Abel

What Abel does

Abel is a New Zealand-founded natural fragrance brand founded in 2014 by Frances Shoemack, a former winemaker, and headquartered in Wellington. The company designs, formulates, and sells 100% natural, genderless Eau de Parfum fragrances created through a proprietary biotechnology platform in which plant sugars are fermented by bacteria, fungi, and yeasts to produce precision natural scent molecules. Its core product line consists of 11 signature fragrances priced at €180 per 50mL bottle, complemented by 6mL perfume minis (€35), Discovery Sets with credit toward full bottle (€80), and a sub-brand of natural Room Sprays (€60) designed by perfumer Dr Fanny Grau. Master Perfumer Isaac Sinclair, New Zealand's only Master Perfumer and based in Paris, leads creative development alongside Dr Fanny Grau, whose PhD in biochemistry anchors the technical platform.

The business operates a hybrid go-to-market model anchored by direct-to-consumer e-commerce on abelfragrance.com, supported by selective wholesale distribution through premium prestige retailers including Liberty London, Dover Street Market Paris, and Printemps New York. The brand differentiates on full ingredient transparency (the first fragrance house to publish complete formulations), PETA-certified cruelty-free positioning, sustainable packaging including biodegradable Vivomer caps and 100% recycled paper boxes, and reformulated concentration levels averaging 37% stronger than previous formulas. Customer segments target conscious luxury consumers and gender-fluid fragrance seekers willing to pay premium prices for verified natural ingredients.

Abel is a privately held, founder-led, bootstrapped company with approximately 25 employees across offices in Wellington, Amsterdam, New York City, and Paris. Operations span Oceania (New Zealand, Australia), North America (United States), and Europe (United Kingdom, France, Netherlands). The company has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no M&A history. Its growth strategy emphasizes product portfolio expansion, selective retail partnership depth, and continued reformulation and sustainability investment rather than capital-intensive scaling.

Name

Abel

Legal name

Abel NZ

Website

https://abelfragrance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Abel is a New Zealand-founded natural fragrance brand selling 100% natural, genderless Eau de Parfum through DTC e-commerce and selective wholesale at premium retailers. It serves conscious luxury consumers globally with biotechnology-enhanced scents created by Master Perfumer Isaac Sinclair.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Fragrances

NAICS

Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612), Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120), Health and Personal Care Retailers (456)

SIC

Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844), Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural & Clean Fragrance (CRABADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex) (CRABADAA), Flavors, Fragrances & Aroma Chemicals (IMAEABAE)

Keywords

• Natural fragrances
• Biotech perfume
• Genderless eau de parfum
• Vegan cruelty-free cosmetics
• Luxury room sprays

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Perfume Sales: Direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales of 100% natural Eau de Parfum in 50mL and 6mL formats, with prices ranging from €35 (mini) to €180 (50mL). Discovery sets at €80 with credit toward full bottle purchase.
2. Room Spray Sales: 100% natural room sprays in 100mL format at €60 per bottle, designed by perfumer Dr Fanny Grau.
3. Gift Sets and Discovery Sets: Curated gift sets including Fresh and Warm Gift Sets, and Summer Sets with mini bottles and credit toward full-size purchases.
4. Gift Cards: Digital gift cards sold in denominations from €50 to €500, allowing recipients to choose from the full product range.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Abel designs, formulates, and sells a collection of 100% natural, genderless Eau de Parfum fragrances using biotechnology-enhanced natural molecules created through fermentation of plant sugars by bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. The portfolio spans 11 signature 50mL perfumes plus 6mL travel minis, room sprays, discovery sets, and curated gift sets, sold direct-to-consumer worldwide via abelfragrance.com and through premium stockists including Liberty London, Dover Street Market Paris, and Printemps New York.

