Two students from the School of Business and Management, Institut Teknologi Bandung (SBM ITB), have once again achieved impressive results at the national level. Muhammad Abdillah Putra Alfera and Aurelia Viny Natania, along with their respective teams, won first and second place, respectively, and the Favorite Team award in the prestigious L’Oréal Brandstorm 2026 competition. This victory was achieved thanks to their innovative smart fragrance device, which combines technology, modern lifestyle, and sustainability.
Two students exchanged tips and tricks for those who aspire to excel in similar competitions. Abdillah emphasized that innovation should always lie at the intersection of three key aspects: Desirability (meeting user needs), Feasibility (being technically achievable), and Viability (having a sound business model).
“Also, don’t forget that storytelling is crucial. A great idea won’t be effective if it can’t be communicated powerfully and clearly to the judges,” emphasized Abdillah, the 2026 SBM Student Representative Council (Mapres SBM) and the 2026 ITB Student Representative Council (Mapres ITB) winner in Bandung (April 28).
Echoing this sentiment, Aurelia emphasized the importance of starting with a strong, real-world problem. “Don’t immediately focus on a cool solution, but ensure the problem is relevant and insightful. Also, ask for plenty of feedback, be brave enough to criticize and change your ideas, and practice your pitch delivery from the start,” she said.
Running a large-scale competition simultaneously with the rigorous selection process for Outstanding Students certainly presents its own challenges. Both agreed that prioritization, a structured timeline, and team communication are key to surviving a busy schedule.
Both Brandstorm and Mapres (Outstanding University Student Competition) foster critical thinking, storytelling, and problem-solving skills, creating a beneficial overlap that reinforces each program.Aurelia explained. Abdillah’s team, which included exchange student at NUS, successfully overcame the challenge of long-distance communication through consistent online coordination and a speclearvision of responsibilities.
Previously, Abdillah’s Moneyfesteam team won first place with their “Azzaro Quintessence” innovation.
“We see modern men juggling multiple roles in a day, but perfume is usually designed for just one occasion. Therefore, we created a 4-in-1 perfume system that can produce up to 15 different scent combinations, powered by AI through the ZaroApp and MagSafe-enabled devices,” said Abdillah.
The success of this innovation, Abdillah continued, is due to a multidisciplinary approach that combines elements of fragrance, technological sophistication, and business feasibility. The synergy of these three areas ensures that their concept is not only innovative on paper but also ready for immediate application in industry.
Meanwhile, the AADC team, led by Aurelia, won second place and the Favorite Team award for their Sillage innovation.
“Our innovation stems from the vision of ‘growing consumption while reducing waste.’ Sillage is a smart fragrance device with a cartridge system that holds three fragrance variants simultaneously, allowing users to layer perfumes,” explained Aurelia, a 2026 Entrepreneurship Study Program Student.
Aurelia added that Sillage’s main focus is to reduce the high amount of glass bottle waste in the perfume industry, while addressing the Gen-Z trend of prioritizing self-expression and personalization.
This innovation journey will continue to the next stage. As the national winner, the Moneyfesteam team will represent Indonesia at the international competition, which will be held in Paris on June 18-19, 2026. The AADC team hopes that the Sillage concept will not stop at the competition table but can continue to be developed within the luxury fragrance industry at large.
