Not only weddings and honeymoons are romantic events. Sometimes a business idea can also be born in romance. That is how the perfume brand EQUIVALENZA entered the Latvian market, which stands out with something truly special - it is the first perfume bar in the Baltics. We invited Natalja Cenkus, the founder of the brand in Latvia, to tell us about the concept of the perfume bar and about the brand, whose perfumes you will find both for everyday life and for weddings, as well as matching for the couple.

The entry of the EQUIVALENZA brand into Latvia has a very romantic story. Please share!

Our love story with this brand started in Milan. My husband and I have been together for 15 years, but we got married five years ago - during the covid restrictions. The honeymoon had to be postponed until the world became easier to travel again. We went to the capital of fashion and style - Milan, where we lived in a quiet, respectable area, enjoyed the Italian atmosphere and the fact that we could be alone.

One day our acquaintances showed us the store EQUIVALENZA. At first we went in just to look, but we came back again and again... We saw how much the Milanese loved this brand, and we understood: if this store is so popular in Milan, where everything is about fashion and perfumery, there is something special hidden in it. We fell in love with EQUIVALENZA and brought half a suitcase with perfumes and cosmetics to Latvia. This is how our personal story with this brand began. We have opened a store in Liepāja and are currently working on opening a store in Riga.

What is a perfume bar and how does this concept differ from usual perfume shops?

In the Baltics, this is the first such store with a perfume bar concept, it is something completely new.

Coming to the store, a person sees a large stand with perfumes, which are divided by color or organized by families in order to easily navigate. As well as perfumes divided into women's, men's and unisex fragrances. The purple vials contain warm oriental aromas - more temperamental, warmer and sweeter. The second section of the fragrance bar is yellow - fresher, more citrusy aromas with interesting notes such as strawberry, cotton candy, peach or raspberry, which make each scent unique. The third section – red-pink vials containing floral and woody aromas. Knowing whether there is a desire for a floral, fresh or powdery sweet oriental aroma, it is easy to navigate in the perfume bar concept and choose the appropriate department where you can find the aromas you like best.

When the customer has chosen the aroma, we go to the bottle stand. Perfumes are bottled in the shop in the presence of the customer. We have available small bottles of 12 milliliter capacity, 30ml, 50ml and 100ml. If a person is not sure which fragrance to choose and wants to try how the fragrance will live on the skin, because the fragrance opens differently on each skin, then you can take smaller vials, but later, if you like the scent, come and buy the perfume in a larger bottle.

The global trend is personalization, and we also have personalized bottles available - you can choose any color, shape, cap and even the color of the cork. 

Is it possible to refill another fragrance in the same bottle?

Yes - if a person chooses to try something else in the same bottle, we have special means to clean the bottle. We replace the blowing part, and then we can refill the aroma. 

The EQUIVALENZA brand attaches great importance to sustainability and green thinking.

The brand cares a lot about the planet: there are refillable bottles, all perfumes contain vegetable alcohol, nothing is tested on animals, the brand is also a member of the vegan association. In cosmetics and creams, the brand uses up to 95 percent natural ingredients.

Also for cosmetics - face and body creams - we buy a glass container only once and then fill it up.

What products are included in the brand's skin care products?

The brand focuses on perfumes and home fragrances, but also produces face care products - creams, serums, gel rollers for eyes against puffiness and dark circles, pro age series for age 40+, face wash, tonics, micellar water, men's cosmetics - aftershave, beard oil, shower gel, deodorants. We also have a bio collection in our store, which includes face wash, scrub and micellar gel. 

Shower gels, lotions, body creams and hand creams are also matched to the most popular fragrances - so we can enjoy the fragrance for longer.

What about Latvian men - how open are they to oriental warm aromas, and which aromas do they like best?

Our men are more into woody fragrances and we have the most fragrances in this section. In summer, men chose more fresh fragrances, but they also buy oriental fragrances.

The brand has also created special perfumes - Liepājniece and Liepājnieks. How did you get there?

