Over these last 5 years, we have gotten messages across the entire spectrum. From very humbling praise to death wishes and prayers that we fail. Soon after the Frontier update of May '26, we received an email that in a way, was the scariest and most depressing yet.
"I used AI to try to decipher what your accords probably smell like, ... [continued]."
Some are unfortunately unaware or downplaying it, but humanity is losing its humanity, quickly. We are going to attempt to explain why the frontier update is what it is, and who it is for.
Part I
A big chunk was burnout. After substantial losses with Etsy and Amazon, as well as trickling sales for the hyper traditional route, the desire to close the doors began to grow. It was time for a change, with a greater attempt to actually inject fun into the business. If it didn't work out, it did not matter because the previous path was just as unfeasible. A "If this doesn't work, at least it was fun." kind of mentality.
Requests to return back to fragrances from essential oil started immediately after we switched off of them, and they did not let up for 2.5 years. As soon as we switched back, business health started improving dramatically, despite the cryptic approach.
This is where a lot of people drew the line. "You went from completely transparent to completely opaque, we will never buy from you again." This was expected. In a world where businesses seemingly do nothing but take advantage of people and exploit them, we as Americans have developed a natural assumption that we are being manipulated. This is 100% natural and we are not immune to this feeling ourselves, so we knew that this was going to be the single biggest risk point of the frontier update.
So why do it? There are thousands of personal care brands and artisans in the US. They are all fighting for a shrinking pie, especially artisans like us, because the cost of living continues to worsen. To make matters worse, many artisans are going so heavy on AI generated creativity that the entire artisan sector is becoming one big blob with near-zero identity or soul. The frontier update was essentially a beacon of light, a rejection to the trajectory.
We fight tooth and nail for affordability. We take risks to pass the excitement on to those that are hopeful, which naturally repels those that are hopeless. We do custom accords that can't be found anywhere else. We love the aesthetics of steampunk, sure. But at the core of the theme, is old meets new, and fantasy meets reality. Imagination, wonder, hope, endless possibilities. This kind of mindset is literally not for the weak minded or hopeless, it cannot be.
Many, if not the majority of Americans feel hopeless. In the height of irony, there are many people that believe the frontier update was a manipulative one to try extract more money out of people. An update that appeals to hope that operates solely in a country that feels hopeless... sounds like a solid business strategy.
AVSC does not exist for money, it exists because we have a passion for the space and enjoy providing for others. "No other artisan really does what you do." We have gotten that message as well, and they are right. It is because it is bad for business, good for passion. Passion alone cannot make a business healthy, so most artisans play the game of risk management.
Part II
When it comes to perfume, cologne, fragrance, whatever you want to call it, the brain has two options.
Option A is 99% of the industry - deconstruction. You find a scent, it gives you a list of notes, and is completely "transparent". There are major blind spots in this method that AVSC exploits. Let's go through an example.
Top Notes: Orange, Lemon, Lily of The Valley
Middle Notes: Cedarwood, Cardamom, Juniper Berry
Base Notes: Frankincense, Sandalwood, Musk, Anise
Two major things here. Immediately, expectations are set. You have been given a list of promises, and if they are not found, you will feel lied to. The degree of this feeling varies person to person, but make no mistake, it happens on a subconscious level. If there is a note in the list that you have never experienced before in isolation, like juniper berry, your brain has no reference. It is forced to make a comparison. That is why many frag heads will say something along the lines of "I'm not getting a juniper berry note as much as I am getting a pine or pepper note." This is the moment where disappointment can seep into the subconscious.
Another major negative of this approach is the appearance of a note that you know that you hate. Anise is a very polarizing note. Those that hate it, hate it with a passion. Because of that passion, the brain's ability to isolate that note multiplies. Not only is it listed, it is a note that you hate. This is classic confirmation bias. And yes, if it is not disclosed, you would be shocked at how much harder it is for your brain to find that note you think you hate so much.
Option B is sensory mapping - construction. With no logical reference (the notes list), your brain pulls from your memories and your trauma to fill the gap. The brain builds the accord from past experience. This takes a load off of the subconscious. After all, the gaps are being filled from your own memories, and those are not false. Whether they sync with the actual scent notes is completely irrelevant, because the gap has been filled. The pressure to play detective and find the notes is non-existent.
The frontier update gives you just enough information to make a decent buying decision. The accord gives the biggest theme hint, the journal entry may add some atmosphere or inject a picture in your head, and the archetype score may guide you on a gender direction. But in one of our blind tests, we had one male and one woman rate each accord blind. There were some where both of them at the same time, spoken with complete confidence, said "This is for [gender].", and they were completely opposite of one another. This is why the archetype score is a guide, not a law.
This is the other side of this very sharp, double edged sword. In the event that you pull the trigger on a purchase, and you genuinely do not like the accord, this approach double backfires for us. The disappointment in this context dwarfs that of the missing note context. This is where you will likely feel as though you took a gamble and lost completely - this is the risk. This is the type of event that almost guarantees a one and done customer.
This is the tightrope that AVSC operates on. It is risky, and because of that, we are forced to use 100% of our focus and effort with every accord from the name, to the notes, the journal entry.
The world is miserable enough. Everyone is morphing into one AI generated entity. Most businesses take the ruthless, profits and volume over everything approach. AVSC exists as a tiny grain of interesting and fun for those that miss businesses like that. Nothing more.
AVSC