NEW YORK, NY — Today, Bubble Skincare’s former operations, creative, and marketing powerhouses, Caroline Valentini (CEO), Lindsay St. Clair (CBO), and Zee Carlstrom (CMO), launch LeNOSE, a fun-forward home fragrance brand delivering luxury-quality scents Gen Z and millennials can realistically afford.
“After struggling to find a single affordable option for the high-end experience I’ve always craved, I saw an opportunity to reinvent the mass soap aisle with luxury fragrances,” says LeNOSE co-founder and CEO Caroline Valentini. “We created LeNOSE with world-class perfumers and uncompromising ingredient standards, then removed the traditional luxury markup to offer mass shoppers the fragrance experience people expect from $100 soaps.”
As a brand founded in response to a major decrease in access to luxury for a generation coming of age during inflation, LeNOSE makes its debut with Soap de Parfum. The design-forward collection features affordable hydrating hand soaps with nuanced scents developed by the world-class perfumers from well-known luxury fragrance houses.
“My family couldn’t afford nice things when I was growing up, so luxury products always felt reserved for someone else,” says LeNOSE co-founder and CMO Zee Carlstrom. “At its core, LeNOSE is about democratizing luxury fragrance, and we launched the brand with hand soap because high-end soaps have become a status symbol for those who can afford to wash money down the drain.”
LeNOSE will launch with five original fragrances, including I’m So Fancy, My Soap Smells Like Money (which literally smells like dollar bills), and Yeehaw I’m A Sandalwood Cowboy (a sophisticated composition of santal, violet, cedar, cardamom, and sagebrush).
“I’ve built my career on creating worlds for Gen Z, watching as their economic struggles have turned self-expression into a luxury good,” says LeNOSE co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Lindsay St. Clair. “LeNOSE is for anyone seeking an affordable way to bring joy, beauty, and personality into their living spaces and everyday lives.”
Beyond olfactive expertise, LeNOSE also raises industry standards with vegan, cruelty-free, endocrine-conscious formulations designed to be cleaner than the most luxurious soaps on the market. LeNOSE launches with DTC and TikTok Shop before entering Amazon in October, with plans to expand into additional home fragrance categories and retailers.
The co-founders closed an oversubscribed pre-revenue round with strategic backing from Aesop’s early investor Era, as well as Fifth Growth Fund, OpenSky Ventures, and others.
“From the moment we met the team, we saw that LeNOSE had the potential to be a category-defining brand, a key trait for us here at Era,” says Era Partner Claire Cherry. “We saw a rare desire to shape the cultural zeitgeist and become a leading voice in this category, akin to what the team achieved with Bubble. From our time backing brands like Seed, Boy Smells, and maude, we know that exceptionally strong creative direction, a phenomenal product, and an accessible price point give LeNOSE the opportunity to truly disrupt a sleepy category. We know consumers will fall in love with the brand, and we’re excited for what the future holds.”
