Tuesday 12 May 2015

The smell of success

Is Parma Violets, apparently.

We've always loved perfume over at Fairypants HQ. If you've read other posts, you'll realise that actually we just love all beauty products, but for the purposes of this installment, we'll just be talking fragrance.

In August of 2014 I had a dream, and in the dream I was making perfume. When I woke up, I thought -HANG ON, WHY AREN'T I DOING THAT?! I had thought about it before, but I reasoned that it would be too expensive, and too hard.

But that dream made me look into it a bit further, and I realised I was wrong - it wouldn't be THAT hard. So I bought small volumes of the right ingredients, and got really excited about creating a range that complimented my most popular products at that point - my lip balms.

Obviously the lip balms are based on cakes and cocktails - and I thought people might not want to smell of Mojito, so I decided to only copy a few scents (such as Irish Cream) and create some new ones too. (like Strawberry Jam!)


The main problem standing in my way was - what do I put it in? For a business of this size, proper perfume bottles with the metal spray top were out of the question. I thought about a spray top made of plastic, but it did not fit in with our brand at all. Then, miraculously I found the bottle above. Retro styling? Check. Cuteness factor? Check. It might not be that practical, but it sure looks good. The pipette style applicator dispenses just the right amount, and the bottle is a massive conversation starter!

So I decided on 10 fragrances, and paid through the nose to have them all safety assessed in the lab. Who knew that the art of putting chemicals directly on your skin was so heavily regulated? (Anyone who gives it some thought, clearly).

Those final 10 are Irish Cream, Strawberry Bellini, Pina Colada, Moscow Mule, Cuba Libre, Parma Violet, Strawberry Jam, Apple Crumble, Berry Cheesecake and Peach Melba. I didn't really know which ones would become favourites. If I'm honest, I thought Parma Violet would be a bit of an acquired taste.

How wrong I was.


This bad boy has slowly become a cult favourite. In the space of a few months, its popularity definitely exceeded my expectations. It launched in September, then half the country woke up to it on Christmas Day*. (*slight exaggeration. Possibly). 

People evidently want to smell like the inside of a sweet shop. On the back of that revelation, I decided to launch another range - five new scents based on sweet shop favourites. Mint Humbug, Rhubarb & Custard, Blackcurrant Liquorice, Cola Bottles and Milk Bottles. We've yet to see a clear favourite, but my money's on Rhubarb & Custard. It's fit.

xox

Cute and practical pipette applicator


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