"When the indie fragrance brand Phlur first launched in 2022, it was only available online-meaning customers had to buy its perfumes without ever smelling them. At the time, creative director Chriselle Lim wasn't sure whether anyone would actually want to take that risk. But after she posted on TikTok that the signature fragrance "Missing Person" was inspired by her own experience with "the smell of a heartbreak," the orders started flooding in."
"When Tuttle founded Olive & June in 2013, she said that category leaders in the nail care aisle had become a kind of echo chamber, all competing for the same market share while losing sight of what customers actually needed. Her brand was able to break through by identifying an overlooked pain point for nail-obsessed customers. "Before Olive & June, the incumbents were really focused on salon products that were made for manicures,"
When Phlur launched online in 2022, customers had to buy perfumes sight unseen. Creative director Chriselle Lim posted on TikTok that the signature scent "Missing Person" was inspired by the "smell of a heartbreak," triggering a surge in orders. Phlur expanded into Sephora and Amazon and was acquired in late July by private equity firm TSG Consumer. The brand leveraged savvy marketing, a clear perspective, and social-media storytelling to build a dedicated fanbase and enable acquisition. A Fast Company Innovation Festival session with Lim, Allison Ellsworth, Sarah Gibson Tuttle, and Giorgos Tsetis offered three takeaways for small brands competing with incumbents in 2025. One key takeaway: identify consumer insights big brands miss; Olive & June addressed the lack of at-home nail products.
Read at Fast Company
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