Troye Sivan's Fragrance Brand: More Than Just a Celebrity Launch

Troye Sivan's enduring fascination with nostalgia is evident in all facets of his career. His music, a captivating blend of pulsating synths and funky house rhythms, draws heavily from 90s dance anthems. His style, often inspired by vintage Helmut Lang and Prada, exudes a similar retro charm. This penchant for the past is no coincidence, as his new fragrance brand, Tsu Lange Yor, was meticulously designed to evoke a sense of "home and nostalgia," the pop star told BoF. The signature scent, TLY 5755, is reminiscent of "warm wooden furnishings," Sivan explained, and features notes of sandalwood, coumarin, and Tasmanian mountain pepper.

"I possess a deep sense of homesickness," Sivan shared, reflecting on his upcoming US tour alongside British singer Charli XCX in mid-September. "Growing up in a very close-knit family, travelling was tough. That's when I first realised the power of scent." Having grown up in Perth, Australia, Sivan would carry a candle on his travels, lighting it in hotel rooms to combat his homesickness.

Launched last year alongside his brother, Steele Mellet, Tsu Lange Yor – a Yiddish toast meaning "to long years" – currently offers four fragrances in perfumes and candles, alongside a selection of home objects. The brand taps into the burgeoning global fragrance sector, valued at £56 billion and projected to reach £80 billion by 2027, according to BoF's 2023 State of Fashion: Beauty report.

Tsu Lange Yor joins a crowded field of brands vying for a piece of the fragrance boom. New and trendy brands like Sol de Janeiro, D.S. & Durga, and Byredo have successfully chipped away at market share from traditional players like Chanel and Rabanne in recent years. Further additions to this burgeoning market include Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, whose parent company Kering established an in-house beauty division in 2023. Sivan is far from the only pop star eyeing this lucrative category, with Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, and Harry Styles having all launched their own perfumes.

However, simply being associated with a famous face is no longer enough to stand out in today's market. Consumers are now savvy, demanding not only appealing marketing but also transparency regarding ingredients and overall product quality. To differentiate itself, Tsu Lange Yor has embraced wholesale, forging partnerships with retailers across Australia, Europe, and North America in recent months. The brand also plans to further penetrate key markets through pop-up events, having already hosted activations in New York and Melbourne, Australia.

Avoiding the Celebrity Brand Curse

For every successful celebrity-backed brand like Rare Beauty and Rhode, countless others struggle to make a lasting impact, including J.Lo’s JLo Beauty, Brad Pitt’s Le Domaine, and Ellen Degeneres' Kind Science. These ventures are often met with indifference at best, and at worst, with resentment from disillusioned consumers who perceive them as mere cash grabs.

Despite featuring prominently in the brand's campaigns, Sivan hopes his star power doesn't eclipse the brand's true value proposition.

"We never wanted to rely on, or even really stress, that this is a 'celebrity-founded brand,'" Sivan explained. "For us, it was equally important that it's founded in Carlton, Australia, and celebrates Australian botanicals and ingredients, and Australian creatives."

The brand's homeware offering, featuring sculptural brass bowls, oil burners, and dreidels, was crafted in collaboration with Joel Adler, an industrial designer based in Sydney. The TLY 5755 scent was developed in partnership with perfumer Craig Andrade, the nose behind Australian brand The Raconteur.

Rather than simply leveraging his fame, Sivan sees Tsu Lange Yor as an extension of his existing credibility in the beauty space. Known for his experimental approach to style, Sivan frequently changes his hair colour and recently sported a drag ensemble for his music video for the song "One of Your Girls." Before founding Tsu Lange Yor, he served as YSL Beauty's ambassador and is currently the face of hair care brand Schwarzkopf. Last month, he was named Rabanne's first global makeup ambassador.

"I want to continue working with brands that I feel are exciting, while keeping space for Tsu Lange Yor to exist," said Sivan, a frequent collaborator with Prada. "The point of difference is that Tsu Lange Yor is entirely me, my ideas and tastes and influences, and my partnerships with other brands are collaborations."

A Rush to Scale

Compared to its celebrity-brand counterparts, Tsu Lange Yor's business model stands out for its early adoption of wholesale.

Just a month after its launch last year, the brand secured a partnership with Dover Street Parfums Paris, according to Mellet, the brand's managing director. Last month, it added e-commerce site Ssense and Australian beauty retailer Mecca to its roster of stockists.

Sivan and Mellet aim to expand into textile-based products, including blankets, in the near future and expand their fragrance portfolio in the coming months. They also plan to partner with larger retailers in the US, a key market for the brand.

"It would be a lot easier to white label a product, slap your name on at the end and call it a day," said Sivan. "For me, home is obviously such a personal thing. It's the most personal thing. I want to focus on the process … of making interesting, creative work."