What Pinrose does

Pinrose, legally Pin Beauty, is a direct-to-consumer personalized fragrance company founded in 2013 and headquartered in the United States. The company sells a curated collection of 13 eau de parfums across 8 proprietary "Sensory Identities" (e.g., Polished & Intriguing, Bohemian & Indulgent, Lush & Adventurous), created in collaboration with five internationally recognized master perfumers including Harry Frémont and Vito Lenoci. Its core technical asset is the Scent Profile Quiz, a 14-question interactive tool grounded in the synesthesia research of co-founder Erika Shumate, who studied the psychology of smell at Yale; the quiz maps sensory preferences (color, texture, sound, tactile cues) to personalized fragrance matches, with the company claiming over 1,048,000 possible combinations, 1M+ completed quizzes, 1,300+ daily takers, and an 80%+ match success rate.

The business operates exclusively through its Shopify-hosted DTC storefront at pinrose.com, with no retail or wholesale distribution and US-only shipping. Products are sold as one-time purchases: 30mL eau de parfum bottles at $60, travel sprays at $30, a 6 x 2.5mL discovery kit at $35, and e-gift cards in $25-$100 denominations. The portfolio spans unisex fragrances plus a specialized pregnancy/postpartum line (Merry Maker, Lil' Dipper). All products are positioned as paraben-free, phthalate-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged in FSC-certified materials, reinforcing the clean beauty positioning.

Pinrose has raised approximately $3.9M across seed and early-stage rounds from 2013-2016, led by Harrison Metal with participation from Grace Beauty Capital, Endurance Companies, and CircleUp. The company operates with a lean 1-10 person team, has no disclosed recent funding events, and relies primarily on earned media (Harper's Bazaar, People Magazine, Business Insider, Cosmopolitan, The Knot), organic social (Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest), email capture, and product-led discovery through the quiz as its marketing channels.

Name

Pinrose

Legal name

Pin Beauty

Website

https://pinrose.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pinrose is a US-based direct-to-consumer personalized fragrance brand selling 13 eau de parfums via its Shopify site, matching consumers to scents through a proprietary synesthesia-based Scent Profile Quiz across 8 Sensory Identities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Fragrances

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)

akta.pro primary industry

Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex) (CRABADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fragrance Gift Sets & Discovery Kits (CRABADAI)

Keywords

• Personalized fragrances
• Eau de parfum
• Direct-to-consumer beauty
• Fragrance discovery kits
• Clean beauty perfumes

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Direct Fragrance Sales: One-time purchase model for eau de parfum products. Products offered in two sizes: 30 ML bottles ($60) and Travel Sprays ($30). Discovery kits ($35) provide sampling opportunity. E-gift cards available in $25-$100 denominations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pinrose designs, sells, and ships a curated collection of clean, vegan, cruelty-free eau de parfum fragrances direct-to-consumer through its Shopify-powered online store. Customers are matched to specific scents via a proprietary synesthesia-based Scent Profile Quiz that maps sensory preferences to one of 8 Sensory Identities and 13 perfume combinations. The line is offered in 30 ML bottles, travel sprays, and a multi-scent Discovery Kit, supplemented by digital gift cards.

