PETALING JAYA: Homegrown fragrance and wellness brand Felement Sdn Bhd is stepping up investments in talent and digitalisation as it eyes regional expansion and a potential stock market listing before 2030.
Founded in 2019 by Datin Cherlin Cheah, the company blends the ancient philosophy of the five elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water into a modern direct sales model anchored on personal development and scent-based products.
Datuk Alfred Soh, managing director and husband of Cheah, said the group’s immediate priority for 2026 to 2028 is strengthening its internal capabilities to support scaling efforts.
“The first thing is building up our internal team so they can scale together with the company. When we grow, they must grow with us,” he said.
The second focus is digitalisation. Felement has already launched its own app and plans to turn it into a “super app” offering lifestyle content, personal profiling tools and business support functions for distributors.
“We want it to become more dynamic. In future, it can forecast trends so our members can take pre-emptive action. It’s about strengthening the ecosystem before we expand further,” Soh said.
The company operates a light-asset model, outsourcing manufacturing to class-A factories while channelling capital into training and distributor development instead of setting up its own production facilities.
“We are more focused on building human resources than building factories. Any class-A factory in the world can be our factory. Our strength is branding and training,” he added.
Felement’s core products revolve around fragrance and what it describes as “energy”-infused formulations, spanning perfumes, essential oils, personal care and lifestyle items.
The brand differentiates itself by embedding five-element concepts into each product, positioning scents not just as lifestyle accessories but as tools to influence mood and confidence.
Soh said the group is targeting Singapore as its next growth base, describing the republic as a strategic bridge into Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.
“If we gain a foothold in Singapore, it becomes easier for us to move into the rest of Southeast Asia,” he said.
The company avoids third-party e-commerce platforms to protect pricing integrity, relying instead on person-to-person sales. Soh said this safeguards brand positioning and prevents price undercutting common in online marketplaces.
In Malaysia’s perfume market, estimated to be growing at about 6% annually, Soh believes Felement has carved out a niche segment.
“You buy a normal perfume, it’s just a perfume. When you buy ours, you choose what you want to project: growth, gratitude, leadership or harmony. That’s our concept,” he said, adding that the long-term ambition is to become “the number one fragrance brand in Asia”.
While halal certification is in the pipeline, Soh said the company relies on internationally recognised certification bodies aligned with Malaysian standards, given that bottling and manufacturing are conducted overseas.
At the heart of Felement’s expansion strategy, however, is its predominantly female distributor network, which makes up 98% of its sales force.
In conjunction with International Women’s Day, Cheah said the company’s mission goes beyond product sales to personal transformation.
“I’m just an ordinary woman doing extraordinary things,” she said, reflecting on her journey from a small-town upbringing to leading a nationwide network.
Cheah, who holds professional programme collaborations with institutions including Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, emphasises lifelong learning, passion and positive circles as pillars of growth.
“No matter what age you are, you must keep learning. Improve yourself every day, better than yesterday, better than last year,” she said.
For 2026, Felement aims to groom 200 women to earn at least RM10,000 in consistent monthly income, reinforcing its belief that financial independence is key to dignity and choice.
“Success is not how much money we have. It’s how many people we transform,” Cheah said. “If each of us does our part and improves ourselves, the family improves, the society improves.”
As the company works towards a potential listing before 2030, Soh said corporate recognition would provide stronger cross-border credibility.
“For any entrepreneur, being listed is a milestone. With that governance and compliance, it’s easier to go global,” he said.
From a philosophy rooted in ancient elements to a modern, women-driven sales force, Felement is positioning itself not just as a fragrance brand, but as a structured corporate platform built on empowerment and scale.
The Sun Malaysia