To create the fragrances, we sent the chief perfumer of the brand a photo of Liepāja's natural scenery - the Baltic Sea, our pines and lindens, fragments of old Latvian films. We sent information about the temperaments and characters of our people. When the perfume was already created, we went to Barcelona to test it to see if it was really associated with the people of Liepāja. And - yes. Two fragrances for women and two for men were created. Our men's fragrances are like sea wolves - with sea salt, rum, liqueur, pine and the sea. On the other hand, Liepājniece is steadfast like a linden tree, strong but gentle. The other women's fragrance is sweeter, with honey and caramel; it is associated with lightness, sun, summer and wind in the hair.

The brand has a special pricing policy.

The brand has no loud advertising. Any of our fragrances can be promoted with Hollywood stars with a large marketing budget. But EQUIVALENZA is about something else – to make luxury quality perfumes available to everyone. These are fair prices for perfumery. 

We don't pay for vials either. This way, you can buy several perfumes in smaller volumes and create a library of home fragrances. By shopping with us, a person can afford to choose perfumes for every mood and life situation. 

Is it also possible to order perfumes?

We accept orders on our Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts, we also send information about perfumes to the person. As we serve in the store, we also correspond remotely. We send the products with Omniva parcels.

What would be your advice on how to choose wedding fragrances for couples? 

I recommend choosing them from one perfume family. One of the factors on which the choice depends - what is the wedding. If the bride is soft and has a white, light and airy dress, then I would recommend citrus scents that are also light, airy and soft. They also have interesting notes like narcissus. We can also match the groom with a citrus scent, lighter or more intense. If the bride wanted a floral fragrance, then I would recommend a masculine fragrance from the same family - so a woody fragrance, which can also be both sweeter and more expressive.

By the way, you can not only buy coordinated perfumes for weddings, but also organize a bachelorette party, enjoying delicious cocktails in a feminine atmosphere and getting to know the rich offer of the perfume bar. We invite brides and bridesmaids to safely contact us and arrange an absolutely unique hen party activity with us!

Interesting facts:

• EQUIVALENZA is a new, rapidly growing brand that was founded in 2011.
• It is currently represented in 36 countries and has 763 stores worldwide.
• EQUIVALENZA offers a unique perfume bar concept and filling system.
• This is a real perfume house that produces its own perfume essences from high-quality ingredients that fully meet all European quality standards.
• All EQUIVALENZA perfumes are created in the brand's own laboratories under the guidance of French master perfumer Mylène.
• The brand uses essences to create its own fragrances and also sells them to other brands for perfume production.
• Unlike many famous brands, such as Chanel or Dior, which do not have their own perfume factories and outsource their further production to perfume houses such as Equivalenza, where perfumes are made to their order, Equivalenza carries out the entire process on site, from the production of essences to the creation of the finished fragrance.
• Equivalenza offers perfumes in different sizes: 12, 30, 50 or 100 ml. After trying a small amount such as 12 ml, customers can make an informed decision and purchase a larger volume of their favorite fragrance.
• The perfume bar is segmented into three elements, as well as women's and men's fragrances.

Women's collection perfumes: WARM ORIENTAL – warm, oriental, sensual perfumes for confident women who love intensity and charisma; CITRUS SPLASH – fresh, invigorating, energy-filled fragrances for active and free women who live in the rhythm of the city; FLORAL BLOOM – floral, romantic, feminine perfume for those ladies who choose lightness, elegance and purity

Men's collection perfumes: EXOTIC TEMPTATION – oriental, gourmet, deep fragrances for charismatic men who like to stand out; EXTREME FRESHNESS – light, sporty, fresh compositions for energetic and modern men; WOOD RESERVE – a woody, persistent, masculine fragrance for men that values ​​strength, style and stability.

• EQUIVALENZA perfume bar combines luxury and niche fragrances.
• When making a repeat purchase, customers only pay for the perfume itself, since the bottle has already been paid for. This filling system makes the purchase not only economical, but also environmentally friendly.
• The brand's perfumes, skin care products and home fragrances are created using natural and safe synthetic ingredients that meet strict European quality standards. All products of this brand are hypoallergenic, harmless to health, pet-friendly and have a minimal impact on the environment.
• The mission of the brand is simple: to democratize the world of perfumery and create high-quality perfumes at affordable prices - so that everyone can find the fragrance that suits them.

Author of the article: Ieva Simanoviča