetic disorders like Kallmann syndrome or congenital insensitivity to pain.
If you want to know more about the condition, you can read our Explainer on what anosmia is and whether is there a cure.