Regardless, with an understanding of scents' transportive and uplifting powers, Katerina Juskey and Victoria Mierzwa founded LOHN, a candle and fragrance brand based in Toronto, Canada. Get to know their story:
Among all possible products out there, what foundational experiences motivated you both to focus on home fragrances?
“I worked in the lab at Estée Lauder in Quality Assurance before getting my Master’s in Science and Technology of Fragrance and Cosmetics at ISIPCA in France and Italy. Meanwhile, Victoria was working at L’Oréal in Business Development. We were the perfect match!”
(Katerina Juskey)
Katerina: It was a combination of our love for product development and our obsession with scent. We went to the same high school and university. After graduating with degrees in chemical engineering, we pursued careers in the beauty industry. Victoria worked in product development for a company that manufactured hotel amenities with brands like Byredo, Le Labo, and Nest Fragrances. I worked in the lab at Estée Lauder in Quality Assurance before getting my Master’s in Science and Technology of Fragrance and Cosmetics at ISIPCA in France and Italy. Meanwhile, Victoria was working at L’Oréal in Business Development. We were the perfect match!
We connected on LinkedIn in June 2016 and spent two years developing the story, design, and products after work hours. LOHN (pronounced lawn) connects to the Estonian word “lõhn”, which means “scent.” I am part Estonian and Lithuanian, and Victoria is Polish.
What are some fragrances and scents that are especially important to you?
Katerina: The scent of bacon and onion sautéeing on a stove top reminds me of my church basement and spending quality time with my family and Eastern European community when I was a child.
Victoria: The smell of tomato leaves; it reminds me of my grandmother’s garden.
In what ways do Estonian and Lithuanian culture and heritage play a part in your life, Katerina? And what about your Polish heritage, Victoria?
Our Eastern European heritage influences us in a profound way. From cherished family customs to culinary traditions and the fragrances we craft, our connection to our heritage is prevalent in our daily lives.
What motivated you to represent that cultural background as Canadian business owners?
Inspired by our Eastern European heritage and a road along which amber was traded, we decided to make scents inspired by travels and ancient perfume materials, in order to take our customers on a journey. Our goal was to create a brand with a story to tell, through colourful design, layered scents, and high quality, small batch products.
Which makes a larger impact on your marketing: your own social media posts, PR in publications like Chatelaine, or influencer content?
Katerina: It’s hard to measure the ROI to be honest. We use a multi-pronged approach to build our audience and sales with all three and this has been working well for us over the last three to four years to grow our community.
In today's landscape, there's a clear trend towards authenticity in content sought by followers. We consistently observe increased engagement on platforms like Instagram or TikTok when either Victoria or I personally engage with our audience. As difficult as it can be some days to show our faces, we believe that brand founders maintaining an active presence on social media is crucial for fostering meaningful connections with our community.
How do you come up with your scent combinations, such as HAPPIEST BDAY (champagne and orange zest) and ZIMA (bergamot and black tea)?
The process has been quite organic thus far! Typically, we discuss how we want our customers to feel or where we want to transport them (i.e. The Baltic coastline) while experiencing our products. This helps us navigate which scent notes we should use, and which fragrance families we should be focused on.
Additionally, we involve our customers as often as possible through social media surveys and yearly consumer feedback surveys.
Our recently launched Resort Collection was created to transport our customers to paradise. The best-selling scent in the collection, called Surf, will remind you of the beach. It smells like rolling ocean waves, with bitter orange, vibrant lime, and sweet, minty eucalyptus.
What strategies do you employ to stand out among the competition that's out there in the home fragrance industry?
“Having complete control over every aspect of our business allows us to maintain high standards and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers.”
(Victoria Mierzwa and Katerina Juskey)
Owning our manufacturing and distribution sets us apart from other home fragrance brands. We take pride in the quality and speedy service we offer our customers, and this is largely due to our vertical integration. Having complete control over every aspect of our business allows us to maintain high standards and deliver exceptional experiences to our customers.
For example, if a retailer has an urgent product request for next day delivery, we can likely make it happen. We also include a handwritten note card with every single online order!
What's your best-selling scent and what can customers look forward to coming up from LOHN?
Erde is our best-selling scent, hands down! Erde Means “Earth” in German and it smells like a lush forest, with notes of deep cedar, spicy-sweet nutmeg, ripe fig, and fresh vetiver.
(This interview has been edited and condensed.)
