The Aroma Labs
The Aroma Labs is a woman-owned experiential retailer that lets customers blend custom fragrances from 40 oils at 7 US boutiques, then bottle them into perfumes, body care, candles, and home products. It serves individual consumers, groups, and corporate events, with a flagship Pure Michigan partnership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- HeadquartersKalamazoo, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Aroma Labs does
The Aroma Labs is a privately held, woman-owned experiential retail company founded in 2020 in Kalamazoo, Michigan by Tanya Thompson. It operates a custom fragrance blending platform in which customers build a personal signature scent from a 40-fragrance perfumers organ (across florals, citrus, woods, and musks) and have it bottled on-site by trained Aromatenders into a range of base products, including 50ml custom perfume ($86), 30ml custom perfume ($66), rollerballs, body care, candles, room sprays, and diffusers. Customers pay only for the product selected; there is no experience or blending fee, and saved scent profiles enable online reorders. The product line is sold across 7 retail boutiques (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, Indianapolis, Columbus), via a US e-commerce site, through $49 DIY at-home scent kits, and through corporate/specialty events and the Big Blue mobile experience unit.
The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with an experiential anchor: walk-ins and pre-booked 20-minute appointments at boutiques, plus group reservations ($10-$20 per person for 6+ guests) and a corporate events vertical with a 30-guest minimum. Strategic differentiators include a no-experience-fee pricing model, a 20% refill discount on returned containers, women-owned branding, the Lab Grown Grant program supporting women entrepreneurs, and city-specific signature scents (Chicago 312, Detroit 313, Grand Rapids 616, Kalamazoo 269) that localize the brand per market. In 2025 the company entered a flagship co-branded partnership with Pure Michigan, producing seasonal scents (Fresh, Harvest, Awakening, First Snow) in soy candles, linen/room/body sprays, and rollerball perfumes, alongside ongoing multi-state retail expansion.
The Aroma Labs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Aroma Labs
- Legal name
- The Aroma Labs
- Website
- https://thearomalabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Aroma Labs is a woman-owned experiential retailer that lets customers blend custom fragrances from 40 oils at 7 US boutiques, then bottle them into perfumes, body care, candles, and home products. It serves individual consumers, groups, and corporate events, with a flagship Pure Michigan partnership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Aroma Labs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Custom Fragrance Retail
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (45612), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)
- SIC
- Soap, Detergents, Cleang Preparations, Perfumes, Cosmetics (2840), Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations (2844)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex) (CRABADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays) (CRABADAE), Scented Candles & Wax Melts (Home Fragrance) (CRAJAEAD)
Keywords
Where The Aroma Labs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kalamazoo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices7 records
Markets served
The Aroma Labs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- In-Store Custom Fragrance Experience: Customers pay only for the product they choose to fill with their custom scent. No blending fee or experience fee. Products range from $24-$86. Includes rollerball perfumes, body products, candles, room sprays, and home fragrance items. Revenue is one-time transaction per product with no subscription requirement.
- DIY Scent Kits: At-home fragrance blending kits shipped directly to customers. Includes 4 fragrance oils and a 10ml travel spray. Priced at $49 per kit. Allows customers to create custom scents remotely and reorder refills.
- Corporate and Specialty Events: On-site large-scale event services for corporate gatherings, conferences, and weddings. Includes prepaid bookings with minimum guest requirements (30+). Pricing based on product, guest count, customizations, and travel. Events range 2-6 hours.
- Group Reservations: Groups of 6+ require pre-booked reservations with fees of $10/person (6-11 guests) or $20/person (12+ guests). Fees guarantee time and seating but are not applied toward product purchases.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | DIY At-Home Scent Kits |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Pure Michigan Partnership Fragrances |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Roller Bottles |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Perfumes - The Lab Collection |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom Body and Home Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Personal Care Products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Automotive and Specialty |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Signature Scent Collection Sample Set |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Multi-year contract | Group Event Reservations |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Corporate Event Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Aroma Labs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Aroma Labs operates a hands-on custom fragrance blending business centered on a 40-fragrance perfumers organ, where customers create personalized signature scents guided by trained "Aromatenders." Products are made to order in small batches, including perfumes, body products, candles, and home fragrances, all customizable with the customer's saved scent profile. The company sells through 7 retail boutiques, an online storefront, DIY at-home kits, and a mobile event unit (Big Blue), with a Pure Michigan co-branded seasonal collection.
