Creed’s Former Distributor Is Taking On Four New Brands

Thomas Saujet is getting back in the fragrance game.

Saujet, the former president of distributor ICP, which sold to Kering as part of the conglomerate’s acquisition of Creed, has a new venture. Simply named Saujet Fragrances Group, the distributor-investor combo sits under Saujet Holdings, which also recently invested in Barberino’s.

“I’ve seen too many people just sell their business and not do anything afterward,” Saujet said. “I felt like I needed to do something and leave a legacy behind.”

To that end, Saujet Fragrances Group takes equity in each fragrance brand it distributes and, thus far, has four in its portfolio: Fabricca Della Musa, Anti, Chambre52 and What We Do Is Secret.

“We’re staying as an independent, family-owned business venture,” Saujet said. “We have the ICP track record. We’re still boutique, but while holding an equity stake in these brands, we have the ability to be aligned with the brands on vision, strategy and what to do for the long term.”

Part of the long-term playbook, he said, would be keeping distribution tight. “We started dabbling with presenting to very select accounts,” Saujet said. “It is going to be so strategic in terms of specialty stores, and when we get to the point of launching with department stores, it will be very, very, very select doors. The goal is not hundreds of points of sale.”

He’s also been playing in the fragrance category long enough to see the tectonic shifts in its retail landscape, from the formation of Saks Global to the privatization of Nordstrom Inc. and the power of Amazon and TikTok.

“There’s going to be more downsizing, merging, consolidation,” he said. “I think there are other players who will be able to take advantage of that.”

The focus is still on relationship — and heritage-driven brands, similar to how he built the ICP portfolio. “I am all about relationships,” he said. “It’s first about getting to understand the founders, and whether it’s a long-term marriage or if it’ll end in divorce. And next, it has to be about innovation.”

Saujet acknowledged that fragrance — still the fastest-growing prestige category in the U.S. market — is quickly becoming oversaturated.

“Everyone’s launching things,” he said. “There has to be an understanding of the points of differentiation. The brands I’ve selected each have that innovation, disruption or credibility that we can go ahead to make them successes.”

Pointing to Fabbrica Della Musa, “We’re talking about incredible perfumers,” he said. “They use technologies that not everyone jumps on,” like smell-to-taste, which creates gourmand accords based on how foods taste.

Anti, for example, also replicates scents from centuries past, while What We Do Is Secret has tapped perfumer heavyweights such as Maurice Roucel of Symrise. Paris LA, architected by Laurent Le Guernec, brings a Coca-Cola accord to market. “We’ve got some stuff that’s cross-generational, and there’s a younger customer who’s all about fragrances,” Saujet said. “Accounts and customers all think they’re disruptive. We’ve got some amazing stuff.”

Saujet doesn’t have a portfolio size he’s aiming for, saying he evaluates new business on a case-by-case basis. “It’s crazy, the amount of brands that are coming forward, but I have to be mindful and realistic,” he said. “I’m here to build something new, this time around, keep it in the family for generations.”