The fate of Zodica Perfumery is written in the stars or, at the very least, it’s in the hands of shoppers who follow them.
The fine fragrance brand from Kristi Moe, a beauty industry veteran who formerly held managerial positions at Poo-Pourri and Naterra International, has landed on QVC’s beauty channel Beauty iQ with its concept of scents associated with the emotions and seasons of the 12 zodiac signs. The home shopping network currently carries Zodica’s Twist & Spritz Travel Perfume Gift Set for $29, which includes a .27-oz. perfume spray, gift bag and intention card with a poem written by Moe that speaks to the signs and promotes positive energy.
“It’s been such a great platform not only to give my brand exposure, but to gather insights about what customers want,” she says. “People will go to their website or email me directly after Zodica is on Beauty iQ, and it shows me that the brand definitely has a future.”
Moe didn’t originally focus on distributing via television. Brick-and-mortar locations — boutiques and beauty specialty chains in particular — were more on her radar. Moe didn’t think people would purchase perfumes they couldn’t sniff in person. An experience on the program Good Morning Texas before Valentine’s Day last year changed her mind.
“I was on for four minutes and, as soon as I got off the set, my phone was blowing up with orders. Over two days, there was 100 orders,” recounts Moe. “Who would have known that people would be so confident and excited to purchase perfume that they couldn’t smell?”
Familiar with QVC practices from her days at Poo-Pourri, Moe immediately jumped on figuring out how to secure spots on the network. She hired the firm T.O. Epps & Associates to help present her brand to QVC. In October, Zodica debuted on Beauty iQ, and it’s made several appearances since then.
“The way that they do business is just so complex that it’s really hard for an indie company to be able to navigate it. I highly recommend going to a broker,” says Moe, elaborating, “When you work with QVC, there’s a lot of risk. It can make you go broke pretty quickly if the product doesn’t sell. Before you go to them, you have to be really sure the product has been vetted because you don’t want a ton of returns.”
Moe is a proponent of allowing consumers to vet products early in a brand’s development. She poured $10,000 into creating Zodica’s products and swiftly tested the products at the Dallas Farmers Market, where she could get them in front of the thousands of people streaming through. “People loved their sign 80% of the time and, once I got that real feedback, I went on to my second stage, which was ordering all of my materials en masse,” says Moe. “I ordered my bottles from China and got the cost of goods down to have a strong, profitable margin.”
Moe stresses that Zodica Perfumery doesn’t attach random scents to zodiac signs. She intensely studied the personality traits correlated with the signs and selected fragrance notes that embody those traits. She also mixes in ingredients that are freshest during the periods of the year linked to the various signs.
“My premise was that, if I could create perfumes based on aromatherapy principles and evoking the characteristics that the signs are known for, then chances were pretty good you’d love the scent of your sign. It was more psychology than astrology,” says Moe. She continues that, in addition to wearing scents connected to their signs, consumers can “switch out the scent to be present and appreciate the moment we are in today.”
The Aries, Scorpio and Virgo scents are bestsellers. Aries is a vibrant blend containing notes of cinnamon bark, nicotina flower, blackberry, cedarwood, vanilla and musk. Scorpio is a passionate combination featuring patchouli, musk, moss, pomegranate, apricot, black plum and rose. Virgo is an elegant composition with pink magnolia, ashoka tree, apple, pomegranate, sandalwood, musk and tonka bean.
Zodica’s vegan and cruelty-free fragrances incorporate organic ingredients. Moe’s priority is avoiding animal-derived ingredients, and she occasionally uses synthetic compounds as alternatives to them. “It’s a compromise because you want to have an effective perfume, and you want to be as natural as possible, but, if it doesn’t smell good, you’re not going to wear it,” explains Moe.
In 2018, Moe anticipates Zodica’s sales will double or triple. She aims to build its presence on QVC by introducing items exclusive to it, and she would like to spread the brand to a major retailer as well. Zodica is found in about 12 retail doors now. Moe manufactures its products in-house.
“I’ve talked to contract manufacturers about potentially outsourcing it. I would be able to scale faster,” she says. “I’ve decided not to do that because you can’t replace being hands-on with the product. If something isn’t working, you can correct it because you know what it is, and you can ensure the product is going to be consistent. When you are working with a contract manufacturer, you have to put trust in them. I’ve seen that fail.”
Moe isn’t out to supercharge Zodica’s revenues. “I’ve seen brands that have invested so much money and tried to blow up fast. The growth wasn’t organic, and it flopped,” she says. “I would be blessed to be able to do this for the rest of my life. I want to nurture and incubate the company so, when I do new products or go into a new retailer, I’m ready for that expansion and the quality of the product isn’t going to be affected.”
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