August 12, 2026
What started as a hobby for Trine University graduate Ali Syed has blossomed into
the sweet smell of success.
Ali, who earned his Master of Science in engineering management in 2015, is the co-founder and CEO of Yom & Layl Perfume Bar, a high-end custom fragrance business headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois.
Launched in 2021, Yom & Layl crossed $1 million in annual revenue last year, with customers around the world.
The company offers more than just smells, Ali said. It gives consumers an interactive, memorable experience.
“Customers don't simply purchase a fragrance,” Ali said. “They can watch their perfume being blended in front of them, personalize their bottle with custom engraving and even create their own unique fragrance during one of our perfume-making workshops. We combine craftsmanship, customization and hospitality.”
Making scents
Ali and his close friend and business partner, Askar Salman, have shared a passion for fragrances since high school.
“We spent countless hours learning about perfumery, experimenting with different fragrance oils and creating blends simply because we enjoyed the craft,” Ali said.
After graduating from Trine, Ali worked for two years as a supply chain analyst before transitioning into an enterprise resource planning implementation engineer role at a manufacturing company.
He then went on to work as a systems engineer at an information technology consulting firm in the Chicago area.
“Each of these roles gave me valuable experience in problem-solving, process improvement, project management and technology, all of which became incredibly useful when building my own business,” he said.
In the meantime, Ali and Asker continued to create fragrances at home and share them with friends and family. They began to realize that people wanted more than nice smells; they wanted to be part of creating them.
“That inspired us to create a concept similar to Starbucks, where customers can personalize their coffee exactly how they like it,” Ali said. “We wanted to bring that same level of customization to fragrances by allowing customers to create their own signature scent and watch it being blended right in front of them. We believed perfume shopping could become an experience rather than just a transaction.”
Day and night
The company’s name is a combination of Arabic words for day and night. According to its website, “YOM represents the day on which the divine bounties are perfected, while LAYL represents the night on which the angels descend with divine blessings.”
“Our focus has always been to make high-quality niche fragrances accessible to everyone,” Ali said. “We handcraft every fragrance fresh to order using high oil concentrations that provide exceptional performance while keeping our prices affordable.”
His wife, Atiya Razvi, joined the company full-time as a business analyst after working for two years as a systems engineer with Starbucks Technology. She is also a Trine graduate, having completed a Master of Science in information systems in 2024.
Ali said it’s been “incredibly rewarding and exciting” to see the company grow.
“Every milestone reminds us how far we've come from making fragrances in our homes to building a growing company with customers across the country and internationally,” he said. “Seeing customers genuinely connect with our products makes all the hard work worthwhile. It motivates us to continue improving and innovating every day.”
The company plans to open its first Perfume Bar Lounge, an immersive concept store where customers can enjoy perfume-making workshops and discover new fragrances, in Chicago by the end of this year. Long-term, they hope to open similar locations around the world while expanding their online presence.
Strong foundation
Ali credits his time at Trine with providing a strong foundation for his work in owning a business. He said his coursework equipped him to evaluate opportunities, solve problems strategically, manage teams and shepherd ideas from concept to execution.
“Beyond the classroom, Trine encouraged critical thinking and gave me the confidence to take calculated risks,” he added.
He hopes that those who read his story are encouraged to take a similar leap of faith to complete their education and follow their dreams.
“Trine gave me more than a degree. It gave me the knowledge, confidence and problem-solving skills to build something from the ground up,” he said. “The education, experiences and relationships I built there gave me the confidence to pursue something I truly believed in.”
“When I first arrived at Trine, I expected to earn an advanced degree that would strengthen my professional qualifications. What I did not expect was that it would completely reshape the direction of my career.”
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