The gourmand fragrance trend has often inspired fragrance consumers to wonder what the edible-smelling perfumes may actually taste like. Now, gourmand lovers can actually get a taste of one of their favorite perfumes.
On Tuesday, fragrance brand Dedcool teamed up with Erewhon to launch the Xtra Milk Smoothie, inspired by the Dedcool perfume of the same name. The $11 will be available at Erewhon stores through September. Despite the name, the Xtra Milk smoothie does not include any dairy products. Instead, it is made with coconut milk and Erewhon’s vegan cream top.
“It was a really fun way to bring this idea of our best-selling fragrance into the landscape of what an Erewhon smoothie could be,” said Dedcool founder Carina Chaz. “It’s very hard to describe [the Xtra Milk perfume]. It’s not your traditional vanilla or coconut. There are so many different layers to the scent, and it smells different on everyone. So figuring out a way to translate this skin scent into a delicious smoothie that people would love was definitely a fun challenge.”
Celebrity-designed smoothies have become a mainstay for the upscale Los Angeles health food store, with everyone from Kendall Jenner to Sabrina Carpenter creating their own Erewhon smoothie. And they have good reason to want to get onto the menu: Erewhon reportedly sells 40,000 Hailey Bieber Strawberry Skin Glaze smoothies a month. Those smoothie partners receive $1 in royalties per smoothie sold.
The chain’s tonic bar, where it sells its signature smoothies and coffees, has also become a regular stop for beauty brands looking to captivate the dedicated Erewhon audience. Fragrance-adjacent brands like Salt & Stone and Vacation, Inc. both partnered with Erewhon in 2024 on smoothies inspired by their body care and sunscreen, respectively. But Dedcool is the first fragrance brand to get the Erewhon treatment.
For Chaz, the Erewhon smoothie is not so much a direct play for sales as it is a chance to create a halo of brand awareness. Erewhon currently operates 11 stores across affluent neighborhoods in Los Angeles County, including its newest location in Manhattan Beach, which opened on Wednesday, and an outpost in the Pacific Palisades which has remained closed since January’s wildfires.
“The value is definitely fun brand awareness. We look at it as an activation, very much an interactive play with the brand. For Dedcool, we’re all about these real-life experiences,” said Chaz. “It gives you another angle, another moment to figure out what this translates to and how it resonates with you.”
Food has become a perennial source of inspiration for beauty products in recent years, and brands are increasingly translating those gourmand products back into edible creations as they seek new ways to excite consumers. In 2024, Diptyque staged a gelato pop-up in Seoul with frozen treats inspired by its newest fragrances, while, in May, E.l.f. commissioned TikTok chef Cassie Yeung to create a recipe inspired by its fruity Reviver Melting Lip Balm.
Experiential and edible brand activations have proven to help brands break through a crowded social media landscape. Fresh’s rose-themed June 2024 New York City pop-up complete with rosy popsicles and beverages generated 3.75 million social media placements. According to Gradient Experience, its September 2024 Williamsburg cafe pop-up for Maison Margiela’s madeleine-inspired Afternoon Delight fragrance led to a 400% uplift in Sephora sales for the brand.
Dedcool has been stocked at Erewhon since 2020, during which time the health food store has upped its beauty aisle. Dedcool joined beauty giant Sephora in 2022, where it launched its newest scent, Mochi Milk, as an exclusive in April. Chaz said the retailers offer distinct but overlapping audiences, with the Erewhon consumer gravitating more to Dedcool’s home products like laundry detergent and room spray.
“The people who are shopping at Sephora are also shopping at Erewhon, and vice versa,” said Chaz. “I see maybe the younger demographic buying this smoothie at Erewhon, as opposed to the beauty products. And I see the Erewhon consumers going into Sephora for their essentials, not so much discovery.”
And Erewhon retains a distinct benefit as the only retailer to offer a smoothie version of the products in its beauty aisle. For now.
