We can help you create your own fragrance — a fragrance you can sell through your own business — but getting your own fragrance is not as simple as getting a lipstick or cream or a ball point pen with your name on it.

Before we can help you develop a fragrance for your business, it is very important that you understand what you can do and what you cannot do on a modest budget — and by "modest", I am talking about any budget from $200 up to about $10,000.

So if your budget is in the $200 to $10,000 range, it is important to plan your project using the resources available in this price range. Here are some of the issues:

Fragrance

If you are willing to have your perfume made from an existing fragrance compound (that will also be available to others), you have passed the first test. If you will only settle for a fragrance custom made for you (and available to no one else), your starting point will be an expense of $10,000 or more to have a formula developed.

Bottles

If you are willing to work with an existing bottle that can be purchased in the quantity you will need, you have passed the second test. If you will only settle for a custom bottle, add $18,000 to your budget for the bottle mold. Custom bottles themselves, in small quantities, will generally cost from $60 to $80 per bottle. Design fees will also be involved for the required technical drawings, even if you already have a sketch of what you want.

Packaging

Can you live without a box? If so, you've passed the third test. If you require a box, it will add a minimum of about $700 to your budget, even if you only want a few hundred, or a few dozen. Why? Because out of all the many standard boxes available, none have perfume bottles in mind. It's not surprising as perfume bottles come in such a vast number of sizes and shapes. If you want a box for your perfume, you will be printing — as a minimum — from about 1,200 to 5,000 boxes. You will also be required to supply artwork, or commission an artist to have it developed for you.

Spray Pumps

You can have a spray pump for your bottle if you select a bottle and pump that go together and are available in small quantities. If you are ordering less than 10,000 units of each, your choices for matching bottles and pumps will be quite limited. If you will be ordering more than 1,000 sets of bottles and pumps, many more choices will be available to you. You have now passed test four. But if you will settle only for one of the newer, low profile pumps, while your choices for bottle and pump will expand and your cost per bottle and pump will go down, to get these advantages you will have to produce at least 10,000 bottles of your fragrance. 100,000 would be more appropriate, if you insist on a "modern looking", low profile, spray pump.

Assembly

Once you have selected your fragrance, decided on a bottle and closure (spray or cap), and decided whether or not you really need a box, your next step is to put it all together. If your quantity is small — 1,000 bottlesx or less — it is entirely practical to assemble your project yourself. This is particularly true if you are are looking for less than 100 bottles of perfume or cologne, to test your company's ability to sell it.

Can we do it all for you?

The answer is yes, we can do it all for you — but for a price that is more than you may want to pay. You can have your own perfume or cologne for less than $5.00 a bottle, even in small quantities, if you are willing to do the work yourself. If you require assistance, the minimum cost for a project — regardless of how few bottles you may want — will be $1,000.

Either way, before you make your decision, it is very important that you read "Developing A Profitable New Perfume On A Budget Of Less Than $200!" which will explain exactly what is involved in producing a small number of bottles of your own perfume or cologne.

If, after reading the book, you prefer not to follow the (very) simple do it yourself route, we are available to provide assistance, provided you are willing to pay for it.

Yes, you can have your own perfume or cologne to sell, and you can get it for under $5.00 per bottle. But the starting point is "Developing A Profitable New Perfume On A Budget Of Less Than $200!". Once you've read the book, you will understand what is involved and be able to make an intelligent decision on how best to approach your project.

Philip Goutell
Lightyears, Inc.