SOCIAL SET
Joel Cruz marks 26 years of Aficionado with new fragrances and a DAILY TRIBUNE surprisee
The expo beautifully demonstrated that Filipino ingenuity is the country’s most lucrative and stylish export.
Aficionado celebrated 26 years in the fragrance business by looking toward its next chapter during its Trade Partners Event for Business and Media on 24 September at Solaire North in Quezon City.
Hosted by the “Lord of Scents” himself, Joel Cruz, president and CEO of Central Affirmative Co. Inc.–Aficionado, the gathering brought together business, retail and media partners for an evening of networking, a business expansion presentation, dinner, entertainment and an awards ceremony.
The evening opened with a “sniff session,” giving guests an early look at fragrances lined up for the final quarter of 2026 across the premium, middle-market, niche and mass-market segments.
Among the products presented were Anino, La Craux and a group of Ambassador brands. Anino, which Cruz introduced as part of the company’s newer fragrance offerings, features scents designed for layering. La Craux, meanwhile, takes its name from the French expression for “the crossing” and is built around the idea of combining fragrances to evoke memories and create individual scent experiences.
The Ambassador lineup includes Ervio, Onze Celeste, Dorique, ZMira, Lovronia, Scentiel, Kalivr, Le Vion, Heysaphira by Heylisse and Elsewhere.
The event also recognized the business and media partners that have helped Aficionado expand over the years, including industry organizations, retailers and international distributors.
The DAILY TRIBUNE was among those honored with Aficionado’s Most Valued Media Partnership award. DAILY TRIBUNE director for brand partnerships Chingkee Mangcucang accepted the award on behalf of the newspaper.
Mangcucang had another reason to remember the evening: during the grand raffle draw, she won an all-expense-paid trip to Yokohama, Japan.
For Cruz, the anniversary was ultimately a celebration of the relationships behind the company’s growth.
“This milestone is not only a celebration of our 26 years, but also a celebration of the partnerships that have helped us grow, innovate and move forward,” Cruz said in a post.
Among the organizations recognized during the evening were the Chamber of Cosmetics Industry of the Philippines, Philippine Retailers Association, Philippine Franchise Association and DTI Export Marketing Bureau, alongside major retail partners including SM, Ayala Malls, Robinsons, WalterMart, Mercury Drug and 7-Eleven.
International partnerships were also highlighted, with distributors from Dubai, Papua New Guinea and Taiwan among those recognized. The LSC 5 Group of Companies, chaired by Gov. Chavit Singson, received the event’s finale award.
As Aficionado moves into its 27th year, Cruz said the company remains focused on developing fragrances, expanding partnerships and building products for the next generation of Filipino consumers.