Why it matters:
- Harry Slatkin and his wife Laura helped pioneer the home fragrance market, now a $25 billion global industry.
- His company, Slatkin + Co., proves it’s possible to create prestige home fragrance and candle products for the mass market. ‘Never talk down to a customer’ is his mantra.
- Slatkin is expanding his ‘masstige’ home fragrance into scented car and bodycare products, with personal care en route to represent 40% of company sales.
From
Sir Elton John to the everyday shoppers at Home Depot,
Harry Slatkin, CEO and Founder of Slatkin
+ Co.,
makes candles for everyone.
His latest candle collaboration with John, inspired
by the superstar’s Woodside Estate in England, sold over $10
million in one day on
QVC.
“One of my biggest compliments was when Elton said he is as excited
to get fragrance samples from me as when he receives Valentino
Couture.”
Slatkin
has even made candles a fashion statement in an unexpected setting:
the cavernous aisles of Home Depot. While the home improvement giant
may not be traditionally associated with scented candles, Slatkin
found a receptive audience for his AromaHome
brand.
“It’s
not just about buying wood and nails. Home Depot is about finding
needs for your home,” Slatkin told CO— (while burning his
Limoncello Cupcake
scent in his Manhattan office), adding it was natural to marry
candles with the home improvement chain’s assortment.
Even
dollar stores get the Slatkin touch. On a visit to Dollar General
near his Palm Beach home, Slatkin envisioned a stunning beauty
department beyond the “Doritos and Milky Ways,” he said. He
seized an opportunity to elevate the candle assortment with Club92,
now sold in 35,000 Dollar General doors and priced between $3 to $8.
Slatkin
+ Co.’s portfolio is widely distributed across major mass-market
retailers, including ScentWorx
at CVS
and Walmart,
and HomeWorx
at Ulta Beauty.
The brands are also available online at slatkinandco.com
and
on Amazon.
Each product line is thoughtfully curated to align with the unique
identity of its retail partner, strategically avoiding competitive
overlap.
Meeting home fragrance’s big moment: Leaning into the (post-pandemic) nesting trend
Slatkin’s
timing to bolster the business’s mass-market fare came at a
fortuitous time when essential retailers had a chance to show off
their assortments. “While Harry has been in the home fragrances
business for a long time, the COVID pandemic created a moment—and
need—for more accessible home scenting for a population stressed at
home,” said Wendy Liebmann, CEO of WSL Strategic Retail.
“He was able to offer high-quality candles at affordable prices to everyone at the moment. A trend that continues today as American shoppers seek the pleasure of home in stressful times,” Liebmann said.
Slatkin
cracked the code on delivering premium-quality candles and fragrance
products to the mass market—a formidable achievement in an industry
typically divided between “class” and “mass” channels.
His
strategy includes avoiding cutting corners, especially in candles,
where safety is paramount; expanding into adjacent categories; and
always listening to the consumer.
From
Wall Street to luxury wicks
Thirty
years ago, after
leaving a Wall Street career that included a stint as a director at
the former Bear Stearns,
Slatkin and his wife Laura (who later founded luxe brand NEST New York)
realized an opportunity to elevate home fragrances.
The
couple worked with tony names including Saks Fifth Avenue,
Ralph Lauren,
Chopard,
and Christian Dior
before selling their brand to Bath & Body Works.
There, Slatkin honed his skills in developing premium products at
accessible prices.
Over
the next five years, Slatkin, leveraging his experience in the
designer world, scaled Slatkin + Co. from $100 million to over $1
billion in revenue while mastering the art of maintaining quality at
scale. He exited the company in 2012 but returned to candle-making in
2017 with the launch of HomeWorx on QVC under the Slatkin + Co.
company name.
His
biggest lesson while building brands was “never talking down to the
consumer.” That’s a mantra Slatkin shared with Walmart Founder
Sam Walton, who he said he’s always admired. “At every price
point, we offer quality and expectations that exceed expectations.
