PromZ Vak 4 · 2026 · English edition

By Peter van Gestel

Parfumado doesn't want to replace your bottle, but to convince your nose

When you say perfume, you say bottle. A handsome design, usually made of glass, a considerable weight, a cap that feels just a little too heavy, and packaging that must primarily convey that what is inside is special. Parfumado is doing something that was unthinkable in that world for a long time: it makes luxury perfumes accessible in the form of handy samples, allowing consumers to try and compare scents at their leisure. Not to make the classic bottle obsolete, but precisely to help them discover new favourites in an ever-growing range.

That distinction is important, emphasizes cofounder Martijn van Rooy. “We are not an alternative to the full-size bottle. We are a discovery and marketing channel.” The company started as a subscription service for consumers but also developed into a data source for perfume brands, a sampling platform, and a gift concept for the business market.

In love with an industry

Van Rooy had the ambition to become an entrepreneur early on, but decided to study and gain experience first. After graduating, he ended up at YVRA, at the time a small perfume brand under development. Several experienced entrepreneurs were involved with the brand, including Maarten van den Biggelaar, founder of Quote and cofounder of Planet Internet.

For Van Rooy, it was his introduction to an industry that captivated him almost immediately. Not only because of the product, but especially because of everything surrounding it. “You are essentially selling a liquid that smells nice.

But emotionally, perfume does a huge amount to people. From disgust to falling in love. If you love marketing and storytelling, it is a great industry.”

In two and a half years, he got to know the links in the chain: from production and distribution to retail and the consumer. At the same time, he saw how traditionally the market functioned. You prefer to buy perfume physically, because the nose ultimately decides. Online, the purchase quickly becomes a gamble.

That is precisely where Van Rooy saw an opportunity. Subscription models like HelloFresh were on the rise and made recurring purchasing behaviour easier. Why couldn't a similar model work for perfume? Not for the consumer who has been wearing the same scent for twenty years, but for people who enjoy discovering, switching things up, and trying new brands.

From sample to month's supply

The premise was simple. Anyone receiving a sample at a

perfumery usually gets a small bottle of about two millilitres. This often happens only after a purchase has already been made. According to Van Rooy, that is actually the wrong order: pay first, then try. Moreover, such a small sample is barely sufficient to truly get to know a scent. Perfume develops on the skin, changes throughout the day, and can be experienced differently the more often someone wears it. A first impression from a test strip is far from telling the whole story.

Parfumado therefore opted for eight millilitres: enough for about four sprays a day, for thirty days. A month's supply, in other words. Large enough to seriously experience a scent, small enough to keep discovering.

The idea was appealing, but the execution was much more complicated. Perfume is a closed industry, dominated by heritage, premium, and luxury brands that strictly guard their intellectual property and brand experience. After all, the bottle, packaging, and presentation are an important part of the product.

Parfumado therefore explicitly positioned itself not as a competitor to the full-size bottle. The company actually wants to encourage its purchase. Anyone who discovers a fragrance they really like via Parfumado is referred to the retailer to buy the original bottle.

“We want to ensure that someone decides to make that investment of sometimes 150 euros or more based on a real experience,” says Van Rooy. “If you are crazy about a fragrance, you eventually want to have that beautiful bottle.”

Not a sales channel, but a marketing platform

In its early stages, Parfumado focused primarily on solving a consumer problem. As the platform grew, the company discovered that it could also solve a different problem for brands.

Every user starts with a perfume quiz. This maps out preferences for scent profiles, ingredients, brands, and purchasing behaviour, among other things. It does not just ask about obvious categories like fresh, woody, or sweet. Preferences for materials and atmosphere can also provide insight into the direction someone is looking.

The quiz was developed in collaboration with perfumers and fragrance experts. Many questions stem from oneon-one conversations they normally have with customers. For example, someone drawn to velvety fabrics may more often prefer warmer, sweeter, or amber scents.

The result is not binding advice. The customer remains in control and chooses which fragrance they wish to receive. Moreover, the recommendations are becoming increasingly accurate. After receiving the fragrance, the user can indicate whether or not they liked it. With every thumbs up or down, the system continues to learn.