What does Atelier Madrona do?

Atelier Madrona is a boutique fragrance house and private label studio based in Seattle, Washington. Led by Chelsey Owen, a Paris-trained Master Perfumer, we develop fully custom fragrances from scratch for independent brands, startups, and established companies. We also offer small-batch production with no minimum order quantity, making us one of the few fragrance development partners built for brands at every stage of growth.

No. We have no minimum order quantity. You can order exactly what you need for your stage of business — whether that's a small initial run to test the market or a larger production order as your brand scales. Larger volumes generally result in lower per-unit costs, but we never require you to commit to more than you're ready for.

Do you require a minimum order quantity?

Every formula we develop is created from scratch, exclusively for your brand. We don't offer stock or catalog fragrances. Your scent is developed through an original design process guided by your creative brief, and it will never be used for any other client.

Do you work from a catalog, or do you create custom formulas from scratch?

How long does fragrance development take?

The full process — from creative brief through testing, and compliance — typically takes 4 to 10 months depending on the complexity of the project and the number of fragrances being developed simultaneously. The development and refinement phase alone can range from 4 weeks to 6 months, depending on how quickly a direction is approved and how many revision rounds are needed.

How many revision rounds are included?

‍ ‍Unlimited. We refine the fragrance through as many rounds as necessary until you're fully satisfied with the result. There's no clock-watching and no extra charge for additional revisions. The clarity and specificity of your feedback at each stage helps determine how quickly we arrive at a final formula.

What is a design fee, and what does it cover?

The design fee is a one-time fee that covers the entire creative development process — the interview and creative brief, sketch design, and all creation and refinement rounds through final formula approval. It also covers the generation of IFRA, CoA and SDS documentation. It does not include the cost of production, raw materials, or bottling. Fees vary based on the number of fragrances being developed simultaneously, with volume discounts applied when developing multiple fragrances at once. Contact us for a custom quote.

Do I have to commit to a production run before the fragrance is finished?

No. You approve the final formula before making any production commitment. Once you're satisfied with the fragrance and ready to move forward, a 50% deposit initiates production. There's no pressure to commit to a production volume until you're ready. Please allow 90 days for production.

Who owns the formula once it's developed?

Atelier Madrona retains ownership of all formulas by default, which allows us to maintain quality and consistency for all your future production orders. Your formula is exclusive to your brand — we will never use it for another client. If you prefer to own your formula outright, we offer formula transfer options at tiered pricing based on production commitment.

What formats can you develop fragrances for?

We develop fragrances for a wide range of product formats including fine fragrance (eau de parfum, eau de toilette, extrait), body oils, candles, reed diffusers, and room sprays. Each format has different concentration and formulation requirements, and we guide you through those decisions as part of the development process.

Do you handle regulatory compliance and testing?

Yes. Our standard process includes review of each ingredient for sensitization, compliance with IFRA, EU, and FDA standards, and generation of IFRA certificates, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), Certificate of Analysis (CoA), and allergen lists for product labeling. For brands requiring additional compliance — such as EWG, Sephora Clean, Credo, or Thrive standards — we offer optional compliance services at additional cost. We also coordinate third-party stability and safety testing through certified laboratories.

Can you help with packaging sourcing and bottling?

Yes, optionally. We offer packaging sourcing, filling, assembly, and labeling services for fragrances produced by Atelier Madrona. Just like your fragrance, your bottle, cap and packaging will be unique to your brand. You can choose full-service (we source and fill), client-sourced packaging (you ship packaging to us and we fill), or juice-only (we ship bulk diluted fragrance to you for bottling elsewhere). These services are quoted separately based on your specific needs.

Do you work with brands outside of Seattle?

Yes. While we're based in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, we work with brands across the United States. Remote clients participate in the creative brief and review process via video, and fragrance samples are shipped for evaluation. The process is fully designed to work without in-person visits, though local clients are always welcome at our studio by appointment.

What kinds of brands do you work with?

We work with a wide range of brands including independent beauty and wellness startups, fine fragrance brands, skincare companies, hospitality and retail concepts, entrepreneurs launching new product lines, influencers and creators building signature scent collections, and creative professionals extending their brand into fragrance. Our no-minimum-order model makes us particularly well-suited for early-stage brands that aren't yet at the volume required by larger fragrance houses.

How is Atelier Madrona different from larger fragrance houses?

Most large fragrance houses require minimum orders of thousands of units, work from stock catalogs rather than true custom formulation, and assign your project to a team rather than a dedicated perfumer. At Atelier Madrona, every formula is developed from scratch by a professionally trained perfumer, there's no minimum order quantity, revisions are unlimited, and you never commit to production until you've approved the final fragrance. We're built for brands that want a genuine creative partnership, not a commodity transaction.

Production is quoted after your fragrance is finalized — the concentrate is the biggest variable, and any number before that exists is a guess. That said, here are realistic ranges based on past projects:

100 bottles: ~$35–$75 per unit, all-in
250 bottles: ~$25–$45
500 bottles: ~$16–$35
1,000 bottles: ~$12–$20

We often work backwards from your target retail price and margin to design production around your budget — something we're happy to walk through on our call.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)