UMS Students’ Local Perfume Innovation Wins Silver Medal

A team of Communication Science students from Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) has once again achieved an outstanding accomplishment, earning a Silver Medal and the Best Poster Business Plan award at the National Competition Cipta Nusantara Fest Yogyakarta Vol. 2 2025. This national competition was a collaboration between Eduhub Incubator and MCC Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, held on 15–16 November 2025.

The Soca Parfum team, Aditya Ihza Mahendra, Iman Syahputra, Bagas Hanif Bahtiar, Alya Luthfiyyah Ramadhani, and Rohima Madya Kusuma, presented a perfume business innovation that integrates local raw materials while opening pathways for elderly workers to contribute to the industry.

Aditya explained that the use of local ingredients serves as a key selling point in their business plan. Additionally, under the tagline “Scent of Care and Accessibility,” the team involves senior citizens as part of the workforce, allowing them to contribute according to their abilities. Soca Parfum’s packaging is also equipped with Braille text to support accessibility for visually impaired users.

“With the hope that this can provide economic independence and other positive impacts, including on physical and mental health,” said Aditya, Head of Soca Perfume (29/11/2025).

The choice to develop a perfume concept, he added, stemmed from research findings indicating a positive trend in the perfume industry, which has continued to grow each year. Based on their team’s research, the fragrance commodity has shown consistent revenue growth from 2013–2025 and is projected to keep increasing through 2026.

“In designing this business concept, we conducted personal research on the rising number of new perfume products in online marketplaces. This became the basis for our conclusion that perfume is in high demand and the market remains wide open,” he explained.

The competition preparation took about two months leading up to the final presentation. Although this was their first time participating in such a competition, they made every effort to present a trial prototype of Soca Parfume to the judges.

“This competition brought us so many valuable experiences that will make us more prepared for future contests,” he said.

The team’s work received praise from the judges, as Aditya and his teammates successfully addressed contemporary issues. They acknowledged that their success lay in the originality of the idea, its relevance to current social conditions, the team’s skills, and the strength of their presentation.

According to Adit, as Communication Science students, lessons from courses such as cyber public relations, branding, and integrated marketing communication greatly supported them in completing their preparations and delivering their presentation.

Going forward, they hope the competition will continue to strengthen their capabilities. “We also hope this experience becomes a first step in expanding our perspectives, boosting our confidence, and motivating us to create even better and more impactful work in the future,” he said.

Writer: Roselia

Editor: Maysali Sudarwati

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid