Sol de Janeiro

A single cream that smells like a holiday in Rio sold more than 30 million units in a decade. The brand did not start with a viral fragrance. It started with a body cream. Sol de Janeiro launched in 2015 with Brazilian bum bum cream, a rich piranha extract moisturiser, positioned as a firming body ritual rather than a scent product. The cream was the wedge. Every tub carried a signature scent called Herosa 62, pistachio, salted caramel and vanilla layered over jasmine. Customers finished the tub, wanted to keep the scent on their skin all day and asked for a perfume mist. The company launched one, then a hair mist, a hand cream, a shower gel, all carrying the same 62 accord. Most beauty brands launch a fragrance first and hope customers layer adjacent products.