Fragosmic

What to consider when launching a new brand

Solving the fragrance compound puzzle

Launching a new brand is a bit like putting a jigsaw together; there can be an overwhelming number of pieces to incorporate, with the fragrance compound being just one piece. We are approached all the time by passionate people who are looking to launch a new scented product or range, and are looking for a completely unique and bespoke fragrance to help them stand out from the crowd. This short blog is designed to help people who are starting out on this exciting journey think about some of these jigsaw pieces.

Launching a new brand takes months, if not years, of planning. Regardless of whether you are launching a new line of fine fragrance, home fragrance with candles and diffusers, or skin care which requires a more subtle scent, there are so many intricate details to think about. How will your fragrance, packaging and image convey the message of your brand? There are so many components to source; doing all of this for the first time is very time consuming.

For example, to launch a new line of diffusers, you need to source (and possibly design) the bottles, decide on which carrier solvent the fragrance will be mixed with to diffuse it (alcohol is the most common, but there are more options out there), not to mention choose the reeds you will use. Something to bear in mind is that the type of reed you use can be influenced by the solvent. Designing and sourcing the packaging, while ensuring the labelling on the packaging is correct from a regulatory perspective, can take a while. Finding a reliable company to bottle up the diffusers is absolutely vital, and an area some brands sometimes overlook. At every stage of development, the minimum order quantities (MOQ) can be very high – it will take some searching to find places with low MOQs.

Choosing the fragrance may seem like the easy bit, since this is where many people’s passion stems from. You can approach a fragrance company or private label perfume manufacturers who can show you examples of fragrances in the area you are looking. If you find something that is close enough to what you had imagined, you can purchase this perfume compound. This is called purchasing an “off the shelf” fragrance compound, since it is from the fragrance company’s vast and pre-existing library.

Alternatively, some brands have a very specific fragrance in mind that they wish to launch, and want a signature perfume to stand out from their competitors. That is where we at Fragosmic come in. We listen carefully to your fragrance dreams and aspirations, and translate them into real fragrances which we trial in your products to ensure the best possible performance. We pride ourselves on being able to deliver bespoke fragrances which exceed the expectations of our clients.

To calculate how much fragrance compound or oil you will need to order, figure out how many product units you wish to produce, at what weight or amount (e.g. 200g for a candle). Next you will need to decide the dosage level of your products, which means the % of the product that is perfume compound. The dosage level will vary by product; for example this could be 0.2% for a skincare product, versus 8% for a candle or 15-20% for Eau de Parfum. For example, if a 200gram candle contains 8% fragrance (see our blog on How to create the best scented candles) and a brand wishes to make 500 of them, they will need 8 kilos of fragrance compound (plus a little extra contingency for any wastage). Some fragrance houses have large MOQs (up to 25kg), which will be too much for many new brands. At Fragosmic we have a 3kg MOQ as we recognise that oak trees grow from acorns; we enjoy the buzz of being involved in your journey from the outset.

Finally, a note on the cost of a kilo of fragrance. Like many things in life, it’s a case of you get what you pay for in perfume. Natural essential oils are often expensive; using some of the beautiful synthetic ingredients can help get the unique character you are after and at the same time make your fragrance more affordable. This is something we are able to advise on if you choose to join us for your fragrance journey.

We hope this has been helpful in prompting you to consider the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle. If you are considering taking the leap and would like to discuss any of this, please get in touch on the contact page or email nic@fragosmic.com.

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