Custom design or white-label partnership for your perfume: Which to choose?
If you want to get into the perfume business, you'll have to make a choice : either create a custom made perfume, or create a white-label perfume. Often, the distinction between these 2 types of project is blurred and difficult to perceive. What exactly are we talking about? What do we mean by "white label"?
This article will help you to find out more, and to understand which way to turn according to your priorities & needs.
Tailor-made fragrances or white label fragrances: what are we speaking about ? In the world of perfumery, there are two main partnership models: white label services and tailor-made creations. These two approaches respond to very different needs and strategies. Understanding all related pros and cons will enables you to choose the solution best suited to your project, budget and brand positioning. White labeling consists of marketing an already existing product, developed and manufactured by a perfumer, but sold under your visual identity and name.
To do this, the perfumer generally has a catalog of fragrances, standard packaging and customization options: bottles, caps, labels, logos, etc.
Custom creation, on the other hand, follows a diametrically different logic. Here, everything starts from scratch: the perfumer creates a unique fragrance, taking into account your brand DNA, storytelling, price positioning and target audience. The process involves olfactory briefing, creative iterations, stability and safety tests, as well as the development of coherent and often exclusive packaging. It's a 100% personalized approach.
White Label: fast and more cost effective A White Label perfume project is a great solution if you want to launch quickly and with a low budget. White label is ideal for companies that want to test a market, add a line to an existing fragrance range, or offer side products without investing heavily in Research & Development.
It's also a cost-effective approach, as minimum order quantities are often low (a few hundred pieces), and relatively low development costs mean you can get started without having to finance large quantities of product.
You can focus yourself on marketing, distribution and customer relationship management, without worrying about olfactory research, formulation or production.
Tailor-made development: the perfume that embodies your brand A tailor-made perfume project requires dedicated support where all the elements making up your perfume are created and selected according to your own criteria to best suit your needs.
A custom made perfume project requires a greater investment in time (often several months of development) and budget, but it offers tremendous added value: the perfume developed for you becomes a true vector of identity, impossible to find out elsewhere. In the long term, this makes your brand unique and sets you apart from the competition. If you're thinking of positioning yourself in the niche perfumery segment, this approach is essential.
Tailor-made creation is therefore for brands wishing to build a strong universe, tell a singular story and offer a distinctive sensory experience. Often, this uniqueness usually allows your fragrance products into a higher margin range and premium positioning.
To sum up: which type of perfume should you choose? In short, white label is distinguished by its simplicity, speed and low cost. It's an excellent choice if you want to launch with limited quantities of fragrances and tight deadlines.
The creation of a bespoke fragrance, on the other hand, requires a more substantial commitment, but offers a much more powerful lever for differentiation and loyalty.
The choice between the two will therefore depend on your future brand strategy, your resources and the experience you want your customers to enjoy.
Whatever the case, CADENTIA Group, through its expertise, will accompany you step by step in the development of your perfume, whether as part of a white label project or as part of a bespoke creation. Contact our teams today.
Our mission? To bring your perfume project to life.
