EXCLUSIVE: Snif Inks Retail Partnership With Ulta Beauty
Fragrance brand Snif is making its first big retail move.
The brand is taking three bestsellers to 525 Ulta Beauty doors, as part of the retailer’s Sparked program. They each retail for $65, and so does a sample kit with 10 milliliter testers of each. They launch in-store Sunday.
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The offering harkens back to the brand’s original business model, which took a drop-style approach to unveiling three fragrances at a time on its website. Since then it has unveiled candles and a meaty pipeline of lucrative collaborations ranging from Prince to the Goodtime Hotel.
The brand’s growth trajectory made retail the natural next step. “Retail has always been in the roadmap for Snif, but what we were waiting for was this nexus of the brand having enough awareness in the real world, and enough demand from our existing customer base that would actually support a retail rollout,” said Bryan Edwards, Snif’s cofounder. “With the explosive growth we experienced last year, we knew now was the time to strike.”
Added Phil Riportella, cofounder, “It’s part strategy, part timing, part luck. We were having these conversations, it made sense, we thought it would be a good home for Snif in terms of their customer and their locations.”
The cofounders declined to provide sales figures, though industry sources expect the brand to surpass $10 million in net sales this year.
“For us to continue to grow the business at the rate it’s been growing, we needed to increase the number of channels we’re selling in and try to meet our customers where they are. We’ve done consistent surveying with our customers, and Ulta has always been a top destination,” Edwards said.
Snif also repackaged the products to better stand out on shelves. “It’s more made for retail,” Riportella said. “Our d-to-c packaging doesn’t have notes on the box…. A lot of thought went into it, it’s fun, it’s really colorful. We want it to stand out and pop and also feel the luxury, even though we are launching with very accessible price points.”
As reported, fragrance saw low double-digit growth at Ulta in the first quarter of fiscal 2023. “Fragrance is doing great. It’s a big part of the Ulta Beauty growth strategy, and we’re going to continue to do best in it and drive new ways to delight our guest,” Dave Kimbell, chief executive officer of Ulta Beauty, told WWD at the Fragrance Foundation Awards in June.
Added Muffy Clince, director of emerging brands, “Bringing Snif to Ulta Beauty through Sparked is an exciting moment for us, as we’re creating an in-person extension of the brand’s reimagined approach to scent discovery. Fragrance is such a personal choice for everyone and Snif’s gender-neutral, affordable, and fun scents are a differentiated offering that we know our guests will be excited to test and shop across our assortment.”
The scents include Sweet Ash, which has notes of juniper, bergamot, vanilla and patchouli; Tart Deco, with notes of black cherry, raspberry, rose and jasmine, and Golden Ticket, which features bergamot, black tea, green tea, sage and amber.
“Our fragrances have really proven themselves on the market,” Edwards said. “Our repeat purchase rates are off the charts. The main theme for us this year is increased distribution, which is why we’re partnering with Ulta.”
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