TheIndustry.fashion & TheIndustry.beauty Podcast · TheIndustry.fashion

Vicken Arslanian, 'Re-founder', Commodity

·35 min·3 clips

Vicken Arslanian keeps a wall of perfume bottles to remind himself never to repeat a $1.5 million loss.

Vicken Arslanian, founder of Europerfumes, speaks with Sophie Smith about his acquisition and revival of the fragrance brand Commodity. Arslanian purchased the brand in late 2019 after a spontaneous offer while he was on a beach. His background includes a failed fragrance venture at age 21 where he lost $1.5 million, an experience he calls traumatic. Arslanian saw Commodity as having a clear reason to exist, unlike his first brand. He felt the niche fragrance world had become too exclusive and expensive, excluding many consumers. Commodity originally launched via Kickstarter in 2013, creating a digital-first model for discovery. After purchasing it, Arslanian inherited an in-progress rebranding effort, which he redirected during the COVID-19 shutdowns. His team conducted a "speed dating" session to evaluate fragrances, cutting the line from 19 scents down to four distinct ones. A major innovation was the "Scent Space" system, replacing traditional terms like eau de parfum. This system offers each fragrance in three intensities: Personal, Expressive, and Bold. The Personal versions often use molecules like Iso E Super to create a sheer, skin-close scent. For example, the bestseller Gold has a Bold version enhanced with saffron, resins, and smoky notes. The new fragrance Milk was inspired by Arslanian's love for fire pits and welding, combining notes of roasted marshmallow and cold steel. Milk now constitutes 40% of the brand's business. Discovery kits, which allow home sampling, drive 50% of sales with high conversion rates. Arslanian launched a documentary series to transparently chronicle the brand's reboot, starting with an episode called "London Calling." The series aimed to retain the existing community during the transition and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. Future episodes may cover opening a retail store and the process of launching in Sephora. The conversation is casual and reflective, blending business strategy with personal storytelling. Arslanian's tone is enthusiastic and candid, often sharing unvarnished lessons from his failures. This episode will appeal to entrepreneurs, fragrance enthusiasts, and anyone interested in brand-building and niche consumer goods. Listeners seeking a highly structured, data-heavy business case or those with no interest in the fragrance industry might find it less engaging.

As heard by us

A fragrance rebrand becomes a straightforward lesson in customer language and product clarity.

Commodity's story is practical rather than flashy. It shows how fragrance branding can steer customer choice without changing the product itself.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Hear how Commodity turns choice, intensity, and naming into a clearer buying decision.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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