Le Labo didn’t scale the way fragrance brands were supposed to — and that’s exactly why it worked.

In this episode of Ecommerce On Tap, we break down how Le Labo rejected celebrity launches, mass distribution, and growth theater to build one of the most culturally defensible brands in modern beauty — and why its acquisition by Estée Lauder permanently changed how acquirers think about fragrance.

We cover:
Why “restraint” became Le Labo’s unfair advantage
How in-store compounding and ritual created real brand moats
What this deal taught acquirers about authenticity, taste, and long-term value
If you care about brand, supply chain, or acquisition strategy, this episode is a masterclass.

🎙 Ecommerce On Tap is brought to you by Izba and Sourcify.

Fragrance didn’t fail because people wanted fewer options.
It failed because it forced certainty in a world that isn’t.

In this episode of Ecommerce on Tap, Nathan Resnick and Aaron Alpeter break down how DedCool quietly rebuilt fragrance by questioning its most basic assumptions: gendered scents, signature bottles, and permanence.

We explore:
Why smell is learned, not universal
How fragrance became a social signal (not just a product)
Why layering reduces risk instead of creating confusion
How DedCool grew from a solo founder with an Instagram page into a $25–30M scent platform
What founders can learn from staying founder-led longer than feels comfortable

This is a deep dive into brand behavior, not trend-chasing, and a blueprint for founders building categories the rightway.

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🧠 Brought to you by Sourcify & Izba

Fragrance didn’t suddenly work online—it needed a new translator.
For decades, fragrance was built around authority, aspiration, and department store counters. Then Phlur quietly broke the rules.

In this episode of Ecommerce on Tap, we break down:
Why fragrance failed early DTC
How Phlur’s founders built a credible but plateaued clean fragrance brand
Why selling “clean” wasn’t enough to scale
How TikTok changed fragrance discovery
The strategic reboot behind Phlur’s breakout product Missing Person
Why Phlur’s supply chain, manufacturing strategy, and channel mix look nothing like legacy fragrance brands
What Phlur teaches operators about category reinvention, hero SKUs, and scaling without dilution

This isn’t a hype story.
It’s an operator case study on how culture, systems, and storytelling intersect to unlock growth.

🎧 Listen if you’re a founder, operator, investor, or brand leader navigating:
DTC vs retail tradeoffs
Rising CACs
Category saturation
Cultural relevance vs operational discipline