The Tamesis
Consumers have long enjoyed purchasing luxury skincare, fragrances and cosmetics and proudly displaying them neatly on their bathroom shelves. Typically, these items are placed alongside (or in front of) mass-market toothpaste, shower gel, and body lotion. But lately, those so-called functional, everyday items have thrust themselves into the forefront through design reinventions and reformulations.
Today, every corner of the beauty industry is in a premium mode, with consumers more willing to invest in entry-level, everyday luxuries, and products that were a no-brainer five years ago are undergoing an aesthetic and formulaic shift.
Former Aesop and Sunspel executive Daniel Bense sees this as an opportunity. In 2024, he launched To My Ships, a personal care and fragrance brand, initially focusing on natural deodorants. The brand’s mission is to make consumers care about the products they roll or spray on their underarms through responsible, beautiful packaging and natural formulas that are free of alcohol and aluminum salts.
In the 18 months since it launched, To My Ships has branched out into antiperspirants (a roll-on or spray that uses aluminum to block sweat glands), hand and shower gels, and fragrances.
If a brand does it right, there is potential for growth. According to Euromonitor, the beauty and personal care category is expected to grow 5.2% to US$704 billion by 2027, with fragrances expected to grow 8.1% to US$94 billion and deodorants expected to grow 6.9% to US$31 billion.
Caroline Weintraub, vice president at True Beauty Ventures, said the fragrance market continues to outperform across all price points, allowing brands to unlock new potential in refillable formats and premium body products, a gap that To My Ships fills with its holistic approach to body fragrance.
On May 27, To My Ships will launch its third fragrance, The Incessant Anxiety Geranium, an extension of its antiperspirant and deodorant launched in July 2025. “We are building a fragrance wardrobe that complements deodorant and body care products,” Bense said, adding that deodorant accounts for 40 percent of the business, with perfume and body wash accounting for 30 percent each.
Bence said he created the brand to expand. Here, he discusses the challenges of penetrating a saturated market, standing out, and his financial goals for the brand.
Fashion: Entering the saturated fragrance market was a bold move. What market gaps are you filling?