Product overview

Pinrose is a personalized fragrance company offering six signature Eau De Parfum products (Wild Child, Sun Saint, Merry Maker, Mystical Misfit, Pillowtalk Poet, and Secret Genius) plus a Discovery Kit and E-Gift Cards. The core differentiator is a synesthesia-based Scent Profile Quiz that matches customers to personalized fragrance recommendations from over 1,048,000 possible combinations across their 13-fragrance portfolio, organizing results into one of eight Sensory Identities. Products are sold direct-to-consumer via their Shopify-powered e-commerce store, with sizes available as 30mL bottles ($60) and Travel Sprays ($30). The company emphasizes clean beauty (paraben-free, phthalate-free, vegan, cruelty-free) with sustainably sourced and FSC-certified packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wild Child Eau De Parfum A tropical floral eau de parfum featuring Tiare Flower, Bergamot, and Freesia top notes with Jasmine, Gardenia, and Frangipani heart notes and Vanilla and Amber dry down. Marketed as a flirty, frisky scent for free spirits, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Sun Saint Eau De Parfum A fresh citrus eau de parfum with Lime, Eucalyptus, Mandarin, and Yuzu top notes, Sea Salt, Cashmere Musk, and Violet heart notes, and Coconut Wood and Sandalwood dry down. Marketed as a breezy, beach-inspired scent, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Merry Maker Eau De Parfum A fruity-floral eau de parfum with Nectarine, Pepper, Grapefruit top notes, Freesia, Jasmine, Violet heart, and Tonka Bean and Cedarwood dry down. Originally designed with aromatherapeutic properties for heightened senses during pregnancy and postpartum bonding, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Mystical Misfit Eau De Parfum A fruity-floral chypre eau de parfum with Red Currant, Peach, Prune, Raspberry top notes, Pink Rose, Jasmine Sambac, Geranium Bourbon heart, and Patchouli, Vanilla, Musk dry down. Marketed as surprising, lovable, and offbeat, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Pillowtalk Poet Eau De Parfum A powdery floral eau de parfum with Powder and Geranium top notes, Ambergris and Clove Leaf heart notes, and Musk, Amber, Sandalwood dry down. Described as intimate and sensual for close encounters, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Secret Genius Eau De Parfum A warm and spicy gourmand eau de parfum with Mandarin and Bergamot top notes, Caramel, White Chocolate, Jasmine heart, and Madagascan Vanilla, Cedarwood, Sandalwood dry down. Marketed as sophisticated, comforting, and seductive, sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Make Scents of your Senses Discovery Kit A curated discovery set containing 6 x 2.5mL (0.08 fl. oz.) Eau De Parfum travel sprays priced at $35, allowing customers to sample multiple fragrances from the Pinrose collection before purchasing a full-size bottle. Sold direct-to-consumer via pinrose.com.
• Pinrose E-Gift Card Digital gift cards available in denominations of $25, $50, $75, and $100, delivered via email for immediate use on purchases at pinrose.com.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ quiz-to-purchase match success rate
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ShopifycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-commerce platform powering the pinrose.com online store. Provides checkout, payment processing, inventory management, and store infrastructure. Critical operational dependency for DTC sales.
• Master Perfumers (Richard Herpin, Harry Frémont, Christelle Laprade, Patricia Choux, Vito Lenoci)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with internationally recognized master perfumers who create the 13 fragrances in the Pinrose collection. Each perfumer brings distinct expertise: Harry Frémont (2017 Fragrance Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award winner), Vito Lenoci (American Society of Perfumers Lifetime Achievement Award), Patricia Choux (trained under Dominique Ropion).
• US Postal Service and Major Parcel CarriersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShipping partners delivering products to US customers. Standard e-commerce logistics partnership for domestic order fulfillment. Typical 5 business day delivery window.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Phlur: Phlur is a digitally-native fragrance brand known for its personality- and mood-driven discovery model (missing person, someone's skin), making it the closest direct competitor to Pinrose's synesthesia quiz-led personalization. Comparable on DTC-only distribution, indie perfumer partnerships, and clean ingredient positioning.
• Ellis Brooklyn: Ellis Brooklyn is a DTC clean fragrance brand founded by a beauty-industry veteran, emphasizing sustainable, vegan formulations sold through its own e-commerce store. Highly comparable positioning on clean beauty credentials, premium pricing, and independent DTC go-to-market.
• Skylar: Skylar is a DTC clean fragrance house specializing in allergen-free, hypoallergenic scents sold direct via its own website. Matches Pinrose on clean beauty positioning, female-founder-led indie brand profile, and DTC-only distribution with subscription-supported retention mechanics.
• Commodity Fragrance: Commodity is a digitally-native fragrance brand built around personal scent exploration through curated scent families. Comparable to Pinrose on personality- and identity-driven fragrance discovery and premium DTC positioning.
• Scentbird: Scentbird is a fragrance subscription service that personalizes monthly perfume deliveries through a quiz-based recommendation engine. Closest comparable on subscription-adjacent personalization and DTC fragrance discovery, with a substantially larger SKU library.
• The 7 Virtues: The 7 Virtues is a clean, vegan, cruelty-free fragrance brand sourced with natural ingredients, sold primarily DTC. Comparable to Pinrose on clean-beauty positioning, indie founder profile, and mission-driven brand narrative.
• Nest Fragrances: Nest Fragrances is an indie-originated premium fragrance and home scent brand with DTC and selective department-store distribution. Comparable on fragrance product breadth, premium price positioning, and founder-led premium brand narrative.

Broad incumbents

• Le Labo: Le Labo is an Estée Lauder-owned niche fragrance house built on custom-engraved, hand-blended scents. Operates in the same indie-luxury fragrance category as Pinrose but at vastly larger scale with global retail distribution.
• Jo Malone London: Jo Malone London is an Estée Lauder-owned British fragrance house known for elegant, gender-neutral scents sold through department stores and DTC. Comparable on premium positioning and unisex fragrance philosophy.

Emerging players

• D.S. & Durga: D.S. & Durga is an independent niche fragrance house known for storytelling-driven, artisanal scents sold through its own DTC channel. Comparable as an indie perfume brand with strong point of view, but with broader distribution into selective retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pinrosescents
• Instagraminstagram.com/pinrosescents
• Pinterestpinterest.com/pinrosescents
• Xx.com/pinrose
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pinrose

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pinrose