Product overview

Abel is a New Zealand-founded natural fragrance brand offering 100% natural, genderless Eau de Parfum perfumes created by Master Perfumer Isaac Sinclair and Perfumer Dr Fanny Grau. The core product line consists of 11 signature fragrances: Double Scoop (toasted vanilla), Miami Split (white oud with banana), Green Cedar (aromatic wood), Cyan Nori (ocean aquatic), Laundry Day (citrus), The Apartment (gourmand), Nurture (floral musk), Pink Iris (contemporary floral), Cobalt Amber (oriental amber), Coat Check (smoky amber), and Pause (earthy floral). All perfumes are 100% natural, PETA-certified cruelty-free, phthalate-free, and petrochemical-free, utilizing biotechnology for ingredient creation. The portfolio extends to Perfume Minis (6mL travel sizes), the Discovery Set (3x6mL with credit toward full bottle), Room Sprays (Scene 01/02/03), Gift Sets (Fresh and Warm collections), and a Summer Set. The company emphasizes radical transparency with full ingredient disclosure, sustainable packaging using Vivomer biodegradable caps, 100% recycled paper boxes, and recyclable glass bottles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Scene Room Sprays: 100% natural room sprays designed to bring nature inside with heritage natural ingredients and biotechnology. Includes Scene 01, Scene 02, and Scene 03.