Product overview
The Aroma Labs is a custom fragrance experience company offering a hands-on blending platform centered around personalized scent creation. The core offering is an in-store experience where customers create signature fragrances using 40 fragrance oils at a perfumer's organ, with Aromatenders blending their custom formulas on-site. The product portfolio includes: The Lab custom fragrances (50ml at $86 and 30ml at $66), roller bottles (15ml at $56), and travel sprays; the Pure Michigan partnership collection of seasonal soy candles ($29), room/linen/body sprays ($32), and rollerball perfumes ($28) capturing Michigan's seasons; the Signature Scent Collection featuring city-inspired fragrances for Chicago, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Kalamazoo; DIY Scent Kits ($49 each) for at-home fragrance creation in four themes (Sweet, Classic, Bright, Bold); and extensive bath & body and home products including body butter, beard care, diffusers, and bath products all customizable with the customer's signature scent. The company also operates 7 retail locations across multiple cities and offers corporate event services with a mobile unit called Big Blue.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Pure Michigan Seasonal Collection Co-branded line with Pure Michigan featuring 7 oz soy candles, 4 oz linen/room/body sprays, and 10 ml rollerball perfumes in four seasonal scents evoking Michigan's natural attractions. Available online and in-store across all retail locations.
- Signature Scent Collection (City Fragrances) Gender-neutral signature fragrances inspired by the cities where The Aroma Labs operates: Chicago 312, Detroit 313, Grand Rapids 616, and Kalamazoo 269, sold as a 3 x 10 ml sample set for $52.
- The Lab 50ml Custom Fragrance The flagship 50 ml custom fragrance, hand-blended in-store using the customer's created scent profile with perfumers alcohol and fragrance oil, priced at $86.
- The Lab 30ml Custom Fragrance A mid-size 30 ml custom signature fragrance, hand-crafted with the customer's unique blend, priced at $66.
- 15 ml Roller Bottle Custom Scent Travel-friendly 15 ml roller bottle for custom signature fragrance, made to order with fragrance oil and coconut oil, priced at $56.
- Portable Perfume Mini Spray Custom Scent A 10 ml custom mini perfume spray designed for on-the-go scent application.
- Solid Perfume Solid perfume balm made with coconut oil and beeswax infused with the customer's signature scent, priced at $39.
- DIY Scent Kits At-home fragrance blending kits shipped to customers with 4 x 0.5 oz fragrance oils and a 10 ml travel spray. Four themed collections: Sweet, Classic, Bright, Bold. Priced at $49 per kit, mainland US shipping only.
- Custom Body Butter Custom-scented body moisturizer made to order with the customer's signature fragrance, priced at $45.
- Custom Body Oil 4 oz custom body oil in a made-to-order blue bottle infused with the customer's signature fragrance, priced at $46.
- Custom Beard Oil 2 oz beard oil made with the customer's custom scent, priced at $38.
- Custom Beard Butter 6 oz custom-scented beard butter in a blue jar with wooden lid, priced at $44.
- Custom Shaving Cream Custom-scented shaving cream in a blue jar, priced at $35.
- Custom Hand Sanitizer Custom-scented hand sanitizer combining cleansing with personal fragrance, priced at $24.
- Custom Foaming Hand Soap Gentle foaming hand soap made to order with custom fragrance, priced at $26.
- Custom Brown Sugar Scrub Organic brown sugar scrub with custom fragrance, priced at $37.
- Custom Bath Fizz 14 oz custom-scented bath fizzy product made with sodium bicarbonate, citric acid, coconut milk, avocado oil, and fragrance, priced at $33.
- Custom Salt Scrub (Bath Salts) Custom-scented bath salts in a glass jar with wooden spoon, priced at $31.
- Custom Room Diffuser Reed diffuser with the customer's custom scent in a blue or white bottle, priced at $42.
- Custom Ultrasonic Diffuser Drops Custom-scented ultrasonic diffuser oil drops, priced at $38.
- Custom Room, Linen & Body Spray Multi-use spray for linens, rooms, and body in the customer's custom scent, priced at $44.
