As part of the Morning Lazziness series about empowering women who encourage and do incredible things with their ideas in society, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristi Moe.
Kristi Moe is the founder and president of Zodica Perfumery. Prior to launching Zodica, Kristi was a sales and marketing executive for national personal care brands including Poo~Pourri and Tree Hut.
Can you share the story behind your journey as an entrepreneur and what inspired you to start your own business?
My experience in the beauty industry started with a passion for entrepreneurship, specifically in creating experiences. I previously ran solo businesses including fashion shows and speed dating events. I leveraged the expertise I learned in marketing to women and transfered that over into the beauty space where I could impact the customer journey. I sought out founder-led companies where I could work alongside entrepreneurs and learn the 360 degree view of running a successful brand.
While I have some higher education, my business understanding is due to those founders who mentored me. I never forget that my success has lineage, having stood on the shoulders of those who came before me. Without them, I wouldn’t have seen what road was possible for me. They gave me space to learn and opportunities to try new things. I discovered I was pretty good at developing products and had a nose for scents.
I worked alongside chemists, sourcing specialists, and brand story tellers where I soaked up details like a sponge. Before long, I was inspired to bring the world Zodica.
What are the unique selling points of the brand?
Zodica makes perfume shopping and gifting as easy as love at first sniff by creating personalized scent profiles that don’t trigger sensitivities.
As a lifelong migraine sufferer who gets triggered by scent, perfume shopping is a painful experience. I wanted to take the guesswork out of finding a signature scent while also making perfume that is easily enjoyed no matter your sensitivities. When I was researching how to personalize scent, I stumbled across a scientific study that showed findings that personality can be influenced depending on one’s birth season. Interestingly, those findings mirrored some of the personalities in the zodiac. This made me curious to see if there might be a correlation with scent preference since scent and personality are so closely linked due to how scent impacts emotion.
I used findings from blind scent studies I conducted to create perfumes for each zodiac sign. I found that people from each zodiac sign do share similar scent preferences. When formulating the scents, I also incorporated seasonal ingredients and zodiac archetype signatures. The final perfumes have been blind studied twice with an 80% preference rate that women will like their own zodiac sign.
What challenges have you faced as a woman in the business world, and how have you overcome them?
Perfume is a highly competitive industry that historically required deep spending on marketing, leveraging either a designer or celebrity name. Zodica disrupted the industry by making our customer the core of our formulation. I launched Zodica on a shoestring budget at my local farmers market, and it is now found in almost 700 stores and online at Free People.
What Inspiring Stories Will You Share with Our Readers?
I recently opened our only retail store in our hometown of Madison, Wisconsin. Although Zodica products are carried by retailers all across the country and even abroad, I wanted a physical space where the brand could bring our mission to life. We are reimagining retail where it’s less transactional, and more about the experience. We aim to not just sell perfume, but help people connect with themselves, with each other, and something greater through our scent journey events and monthly astrological-based meditations.
