BeautyTalks with Alicia Tsai, Founder of Aerangis

What was the inspiration behind launching your product/brand?

Aerangis is the name of the orchid my grandfather gave me when I was nine. The particular moment he presented me with this fragrant orchid introduced me to the power of scent memories, which is the foundation of the brand. It also inspired us to have the tagline "Documenting Life's Moments through Scents" and create memory-inspired fragrances that tell stories. I also want to use the opportunity to create a brand that reflects my Taiwanese heritage and uses it to preserve our traditional craftsmanship and promote the idea of sustainable luxury. 

“I also want to use the opportunity to create a brand that reflects my Taiwanese heritage and uses it to preserve our traditional craftsmanship and promote the idea of sustainable luxury.”

How does your brand differ from other industry brands in the same category? What gives you the competitive edge?

We are a human-driven brand. Not only is each scent inspired by memories and tells a story, personally created by master perfumers, but we also work with local artisans in Taiwan to handcraft our ceramic jars to preserve traditional craftsmanship. These are the human touches that we are very proud to include in our creation and differentiate them from mass-produced products. Another element that's very important to us is our sustainability efforts. We work hard to ensure all our products are sustainably sourced and produced to fit our eco-friendly standard and minimize waste. 

What are your brand values?

100% luxury and 0% guilt. 

We create beautiful products made with high-quality ingredients and refined details to deliver the best luxury experience. We are also proud that we carefully source and only use eco-friendly and sustainable materials, so you can enjoy our products guilt-free without burdening the planet. 

Walk us through your development process — from ideation to the product we see on the shelf.

With the tagline “documenting life’s moments through scents,” each scent in our portfolio is inspired by memories and tells a story. 

It always starts with scent memories (which can be ours in the signature collection or our client’s for the bespoke collection). Once we have the details of the memory or moment we want to capture, we extract the scent elements, as well as the emotions that were (or wish to be) evoked in the story, we translate that into a specific fragrance language and notes to pitch that to the perfumer to create the beautiful scent that captures all the essence of the story we want to tell. Sometimes, it takes a few rounds of back and forth before we perfect it. But we always know when we “nailed it", simply from the emotion that was triggered and tickled from smelling the final scent.

Once the scent is finalized, we proceed to the technical part of testing the fragrance in our wax base and determining the wick size, scent throw, and dosage before we put the candles in small batches and introduce them to the audience.

What are your hero ingredients?

Besides the carefully sourced high-quality, non-toxic fragrance, our actual hero ingredient is the emotions behind each story, the expertise of the perfumer.

Other than your company, what is something you are passionate about?

Travel. I’m a true believer in traveling whenever you can. It opens your mind to learning about history, cultures, diversity, and literally everything. You meet people, try different cousins, and simply see so many sides of the world that you’re not familiar with. It’s one of the best learning experiences one can have. 

What is one major lesson you learned about running a business?

I learned that you must be fearless, embrace your uniqueness, trust your abilities, and never underestimate the power of your voice. As you navigate your journey, remember that every challenge is an opportunity for growth, and every success is a testament to your resilience. 

What are some challenges you have overcome with your brand?

One thing I didn’t realize would be challenging is how hard it is to achieve a certain sustainable standard, especially when we produce in small batches. Many materials we would like to use are unavailable for small companies like us, and we had to jump through hoops to find other solutions. Another challenge is that we need to continue to educate our general consumer, very often consumers are confused with the terms “natural”, “clean,” or “sustainable,” etc, and demand brands meet all their unachievable standards. This takes a lot of education, and we are doing our best to share our knowledge, but it is still a long way to go. 

What would you say is your most effective marketing channel? Has it changed over time?

Instagram has always been our strongest channel, mainly because it’s highly focused on aesthetics. We do have beautiful products and aesthetics for the content. I see enormous potential in TikTok because it’s a great platform for storytelling, which is very fitting for our brand as we have many scent stories to tell. We are just starting to put some effort into TikTok, but currently, Instagram is still our biggest channel. 

Give us the backstory of your brand’s name. 

Aerangis is the name of the orchid my grandfather gave me when I was a kid. It’s a star-shaped, cream-colored flower that blossoms with a beautiful yet subtle fragrance. My grandfather taught me that this type of orchid is not significant in size or has the brightest color in the garden, but anyone in the know would seek it out and recognize that it is a rare beauty with the most delicate and elegant scents. 

I decided to use the orchid as the company's name as a tribute to my grandfather and that moment when one very unique scent changed my life forever. 

It is also a reminder that I want the brand to be like an Aerangis orchid: unassuming, simple but elegant, and able to capture the memories and positive impressions on anyone who experiences it.

What would you like to see for your company's future?

We are currently developing personal fragrances to start our beauty / personal care portfolio. As a sustainable luxury brand, we would like to continue to expand our product range into items in our daily lives and help create a luxury lifestyle in the most sustainable and holistic way.

What do you think is the most prominent concern in the beauty industry? 

Greenwashing in the beauty industry is a significant concern that has garnered increasing attention in recent years. Greenwashing refers to the practice of making misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the environmental benefits of a product, service, or company. In the beauty industry, greenwashing often involves brands marketing their products as "natural," "organic," or "eco-friendly" without sufficient evidence to support these claims.

One common form of greenwashing in the beauty industry is the use of ambiguous or vague terms such as "clean," "green," or "pure," which can be interpreted in different ways by consumers. These terms are often not regulated, allowing companies to use them without clear standards or guidelines.

Another tactic used in greenwashing is using green imagery or packaging to create the perception of environmental friendliness, even if the product itself may not be sustainable or eco-friendly. This can include images of nature, plants, or eco-friendly symbols on product packaging, which may mislead consumers into believing that the product is more environmentally responsible than it actually is.

Greenwashing not only misleads consumers but also undermines the efforts of truly sustainable and environmentally conscious brands. It can make it difficult for consumers to make informed choices about the products they purchase and contribute to a lack of trust in the beauty industry as a whole.

To address the issue of greenwashing, consumers can educate themselves about sustainable practices and look for third-party certifications or labels from reputable organizations. Additionally, regulatory bodies and industry watchdogs can play a role in enforcing transparency and holding companies accountable for false or misleading claims.