In a post on LinkedIn, Melanie Bender, who has played a key role in the launch and scale up of Rhode, Merit and Versed, confirmed a report in Puck that she is currently working on a new early stage brand in the fragrance space.
Bender is working on the project with Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez, the minds behind Youth to the People, and Mazdack Rassi of Waldencast, who co-founded Milk Makeup.
The Puck report notes that the brand will debut at Sephora, with more details to come.
The focus on fragrance is a logical one amid a boom in the category.
Per Circana, fragrance dominated dollar sales growth across the U.S. mass (up 8%) and prestige (up 4%) beauty sectors in Q1 2025.
Prestige results were powered by minis and travel size sets, which allowed the gift set sector to rise 45% in the period.
Similar to earlier quarters, eau de parfums, parfums and other high-concentration fragrances had the "greatest impact on growth."
That Q1 momentum continued into Q2.
In June, Circana reported that, in the three weeks ending May 17, 2025, the prime Mother's Day shopping period, both prestige and mass fragrance sales channels experienced growth, though prestige dominated.
In fact, Mother’s Day 2025 fragrance sales totaled more than $500 million, representing a year-over-year growth rate of 7%. Furthermore, "fragrance drove half of the total dollars gained within the overall women’s prestige beauty market during this three-week timeframe," per a Circana analyst.
Sales of new scents increased by 31%, showcasing the power of newness.
And, continuing a multi-year theme in scent, higher concentrations such as eau de parfums and parfums "led most of the growth."
Another ongoing trend was the strength of gift sets, particularly minis and travel sizes, which outperformed 2024's category results.
With proven brand builders backing this new Sephora-bound scent brand, the category may be entering a new phase of growth and competition.
We'll update this story as details become available.
