President and founder of Europerfumes, Vicken Arslanian, announced the acquisition and return of Commodity Fragrance via YouTube in Episode One of what will be a series of videos documenting the relaunch of Commodity.

WHO: In 2013, Yo Santosa and Owen Gee, the brains behind LA-based branding agency Ferroconcrete, launched Commodity to personalize and digitize the fragrance shopping experience with a gender-neutral design and DTC strategy. The brand had developed cult followings for its fragrances Gold, Rain, Mimosa, Whiskey, Moss, Wool, and Ash, and expanded into retail with Sephora, Nordstrom, and Space NK.

Europerfumes is a distribution company founded in 1997 with a mission to vet and source the best, hardest-to-find niche brands from Europe and around the world. Each brand is selected for its distinct, impassioned point of view. The result is a high-quality portfolio of brands that run the full olfactive spectrum: from Eau de toilettes to extraits, 100% synthetics to 100% natural fragrances. Their distribution portfolio includes brands such as Amouage, Juliette Has a Gun, Roja Parfums, Memo Paris, Montale and Abel.

IN THEIR OWN WORDS: “I was a big fan of Commodity Fragrances and, just like you, I was super sad and surprised when the brand shut down in April of this year,” says Arslanian in according to Beauty Independent. “Now, I happen to be in the perfume business and, in August of this year, an opportunity presented itself, and I was able to buy Commodity Fragrances.”

DETAILS:

• Europerfumes acquired niche fragrance brand Commodity for an undisclosed amount in August.
• Commodity will make its comeback in June, with a soft relaunch of products slated for March.
• Commodity announced the shuttering of the business in April 2019.
• Ash Huzenlaub, former CEO and managing director of Commodity, detailed in an Instagram post that he had attempted to acquire the brand.
• In the same Instagram post, Huzenlaub said during the four and a half years the brand was in business, they had built retail sales of $23 million, distribution in 642 stores across 16 countries, and a direct-to-consumer infrastructure reaching 30 countries.
• Sephora US was the primary distribution partner in the US, but the brand was also available in Space NK in the US and the UK, Sephora Middle East, and Nordstrom.
• Prior to closing, the brand reportedly had skincare in development.
• The one-minute video entitled “The Re-Founder” featuring Vicken Arslanian was sent to Commodity’s customers via email and posted on YouTube.
• Commodity was launched through a Kickstarter campaign that raised nearly $57,000.
• Ash Huzenlaub and Konstantin Glasmacher, founding partner of Lagovent Ventures Group, co-founded HauteLook Inc. and SoleSociety, entered the Commodity business in 2014 and the founders faded into the background.