Andrea Maack runs her own eponymous niche luxury fragrance label from Reykjavik. During the pandemic, the company moved the facilities to Iceland.
— We use Icelandic water and alcohol and innovate here. I never do what the industry expects — that’s what keeps me motivated, she says.
Last year, the brand joined forces with industry leader Billerud, to re-do the entire outer packaging, eliminating plastic and making the box as small as possible.
— This partnership has now developed into secondary packaging with the same vision. I created the brand for e-commerce — that’s why the bottle is so thin so that it’s super easy to ship — even if I was told by everyone in the industry that no one would ever buy a fragrance online without testing it. Now, we are mostly an online brand with impeccable sample service, seamless and free shipping, and debunking the old industry standards. We’re giving the customer time to test the scents at home. Once the set is purchased, we provide a code with the same amount that you can use for a purchase of a full-size bottle. So, essentially, the kit is free.
How have you seen consumer behaviour change?
— The demand for transparency and honesty is everything now as well as being gender-neutral, inclusive, and environmentally conscious. The way I slowly developed the brand over time, to not really thinking of what the consumer was looking for but just based on my gut instinct, is now ticking all the boxes that the consumer is looking for, says Maack, continuing,
— I also love what TikTok has done for fragrance — all the true stories from my customers make me so happy and they are funny and easy to relate to. So, I encourage beauty brands to show their vulnerability on social media just like the influencers do. No one is perfect!
End of last year, master perfumer and Andrea Maack collaborator Julien Rasquinet came to Iceland for the launch of the Extrait De Parfum collection.
— I took him around the Reykjanes peninsula and we had such a magical day, visiting hot springs, waterfalls, and just the amazing moon-esque, sci-fi landscapes of the area. Even if it was December, we had a gorgeous sunny day and I wanted Julien to imagine the Nordic spring — a bit cold and crispy but fresh and sweet. And what we came up with, Solstice, a fresh and invigorating scent combining the juicy sweetness of watermelon with the crisp and refreshing notes of aqua, that we just launched, says Maack.
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