Perfumes of Singapore created an iconic scent — then the founder walked away

Perfumes of Singapore began in 1962 as Perfumes of the Orient, founded by Christina Stone and Jeffrey Stone in Singapore. After Christina divorced Jeffrey and married Indian businessman Dadi Balsara, the company was rebranded as Perfumes of Singapore. Balsara launched the 'Girl' series of fragrances — Singapore Girl, Australian Girl, California Girl, Hawaii Girl, and Hong Kong Girl — with Singapore Girl becoming a cultural touchstone sold in stores, malls, and onboard Singapore Airlines flights.

The company grew to operate factories in Jurong, Singapore and Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, producing over fifteen fragrances as well as soap and bath oils. Its Character Perfume series, based on astrological symbols, was insured for $70 million by Lloyd's of London in 1985. In 1997, Singapore Girl won the Singapore Manufacturers Association's top prize for design and packaging. At its peak, the brand was one of Singapore's most recognised consumer exports.

In 2008, Dadi Balsara decided to shut the company down. He had secured support from the Indian government to undertake large-scale projects in India, and the perfume business was no longer his priority. Rather than selling or finding a successor for a still-profitable brand, he simply closed it — ending 46 years of operations. The brand was revived in 2016 by Singapore Memories Pte Ltd under new ownership, and Singapore Girl returned to shelves, but the original company was gone.

The closure was not driven by bankruptcy, debt, or market failure. Perfumes of Singapore was viable when its founder chose to end it. The company died because the person who built it found something bigger to do — a reminder that a founder-dependent business is only as durable as the founder's attention.