The Creation of the Ultimate Summer Fragrance by Two Le Labo Veterans
What does summer smell like? Well, it depends to whom you ask.
Summer, to some, smells like sunscreen, beach balls, and salty waves. For others, it may smell like rain, freshly cut grass, and honey. From time immemorial, fashion houses and perfume brands alike have relentlessly tried to bottle the scent of summer for decades.
German fashion brand Escada, for instance, has launched a new scent for summer since 1993. Chiffon Sorbet, a fragrance mixing passionfruit and raspberry notes, was the inaugural perfume for this collection. Taj Sunset, Sorbetto Rosso, and Rockin' Rio are some of the other perfumes the brand has launched in the last 34 years, and are all part of one of the most successful limited-edition franchises in the fragrance industry.
It comes then as no surprise that two former Le Labo executives, Amy Tran and Emilie Mascarell, decided to try their hand at capturing the spirit of summer, and develop their own fragrance brand, Annual Leave.
Summer Vol. 1 by Annual Leave
Tran and Mascarell define Annual Leave as a true micro-batch brand guided by the pursuit of craftmanship and elevated ingredients.
Its debut fragrance is aptly names "Summer Vol. 1", opening with lychee, peach nectar, blackcurrant, and raspberry notes, followed by osmanthus, pink hibiscus, jasmine sambac, and orange blossom, eventually settling into a warm and cozy base of vanilla orchid, amber, and sandalwood.
Tran and Mascarell aim to emulate the fun, fruity, and bubbly scents of Y2K scents. Annual Leave plans to follow a limited-release business model, launching a new fragrance every summer, in small quantities, and retired once sold through. For Summer Vol. 1, the Annual Leave duo focused on developing 10 kilograms of fragrance oil, just enough for 1,000 perfume bottles.
With limited resources, the co-founders decided to prioritize ingredients like jasmine sambac and osmanthus over branding and marketing.
Annual Leave is a reflection of the longing and nostalgia for what is perceived to be a better time. Brands are reviving discontinued products across multiple categories, driven most likely by aging Xennials and disenchanted Millennials, as well as by a desire to disconnect from a digital world.
Tran highlights that "We are trying to come out of this phase of being chronically online,” says Tran. “A lot of what gen Z and millennial consumers are realizing is that everyone is getting the same input of information, so everyone is being influenced to buy the same thing, and what we are seeing is that people want to discover on their own. You feel more ownership when you discover on your own. If you discover a brand when it’s so small, it’s more precious to the consumer.”
It was important for the duo to price the fragrance at USD 98 for a 30ml bottle to reflect the growing predilection of consumers to rotate scents depending on their mood, the season, and the occasion, rather than sticking with a signature scent.
Annual Leave's marketing operations rely heavily on the co-founder's extensive personal and professional networks, focusing on creating content related to quintessential summer experiences and destinations.
About Annual Leave