Products and services

• Double Scoop Eau de Parfum A toasted, milky vanilla Eau de Parfum featuring rosemary, toasted black sesame, butterscotch, and vanilla musk notes. Available in 50mL and 6mL formats for individual consumers seeking natural gourmand fragrances.
• Miami Split Eau de Parfum An edgy white oud fragrance combining upcycled green banana, white oud from Vietnam, and a trio of Spanish labdanum (absolute, cistus, and pyrogenated). For consumers seeking distinctive oud-forward natural fragrances.
• Green Cedar Eau de Parfum A vibrant aromatic wood fragrance blending Texas and Atlas Mountain cedarwood with magnolia, cardamom, cypriol, and guaiac wood. 100% natural, cruelty-free, and phthalate-free.
• Cyan Nori Eau de Parfum A sweet salty aquatic fragrance inspired by ocean beaches, featuring tangerine, white peach, plant-derived musk (ambrettolide), and nori absolute from France.
• Laundry Day Eau de Parfum A crisp sun-filled citrus fragrance evoking spring laundry day, featuring cut grass, aldehydes, lime, bergamot, passionfruit, and vetiver.
• The Apartment Eau de Parfum A dark floral gourmand fragrance inspired by Parisian apartments, combining tart cherry, rum, cacao, jasmine, tuberose, myrrh, and tolu balsam.
• Nurture Eau de Parfum A soft floral musk fragrance co-developed with Gray Label for mothers pre- and post-partum, featuring orange blossom, Bulgarian rose, jasmine sambac, ginger, and sandalwood, with low-allergen ingredients.
• Pink Iris Eau de Parfum A fresh classic floral fragrance modernizing iris as a contemporary, genderless scent featuring Sichuan pepper, raspberry leaf, basil, orris root, rose, jasmine, and vanilla.
• Cobalt Amber Eau de Parfum A sweet sultry amber fragrance featuring pink pepper, juniper berry, cacao, Peru balsam, sandalwood, tonka, amber, and leather.
• Coat Check Eau de Parfum A dark smoky amber fragrance (rebranded from Black Anise in 2025) featuring star anise, coffee, cassis, cacao, tolu balsam, tobacco, and cedarwood.
• Pause Eau de Parfum A woody textured floral fragrance designed for hormonal transitions, featuring violet leaf, grapefruit, mimosa, narcissus, copaiba balsam, hay absolute, and cedarwood.
• Discovery Set A curated selection of three 6mL perfume minis priced at €80, allowing customers to explore multiple scents with credit redeemable toward a full 50mL bottle purchase. All fragrances are cruelty-free, phthalate-free, and petrochemical-free.
• Perfume Minis Travel-size 6mL Eau de Parfum minis available for all fragrance variants, priced at €35 each and redeemable toward a full 50mL bottle purchase.
• Scene Room Sprays 100% natural room sprays in 100mL format at €60 per bottle, designed by perfumer Dr Fanny Grau. Includes Scene 01 (Green Tea, Yuzu, Verbena), Scene 02 (Fig, Marigold, Cedarwood), and Scene 03 (Leather, Tonka, Vanilla).
• Fragrance Gift Sets Curated fragrance gift sets including the Fresh Gift Set (Laundry Day, Cyan Nori, Green Cedar) and Warm Gift Set (Coat Check, The Apartment, Cobalt Amber), packaged in deluxe holiday gift boxes.
• Summer Set A limited edition fragrance set featuring Double Scoop, Green Cedar, and Pink Iris minis with a €50mL credit toward a full bottle purchase.
• Digital Gift Cards Digital gift cards available in €50, €100, €200, and €500 denominations, allowing recipients to choose from the full range of Eau de Parfums and Room Sprays.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37% increase in fragrance concentration through reformulation
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Liberty LondoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAbel fragrances available at the prestigious Liberty London department store, one of the brand's key premium retail partners in the UK market.
• Dover Street Market PariscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAbel fragrances stocked at Dover Street Market Paris, a renowned avant-garde fashion retailer known for curating innovative brands.
• Printemps New YorkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAbel fragrances available at Printemps New York, the luxury French department store's flagship US location.
• Gray LabelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Gray Label to create Nurture fragrance, designed specifically as a scent to support mothers pre- and post-partum with low-allergen ingredients.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Byredo: Byredo is a niche luxury fragrance house known for genderless scents, premium pricing, and selective distribution through Liberty London, Dover Street Market, and Printemps. It competes head-to-head with Abel in the genderless, prestige natural-and-niche fragrance category.
• Le Labo: Le Labo is a premium unisex/niche fragrance house sold at Liberty London, Dover Street Market, and other curated luxury retailers. It competes directly with Abel in genderless fine fragrance and the conscious luxury consumer segment, with similar price points and selective wholesale distribution.
• Aesop: Aesop is an Australian-founded luxury botanical personal care brand with fragrances sold through its own boutiques and premium stockists. It shares Abel's natural-ingredient philosophy, premium pricing, and selective global retail strategy, and both compete in the conscious luxury personal care segment.
• Phlur: Phlur is a digitally native clean fragrance brand offering transparent, naturally-inspired fine fragrance sold DTC and through Sephora. It is a direct competitor in the conscious luxury / transparent ingredient niche that Abel helped define.
• Maison Margiela (Replica): Maison Margiela's Replica line is a unisex/niche fragrance collection sold through premium department stores and concept boutiques globally. It competes with Abel in the genderless, everyday luxury fragrance category with comparable price points and selective retail distribution.
• Diptyque: Diptyque is a Parisian fragrance and home scent house sold at Liberty London, Printemps, and other premium stockists. It directly overlaps with Abel's perfume + room spray portfolio, unisex positioning, and curated luxury retail channel strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Estée Lauder Companies: Estée Lauder owns multiple prestige fragrance brands (Tom Ford, Le Labo, Jo Malone, Frédéric Malle) and competes broadly with Abel in luxury unisex fragrance. As a conglomerate, it has the scale, capital, and retail leverage that Abel lacks, and increasingly invests in natural/clean positioning across its portfolio.
• Chanel (Parfums Chanel): Chanel operates one of the largest prestige fragrance houses globally, including the Les Exclusifs unisex/niche collection. It competes with Abel in the luxury fragrance segment with vastly greater scale, retail distribution, and brand recognition.

Others

• Givaudan: Givaudan is the world's largest fragrance and flavor house, producing aroma chemicals and natural ingredients used by Abel and other fragrance brands. It is an enabling supplier/peer in the broader fragrance value chain rather than a direct retail competitor.

Emerging players

• Henry Rose: Henry Rose is a clean, transparent fine fragrance brand founded by actress Michelle Pfeiffer, sold DTC and at select premium retailers. It overlaps with Abel on ingredient transparency and clean positioning but is smaller and US-centric in distribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abelfragrance

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Abel