- Custom Car Fragrance 5.5 ml car freshener hanging bottle for lasting aroma, priced at $32.
- Pride Donation Car Hanger Car hanger accessory with Pride donation component, priced at $7.
Companies that use The Aroma Labs
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Aroma Labs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Aroma Labs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Pure MichiganflagshipMichigan's official travel promotion organization partnered with The Aroma Labs to create a line of seasonal scents (Fresh for summer, Harvest for fall, Awakening for spring, First Snow for winter) that evoke Michigan's natural attractions and tourism experiences. The partnership includes hand-poured soy candles ($29), linen/room/body sprays ($32), and rollerball perfumes ($28). The scents are available online and in Aroma Labs locations, with marketing including magazine displays and in-person experiences to attract visitors to Michigan.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Aroma Labs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Pinrose: Personalized fragrance brand historically built around psychographic scent quizzes; serves the same personalization-driven female millennial buyer that Aroma Labs' experiential format targets.
- Skylar Body: Direct-to-consumer clean fragrance brand selling hypoallergenic, refillable perfumes online and in select retail; competes with Aroma Labs' core fine-fragrance line for the same premium-conscious buyer.
- Commodity Cologne: Direct-to-consumer fragrance brand offering gender-neutral scent discovery and customizable fragrance layering via survey, overlapping with Aroma Labs' personalization and unisex positioning.
- D.S. & Durga: Brooklyn-based independent perfumery creating small-batch scent lines; comparable craft positioning, scale, and direct-to-consumer channel strategy to The Aroma Labs' signature collection.
- Scentbird: Subscription fragrance service delivering designer and niche scents monthly; competes for personal fragrance dollars but lacks Aroma Labs' experiential and custom-blend differentiation.
- Pura: Smart home fragrance device company enabling app-controlled, fully customizable scent mixing at home; adjacent use case to Aroma Labs' DIY kits and ultrasonic diffuser drops.
Direct peers
- Candlefish: Charleston-based retailer operating custom candle-blending studios across multiple US cities with guided sessions, mirroring The Aroma Labs' hands-on experiential home-fragrance model and multi-city retail rollout.
- MiN New York: Independent fragrance house offering a bespoke and signature custom-blending atelier experience at its Soho location, the closest direct comparable to The Aroma Labs' perfumer's organ format.
Broad incumbents
- NEST New York: Established premium home fragrance and candle brand with broad retail distribution; competes in the same soy-candle and room-spray category as Aroma Labs' Pure Michigan partnership line.
- Jo Malone London: Global prestige fragrance house offering cologne and home scents with strong gifting positioning; represents the broad-incumbent benchmark Aroma Labs competes against in the custom/affordable luxury space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Aroma Labs social profiles
Digital presenceThe Aroma Labs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Aroma Labs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Aroma Labs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Aroma Labs M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Aroma Labs
What does The Aroma Labs do?
The Aroma Labs operates a hands-on custom fragrance blending business centered on a 40-fragrance perfumers organ, where customers create personalized signature scents guided by trained "Aromatenders." Products are made to order in small batches, including perfumes, body products, candles, and home fragrances, all customizable with the customer's saved scent profile. The company sells through 7 retail boutiques, an online storefront, DIY at-home kits, and a mobile event unit (Big Blue), with a Pure Michigan co-branded seasonal collection.
Is The Aroma Labs a public or private company?
The Aroma Labs is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Aroma Labs founded?
The Aroma Labs was founded in 2020. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Aroma Labs based?
The Aroma Labs is headquartered in Kalamazoo, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Aroma Labs make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. In-Store Custom Fragrance Experience is the primary driver. The others are DIY Scent Kits, corporate and Specialty Events and group Reservations.
Who are The Aroma Labs's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Pinrose, Skylar Body, Commodity Cologne, D.S. & Durga, Scentbird and Pura. Direct peers are Candlefish and MiN New York. Broad incumbents are NEST New York and Jo Malone London.
Does The Aroma Labs have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Aroma Labs.
What industry is The Aroma Labs in?
The Aroma Labs's product category is Custom Fragrance Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRABADAA, Fine Fragrance (Women’s/Men’s/Unisex), with a secondary code of CRABADAE, Home Fragrance (Candles, Diffusers, Room Sprays). Its NAICS code is 45612 and its SIC code is 2840.