Rapidly rising Target-exclusive fragrance brand Fine’ry has been disrupting the mass fragrance industry since its 2023 launch, particularly across social media. After going viral in its debut year, achieving 2.2M engagements and 32M online impressions, the brand has amassed almost 3x this figure in engagements year to date. Following its one-year anniversary in 2024, Fine’ry maintained this momentum with double-digit sales growth and a +287% increase in Instagram followers. Aiming to expand its social success, in an innovative leap into the metaverse, Fine’ry has launched on Roblox, bringing a unique twist to the fragrance experience in a space where smell itself can’t be replicated.
“Roblox is more than just a platform for us; it’s an immersive experience where fragrance meets phygital,” Oshiya Savur, Chief Brand Officer at Maesa, told BeautyMatter. “We are thrilled to engage with Roblox’s audience, creating a space where users can learn about fragrances while expressing their individuality and creativity in a fun, interactive environment.”
Named the Fine’ry-verse, the activation takes inspiration from the brand's pop-up event earlier in the year that welcomed over 2,000 customers in NYC, focusing on the power of AI and scent experiences. The pop-up was powered by unique AI visuals and sounds that reflected the brand’s 15 signature scents, and included four different scent rooms: All the Feels, a cloud-inspired space evoking feelings of nostalgia; Nearly Nomadic, an escape to coveted places of the world from exotic terrains to hidden beaches; The Royal Sweet, a Parisian café filled with gourmand flavors; and Guilty Pleasures, a decadent speakeasy that brought opulent and lavish fantasies to life. “The fully sold-out event garnered hundreds of pieces of earned social media content and resulted in a 10% Instagram follower growth over the weekend,” Savur affirmed at the time of launch.
Ensuring the Fine'ry-verse on Roblox reflects the core elements of the brand—despite the absence of physical scent—the activation centers around one key aspect: discovery. Although users on Roblox cannot physically smell Fine’ry fragrances, they can engage with their essence through interactive features. The game includes integrated engaging narratives that tell the origin tale of each fragrance. Players are invited to craft scents by exploring a whimsical world filled with luscious greenery and vibrant florals, collecting ingredients that directly represent fragrance notes, helping to gain a deeper understanding of each product offering. Once this is done, players head back to the game's main area, where large clear bowls stand, encouraging them to craft the scent with the foraged ingredients.
The choice to bring the Fine’ry-verse to Roblox followed on from the physical pop-up’s achievement, aiming to expand audience reach even further, with a focus on Gen Alpha. Currently the generation dominates the space, with 65% of Roblox users being under the age of 14.
“Roblox was a strategic opportunity to merge our brand digitally in a new space, allowing us to connect with new audiences like Gen Alpha. By engaging users where they are, we’re enabling a new audience to interact and discover Fine’ry in a new, meaningful way that’s authentic to the brand,” Savur added. “We began by creating an immersive visual experience that captures the essence of our fragrances. Each fragrance has its own story and inspiration, which we translated into vibrant environments with stunning graphics.”
UCG within the game (e.g., emotes/dancing) reflect the experience of the brand's scents. For example, users perform a red-carpet runway walk for The New Rouge scent, which is viewed as one of Fine’ry’s “more sophisticated” offerings. Alongside this, another element of the game, the Fine’ry Lounge is shaped like the brand's fragrance bottle, and features multiple rooms to reflect each fragrance.
“Today’s youth, including Gen Alpha, are already showing a growing fascination with personal expression and self-identity. As they grow, we believe they will become the fragrance enthusiasts of tomorrow, discovering and celebrating scents that reflect their unique personalities and lifestyles,” Savur adds. “As an early adopter of tech-first marketing, we’re excited to have created an innovative brand experience on Roblox. This approach to marketing not only makes our brand memorable but also turns it into an engaging journey that users can share and enjoy with friends.”
Savur explained that Fine’ry’s Roblox debut was all about community and democratizing fragrance. “Our launch on Roblox aligns with our goal of fostering genuine connection. For too long, fine fragrances have been exclusive and unattainable, but Fine’ry is changing that. Roblox’s strong sense of community allows us to cultivate a dedicated following of fragrance enthusiasts, bringing phygital experiences to life for new audiences,” she stated.
The brand hopes that its Roblox activation will allow all different types of users to unite as one to enjoy fragrance in a way they previously have not before. “Fine’ry is driven by the belief that everyone deserves to feel fine, and that includes Gen Alpha,” Savur said. “We envision a world where the experience of fine fragrance is accessible to all, regardless of age, location, race, gender, or socioeconomic status. This inclusive vision lies at the core of our mission, as we strive to make the art of fine fragrance available to everyone.”
As the digital and physical worlds continue to connect, the fragrance sector is continuing to build upon this connection, as reflected by the Fine’ry-verse. Elsewhere in the industry, brands have explored ways that scent can be involved in virtual worlds, without being able to actually smell them. Brands including YSL and Rook Perfumes have created fragrance NFTs, Google is constantly training its AI models to predict how molecules will smell by analyzing their structural makeup, and Osmo is using similar technology to craft new fragrance models. With these continued efforts to give fragrance a presence in the digital realm, just how long will it be until a digital perfume is on the horizon? Fine’ry is certainly continuing to explore the options that these digital spaces provide for its products.
“We’re passionate about expanding our product offerings and pushing the boundaries of innovation. Fine’ry will be introducing a diverse range of fragrances that explore new olfactive spaces and categories, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy,” Savur added. “Expanding the Fine’ry-verse into online gaming is a thrilling next step in our mission to engage with new consumers. Our vision is to keep evolving Fine’ry-verse, allowing people to experience Fine’ry far beyond Roblox and New York City, creating unforgettable moments wherever they are,” she concluded.
