Transparency
Achieving transparency as a brand is difficult, and transparency in the perfume world seems nearly impossible. We want to change that. By removing the mystery, and being straightforward and honest we encourage fairness and sustainability at every stage of product production. Is it worth it? We heard it can hurt business—but it changes lives. We hope that our actions will create a positive change—only by working collaboratively we can thrive and learn from one another. And just maybe then we will be able to achieve a fair pricing not only at a retail level, but also at the farmers level. We’d like to set a precedent for open communication between brands and customers, and encourage other brands to do the same.
Where does it come from?
Sharing prices, and details about who created each element of the brand might seem like oversharing. We’ve been advised that it is a poor decision, exposing us to plagiarism but also criticism. Not to mention that the traditional—maybe outdated way of selling perfume was to emphasise only the rare ingredients—which didn’t make sense to us.
We believe that by being transparent and encouraging a conversation we could change the world of perfumery. Being vocal could change livelihoods of farmers and manufacturers, who will finally become paid fairly and be rewarded well for their job. People who work in the shadows of each successful brand out there, hidden behind the NDA agreements and monopolies of big conglomerates.
Transparency requires a lot of courage at first and rewards you with freedom afterwards. We seek transparency from the brands we shop with and it would be hypocritical not to do the same with our brand. We imagine it as a route to creating fair workplaces and avoiding exploitation of the environment. To be in the position to make these choices is what we consider a new, modern luxury. What’s considered premium should never be built on the exploitation of others. The standards need to change.
How much does it cost?
In order for our customer to fully understand how a perfume brand operates, we would like to share with you costs of creating Bel Rebel’s perfume.
We are sure that these numbers may come across as shocking to some. In high fashion, the actual production of a garment is not as expensive as its retail price would suggest. In perfumery, brands choose to emphasise the rarity of the ingredient, justifying the prices. In reality, even the most expensive essences are not making up the majority of the price. But, while creating a brand, there are many other costs that are just as important as what is spent on the perfume itself – whether it’s the place we are working from or a sustainable choice of packaging. Along the way, many companies and individuals are getting paid for their hard work.
Wholesale Price
Most perfume brands around the world give up 50%, 60% or more to their wholesale price and so the end product is either really expensive or the perfume brands make absurdly small margin. In effect, it leaves them with limited budget and no room to grow. Without using free labour (unpaid internships for instance) or cutting the costs down the line, this isn’t the right approach. We didn’t want to compromise on fairness, and a lot of thought was given to price points for each product.
Perfume
10-20%
Bottle
5%
Packaging
5%
Logistics
10%
The above might change annually based on how well we do and the people that we work with. Wish us luck and if you feel like sharing feedback, love and support chat to us at rebels@belrebel.com