Sweet smell of success

For entrepreneur Kristi Moe, success for her business, Zodica Perfumery, seemed written in the stars.

“I never really intended to go into perfume — it just magically happened,” said Moe. “The universe just put everything in my path to get me on this nice little journey.”

Moe said she’s discovered through her research that fragrance preferences can correlate with a person’s zodiac sign, and has created perfumes based around this idea. That assertion has found an audience: Zodica has been on Inc. Magazine’s Fastest Growing Companies list for the Midwest region for two years running. Inclusion on the 2025 list requires companies to have generated at least $100,000 in revenue in 2021 and at least $2 million in revenue in 2024.

Originally launched in Dallas, Texas, the company found a lasting home in Madison and recently opened a store just off of State Street at 133 W. Johnson St., where it sells these astrologically tailored perfumes and other beauty goods.

Coming from a career background in product development, marketing and public relations for beauty product manufacturers, Moe had some professional experience with fragrance, but it was personal struggles that inspired her to start a company.

“I get migraines from regular scented products, whether it be a body wash or a candle, cleaning solutions,” she said. “So it came out of a personal need. … At the time that I created Zodica, there really weren’t a lot of options out there.”

Moe also recognized the importance of preference when it comes to choosing a fragrance but said that for anyone in a position similar to hers, “sampling perfumes and going to a perfume counter is literally a painful experience.”

“I wanted to … really take some of the guess work out of finding a signature scent that you love.”

Founded nine years ago, Zodica got its “big break” between 2017 and 2019 when Moe had the opportunity to sell her products on the QVC television network, which she said not only jump-started Zodica’s sales but also boosted its credibility. From there, she said, “the brand took off. It was crazy.”

Roughly 75% of the company’s business is wholesale, while 25% is direct-to-consumer, but Moe is trying to grow that — partly through the Madison store.

“I wanted more of a local presence,” she said. “We have this great presence nationally … but I really wanted that local piece where people can come in and experience the brand.

A storefront makes it easier for those who prefer to try the product first to do so.

Get Personal

Some people believe that the time of year a person’s birth takes place correlates with their personality traits, Moe said. Curious if an association with scent preferences existed as well, she conducted blind tests with women across the U.S. to find out.

“People would smell straight scent notes — lily of the valley, or patchouli or sandalwood — but they didn’t know what they were smelling — and then they would tell me the date that they were born so I would know their zodiac sign,” Moe said. “When I got the data back, I could see that patterns were happening: Leos liked a certain kind of scent profile that was definitely different than a Scorpio.”

Based on these findings, Moe created 12 formulations that embedded the natural scent preferences of each zodiac sign, as dictated by her tests. She then made other creative additions, drawing on her understanding of zodiac archetypes, before conducting additional blind scent studies to test the final products.

“It turns out, about 80% of the time, people like their own scent,” she said. “They might like other ones, too, but they also really like their own scent. … I accomplished creating a perfume that doesn’t trigger headaches, and one that you most likely will like, even if you’re smelling it blind.”

Those fragrances formed the collection Zodica still offers today. That’s not to say, however, that the company’s launch was seamless.

“Everyone has ideas. Ideas are cheap, but actually executing the ideas, that’s where the rubber meets the road,” said Moe, who used her life savings to start the company on her own. “I did everything. I wore all the hats … and I just hustled.”

Tariffs have presented a more recent challenge, even for a business whose products are made in the U.S. Zodica relies on global partners to supply many of its oils. Its rose oil, for example, comes from Bulgaria and its lavender from France.

“Even though we make (our products) here, we’re part of a global society, so that really does have an impact on us,” Moe said.

Zodica increased its retail and wholesale pricing roughly 5% on average in response to tariffs. Moe said she’s trying to absorb as much of the cost as she can, but additional increases are possible depending on the import taxes’ ongoing effects.

“We’ve seen increases from all our suppliers, from Asia to Europe,” she said. “Beyond pricing, tariffs have affected project timelines and generally been disruptive to how we normally operate. Some new products that I was hoping to launch are on hold indefinitely.

“We’ve seen our wholesale business shift incredibly. The largest gift tradeshow, which happens in July in Atlanta, was like a ghost town, and we were at a loss doing that show for the first time. Retailers are cutting back on traveling to these shows as they generally are sticking with existing product lines and saving dollars where they can.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty with wholesale buyers right now.”

On the bright side, Moe noted that Zodica’s direct-to-consumer sales are growing in spite of the price increase.

This past January, Zodica also began offering “bespoke fragrance blending,” which allows customers to create their own scents in-store based on natal charts that plot the positions of the planets and constellations at the precise time they were born. Moe calls it customers’ “fingerprint on the world.”

As it grows the offerings in its own shop, Zodica is still supplying retailers around the country. Sunne Boutique, 2534 Monroe St., on Madison’s west side, is one of them.

“Zodica has been a fantastic brand both to work with and to carry in my store,” said Carrie Astin, owner/operator of Sunne Boutique. “Customers love the perfume. It’s easily one of my best-selling gift items. And people always return for more.”

As Zodica deepens its connections in the Madison community, Moe is also looking outward and ahead as she seeks to safeguard the company’s long-term viability.

“With 600 retailers, it’s no longer just about me, and not just the people that work for me — we’ve got six women that work for me full-time,” she said. “It’s about all those independent, small boutique owners that also depend on Zodica to bring in income for them, and the thousands and thousands of people now who are using Zodica as part of their everyday ritual.”

Zodica Perfumery

zodicaperfumery.com

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