The Rise of Indie Fragrance Brands

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Hey Owlets,


Ever since fragrances hit the mainstream and became big business a very select number of brands have dominated the shelves in high end drug stores and have become a mainstay of any perfume lover’s collection. If you mention brands like Dior, Chanel or Armani most people will probably be able to tell you the name of at least one of their fragrances. That’s great, but buying from a brand that has a monopoly on fragrance sales gets a little boring. I love when you go to meet a friend and they ask what perfume you’re wearing and you’re able to say something really unique.


The internet has brought a huge amount of opportunity to people around the world. All of a sudden you don’t have to be an expert in your chosen field to create something amazing, and that includes cosmetic sciences. In the last decade there has been a huge rise in people creating their own fragrance lines, particularly with the launch of companies like Etsy allowing anyone to set up their own store without a huge initial investment. 2020 saw another huge growth spurt in the indie perfume sector - everyone was stuck at home and it finally gave people time to work on their passion projects. So many candle, home fragrance, personal fragrance and beauty brands launched during lockdown as a result of having so much free time. 



One of the biggest questions I hear time and again is why you should try buying niche perfumes over a more well known fragrance. Buying fragrances online can feel like a bit of an odd thing to do - before 2020 you would probably hear about a launch, do some research online to see what other people are saying about the new release and probably go to smell the perfume in store before buying it. I was definitely one of those people! One of the great things about buying from indie brands is that they usually offer the ability to buy a small sample of the fragrance, or you can order a “discovery kit” where you get a sample size of each perfume so you can try all of their main fragrances to find something you love. I actually prefer buying from smaller brands because of this - unless you live near a big department store or you happen to catch a big brand posting out free samples for their launch you often miss the opportunity to try before you buy.


If you’ve never thought about ordering from indie brands, allow me to convince you. If you’ve ever gone through multiple well known brands looking for the perfect fragrance but not quite been able to find it, then you’ve already arrived at the reason why there are so many indie brands. There are hundreds of people before you that got fed up of looking for the perfect scent so created their own, so now you can enjoy a unique fragrance without putting in all of the hard work that the indie brand owners did! As pretty as the packaging and the marketing of fragrances from larger brands is, their fragrances just aren’t unique. They have to stay on brand with their kinds of fragrances, they have a target audience that they’re aiming for and most likely a signature scent that’s the base of a lot of fragrances. Chanel is known for light and floral scents, Armani scents all tend to be quite young and fresh, and Hermes tend to be quite woody. With an indie brand there’s no expectation so they can have fun and create fragrances with no pretence, meaning they’re all unique.



If you’re unsure about buying from an indie brand and don’t want to buy a sample size first, then my suggestion would be to just Google “best indie fragrances” and you’ll have several suggestions come up - there’s even a Reddit thread dedicated to indie brands! This way you’ll find some great brand suggestions and get a review of their products. Also, if you’re in doubt then try looking at your favourite mainstream fragrances - look at the ingredients and you’ll most likely find a few in common across your favourite perfumes. Once you’ve worked out what notes you like, try to find an indie fragrance that uses some of the same ingredients and you’re bound to love it!


Finally, if I haven’t already convinced you to give indie fragrance brands a go, let’s talk money. First of all, the price you pay for someone that’s created a line of fragrances on Etsy, verses a big beauty brand with a huge marketing budget is vastly different. For example, I found a discovery set on Etsy for £18 for 21 2ml sample bottles - you can try their entire collection for under £20. Going a little larger, slightly more well known brands that have managed to get onto the likes of Cult Beauty offer 12 2ml samples for around £25. However, if you want to try a discovery set from somewhere like Dior, you will have to pay a whopping £160 for EIGHT sample bottles - if you don’t believe me then Google it, because I wouldn’t believe me either. Not only that, but the average price you’ll pay for a 30ml indie fragrance is around £20, verses anywhere up to £100 for a 30ml bottle of a more well known brand.



Not only are you getting a lot more value for money, you’re also supporting someone’s dream when you buy a niche perfume. The past year has reminded us how important it is to support small businesses. Large corporations like Amazon have made billions of pounds over the past year, while smaller brands have struggled to stay afloat. If we continue to shop with big names these smaller brands will die out. It’s so incredibly important to support indie brands whenever you possibly can. At the end of the day, treating yourself to a perfume from an Etsy seller is going to help them put food on the table and you get something incredible in return, instead of lining the pockets of a multi-billion pound corporation - when you put it like that you really should treat yourself!


Love and Feathers, 
 The Owlet 💜 
You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest

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