Following its recent launch into Australian pharmacy chain Priceline, cult fragrance brand Who Is Elijah is eyeing international expansion, starting with the US and UK. And co-founder Raquel Bouris is kicking things off with a guerrilla marketing campaign aimed at catching the attention of a leading British beauty chain. “I’m going to be standing out the front of Boots stores next week [showing off our perfumes], because they really focus on what their customers are demanding, so I
so I’m going to make their customers demand it,” Bouris told Inside Retail.
“I think making noise in the UK is going to be really cool to see.”
The campaign, which starts next week, coincides with the launch of Who Is Elijah’s newest perfumes – a pair of formulas which can be worn separately or together to provide a more complex scent, representing an evolution of its signature minimal focus.
Challenging the status quo
Perfume creation was not on the cards for Bouris growing up, she explained, and when the business first began she had no idea how to make fragrances or run a brand.
But, inspired by a fragrance she wore that garnered multiple compliments in the space of a few weeks, she decided to try her hand. Her first fragrance, now marketed as His/Her, has remained the brand’s most-loved unisex fragrance since the business started in 2018.
The name kicked off Who Is Elijah’s focus on keeping its products gender-neutral: ensuring that the scents it makes are balanced and applicable to anyone.
This has helped the brand attract an audience of younger consumers, who appreciate the fact the brand makes unisex fragrances that are vegan, cruelty-free, and are formulated and manufactured in Sydney.
“People in Gen Z will not use a product that has been derived from any animal, so it was really a no-brainer for us, and it’s very easy to do [in the fragrance space],” Bouris said.
While most well-known fragrance brands have been around for decades, and have a high-end price tag, Who Is Elijah has deliberately positioned itself as a challenger brand at a lower price point.
“I don’t really have any competition – people thought I was crazy for starting a perfume brand, because there are brands that have been around for 50-plus years,” Bouris said.
“But if you look at the back of the packaging of some of those other really expensive fragrances, our ingredients are exactly the same – we just don’t have a long-standing brand name so people are saving half the cost by buying from us.”
The strategy appears to be working. Who Is Elijah is currently The Iconic’s number one selling fragrance, and the number three best-selling fragrance on Adore Beauty, according to Bouris. Likewise, David Jones signed the brand on without even trying the product, and last week Priceline launched the brand into 280 of its stores across Australia, making it the brand’s biggest retail partner overnight.
“I hate calling myself a success story, but I hope I can be inspirational to other people my age that are scared to do something,” Bouris said.
“If people are telling you not to do something, I think you can just do it and maybe you’ll make something out of nothing.”