The only caveat was cost — and that’s where the new entrants come in. By eliminating the middle man and going direct to the consumer, these companies can sell their scents at a fraction of the price of the leading players. For instance, By Kilian retails for $260 and Hawthorne for Men, which launched at the end of last month, sends each customer two bottles — one for “work” and one for “play” — and costs just $100 for both.
— Women's Wear Daily takes a look at the growth of direct-to-consumer fragrance brands. Read more at Like Warby Parker did with eyewear, direct-to-consumer fragrance labels are gaining fans, reprinted in the Los Angeles Times.
Interesting… to say nothing of the (usually) much better quality coming from the indie brands.
Except generally speaking, these brands are NOT geared towards perfumistas. They are geared towards people who are not interested in perfume shopping or having to do lots of sampling. In other words, don’t go looking for anything challenging.
I think Pinrose (which they note was one of several that ended up having to go the brick & morar route) is the perfume example.
Reading the full article I learn that Hawthorne helps its customers select a fragrance based on a proprietary algorithm. You’re right — they are not geared towards people who prefer to put a bit more thought into their choices. I figure the odds that an algorithm might find the perfect perfume for me are about nil. In addition, where’s the fun in that? And these are the perfumers attracting venture capital. Yikes.
So far, apparently even non-perfumistas are not biting in sufficient numbers, so not sure it is a winning formula.