PromZ Vak 4 · 2026 · English edition

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

For perfume brands, this yields information that traditional retailers barely possess. Parfumado knows not only what someone orders, but also why a fragrance might appeal, what profile is associated with it, and how a product is evaluated after use. These insights can be shared with brands in reports and analyses.

As a result, Parfumado has become more than a subscription service. Van Rooy calls it a data and insight marketing channel. “We are not a sales channel. We are a sample channel. People come to us to discover what suits them.”

More targeted sampling, less waste

This positioning aligns with a broader development in the beauty industry. Traditional sampling often still operates on the principle of distributing as much as possible. Brands send large numbers of samples to retailers, who then hand them out without much selection. A significant portion ends up unused in a drawer or in the trash.

Parfumado tries to make that process more targeted. Based on the fragrance profile, a sample can end up with someone who is already known to have a high chance of interest. This makes sampling not only more relevant but can also limit waste. In addition to the subscription, the company therefore offers sampling campaigns for brands. A consumer does not necessarily have to be a subscriber to participate. The available data makes it possible to distribute a specific fragrance to a suitable target group. Not shooting blindly, but sampling from someone who is likely genuinely curious.

Parfumado keeps production in-house. The company receives perfume in bulk from many brands, after which the fragrances are bottled in-house. For larger volumes, this is done mechanically; for smaller quantities, partly manually. With an assortment of more than six hundred fragrances, full automation is not always cost-effective.

From subscription to corporate gift

Although Parfumado was built upon the consumer market, the product soon proved attractive as a business gift as well. Perfume inherently possesses a luxurious appeal, while the travel size is practical and accessible. It is personal, but need not be risky as long as the recipient can choose for themselves.

The latter is crucial within B2B. A company can gift a preselected fragrance, but also opt for a gift card. The recipient then completes the quiz themselves, receives recommendations, and determines which scent suits them best. This makes a traditionally difficult gift suddenly scalable: personal without the buyer having to select a scent individually for hundreds of employees.

The main business peak is around Christmas. In the perfume industry, a large portion of annual revenue is generated around Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Sinterklaas, and especially Christmas. The subscription business is less dependent on this, but within B2B, the fourth quarter remains dominant.

Deliberately through resellers

For the promotional market, Parfumado deliberately chooses to collaborate with distributors and resellers. This means that margins must be shared, while the company also serves consumers directly. Nevertheless, Van Rooy does not view the B2B channel solely as a source of revenue.

After all, behind the physical product lies a platform and a subscription model. Every gift can be an initial introduction to the broader range of services. The more people use the bottle, the greater the brand awareness and the greater the chance that they will become customers themselves later on. The lower margin is therefore partly seen as a marketing investment.

Meanwhile, the ambition extends beyond the Netherlands and Belgium. Parfumado is also active in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia and aims to expand further in Germany. Ultimately, the company wants to grow into the premier perfume discovery platform in Europe, with a rich selection of brands and, in the long term, a million active subscribers. It is certainly not a modest ambition. But perhaps that suits perfume well: a product consisting of barely visible liquid, yet capable of evoking a complete world through packaging, story, and emotion.