The idea of raising the bar is a mandate, and you should get the same
care in a mass store as you would get at Saks,” he said. “Everyone
should be treated as a luxury consumer.”
Observing
customers in stores helps Slatkin understand purchasing motivation.
“You can tell if something is overpriced when they look at the
bottom of a candle and move on to another or if they sniff a candle
and put it back.”
He also listens to shoppers on social sites. Any adverse comments on social media are addressed rather than dismissed. “When someone talks negatively, I go back to my team and ask if anyone else is hearing of an issue.”
At every price point, we offer quality and expectations that exceed expectations. The idea of raising the bar is a mandate, and you should get the same care in a mass store as you would get at Saks. Everyone should be treated as a luxury consumer.Harry Slatkin, Founder and CEO of Slatkin + Co.
Cross-shopping
is today’s norm: ‘People wearing Gucci sunglasses shop at
Walmart’
Purchasing
silos have come down, evidenced by upscale consumers also buying at
mass, for example. “There is no longer a person who won’t
cross-shop. People wearing Gucci sunglasses shop at Walmart,”
Slatkin explained. “The idea of high/low is a very important part
of my business. I bring ‘high’ [style] at low cost. I probably
make less margin than I should. Even with tariffs, my biggest mandate
is that we cannot pass on the costs to the consumer,” he said.
Fortunately, three-quarters of Slatkin + Co. merchandise are produced
in the United States.
Even
with accessible prices, Slatkin is fastidious about safety and
quality. He personally tests every product and helped establish
industry safety standards including the wick tip at the bottom of
jars to extinguish candles. The attention to detail, he said, is
evident. “When you buy a candle and burn it halfway and don’t
experience the scent, you know the fragrance is just on top of the
candle,” he explained. “You get the same quality from us whether
it is a $6 candle or our HomeWorx [line], which averages $20.”
Expanding
the fragrance franchise to personal care and wellness
Slatkin didn’t comment on sales, although industry sources anticipate Slatkin + Co. will reach $140 million in sales this year and $200 million next year.
Walmart not only stocks ScentWorx candles, but also the brand’s personal care items, including body wash, body lotion, hand soaps, and fragrance body mists. The range of personal care products is designed to provide intense hydration with elevated scent experiences.
Slatkin also expanded his olfactory reach into the wellness space with a bath and body line called Dwell212. “The collection is about more than smelling good,” Slatkin said, adding the scents can elevate moods.
He
is aware of mental health challenges, especially for Gen Z—a
generation he is well aware of, as he watches the hectic schedule of
his 26-year-old daughter.
“Anxiety
is the number one health issue, outpacing heart disease, cancer,
juvenile diabetes—everything,” he said. Dwell212 focuses on
scent’s potential health benefits. The range features ingredients
that match moods, such as citrus for energy or lavender for calm.
“Dwell212
brings a fresh innovative product line, that captures the trend for
unique scents that our customers are seeking,” said Jerrit Davis,
Vice President, Personal Care Merchandising at Walmart in a
statement.
Bath
and body is a logical extension for the business, Slatkin said.
“You’re not going to have fewer wrinkles or wake up with no
cellulite with my bath and body wash. But I deliver the experience of
scent,” he said. Slatkin expects home and body could grow to as
much as 40% of his company sales in the few years.
Another
category Slatkin adding to this portfolio is air and auto fresheners.
Tired of riding in Ubers or cabs that smelled like “armpits,”
Slatkin developed auto hang tags with scents named Brand New Car and
Limoncello Cupcake, sold at Walmart. “Smell like a new Mercedes
even if it is an old truck,” he laughed.
Diversification into other brands can help offset the ebb and flow of candle sales, and sales trends validate his push in mass. Prestige candle sales declined 13% in 2024 versus the year before, according to Circana. By contrast, mass candle dollar sales, where Slatkin is positioned, increased 1% in 2025, generating $2.3 billion in sales. Notably, unit sales expanded by 3%, translating into real growth versus just price hikes.
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