A perk of your friends knowing you’re into theme parks is that sometimes they will send you theme park-related swag just because they’re nice people. Recently, two of my friends (Clint & Chantal, if you’re reading this, thanks again!) sent me a candle from Etsy store ETScent that was simply called “Flume.”
According to their website, the Flume candle is supposed to mimic the smell of Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain or the Jurassic Park: River Adventure. And to a longtime veteran of the familiar smell of treated water & theatrical fog, they nailed it! With other products in their store that are centered around theme park smells, I tracked down ETscent’s owner and founder Nick, and learned a little more about just how he captures the perfect scent for the products in his store.
Coaster101: Hi Nick, thanks for taking some time. First question: What’s your relationship with theme park fandom? How did you first get into theme parks?
Nick, ETscent: My family went on semi-regular vacations to Orlando as far back as I can remember. To paint a picture, we are talking Universal Studios Florida when it first opened before there was City Walk or Islands of Adventure. Also growing up watching Nickelodeon, basically every show I watched ended with “Filmed at Nickelodeon Studios, at Universal Studios Florida” so I think there may have been some brainwashing there. Getting serious again, I’m also a huge Disney Parks fan and tend to do the “all 4 parks in one day” routine. What I think is special about theme parks is the immersive storytelling, teaming up with your favorite characters, and getting a chance to “ride the movies” as Universal likes to say. Also, I geek out on the technology involved whether it’s how the Harry Potter benches fly on a robotic arm or how a simple groove in the floor makes the Haunted Mansion buggy turn.
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Coaster101: Your company is called ET Scent, what about the ET attraction inspired you to start creating products with that scent?
ETScent: This question either answers itself or I sound crazy but simply put… THE SMELL. For those who are unfamiliar, the queue of the ET Adventure attraction is themed as a forest and, to add to this effect, they pump in a forest smell. As the last standing of the original opening day attractions, this ride holds a special place in my heart.
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Coaster101: What are some of the elements in your ET Scent?
ETScent: Don’t want to give away all the secrets, but basically to develop our flagship Extra-Terrestrial Adventure candle we, my wife and I, got the actual fragrance used in the attraction and sent it to a lab to be analyzed. Then, we had a fragrance company work with the results to recreate the original attraction’s scent, custom formulated to be used in our various products.
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Coaster101: When did you first start producing your products, and which products came first?
ETScent: It all started when I didn’t want to use plastic soap bottles anymore. I switched to bar soap, which evolved into me making my own soap. Once the business aspect started we introduced the Extra-Terrestrial Adventure soap bars.
One of our customers said they wanted a room spray so we started making those, too. About a month later, enough people were requesting candles for us to add it to the shop and now it is by far the most popular product. When we release new scents we only do it in candle form, but are always accommodating to custom orders.
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Coaster101: How do you create your candles and the scents associated with them?
ETScent: All the products are, for now, handmade in our kitchen in a tiny apartment in New York City. The fragrance oils we use and blend are ordered from a wide range of obscure suppliers and sometimes even custom made from scratch. An example of a custom made fragrance is our Flume candle which will remind you of Pirates or Splash Mountain.
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Coaster101: What is the trial and error process on smells like?
ETScent: The best way to explain it is to tell the development story of our Mickey’s Pineapple Treat candle, which is our version of the iconic Dole Whip. We narrowed it down to six different fragrance oil blends. Then, we made actual Dole Whips! And with the ice cream in one hand, we would take turns sniffing to determine which fragrance sample smelled the closest. What we ended up with is dead on! Many of our products have similar stories. There are a few people whose opinions we trust who either work for a theme park or are annual pass members. They are sent prototypes of new products and provide their expert feedback.
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Coaster101: What sets your candles apart from other people who are doing “theme park scents” in candles and other forms?
ETScent: If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I would be selling candles, I would have thought you were crazy. It’s nothing like I’ve done before. I don’t have any fragrance or candle making background. What started it all was I saw someone online selling a ET candle. I bought it and was like… no, this isn’t it. Then, I bought another brand’s ET candle and I thought it smelled like baby powder. After being disappointed too many times, I went down the rabbit hole of getting the actual authentic fragrance. The plan to sell it to others didn’t come until later.
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ETScent: To answer your question, for me this isn’t about making money but instead spreading joy. That’s also why we have our RISK FREE guarantee. We know everyone’s memories and noses are different. If you don’t “relive the adventure” for whatever reason, just let us know and we will gladly make it right. Customer satisfaction is most important to us.
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Coaster101: Do you have plans for the next theme park inspired candle or scent you’d want to produce?
ETScent: While I do wanna stay on brand with theme park scents, we have a few non-theme park scents as well. Om, based on the 90’s Gap scent of the same name, is as popular as our flagship ET Adventure scent. We just released our X-mas Tree candle which is simply a recreation of a Christmas tree that doesn’t have the extra frills or artificialness that a lot of Christmas candles add. We have a few attraction ideas in the works and we will continue to roll out new scents. We love to hear from fellow theme park fans and a lot of our development comes from customer feedback so feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]!
Coaster101: One thing you do that’s unique is an ET-Scent soap. How is your soap production different from candle production, and do you feel that Soaps are an un-tapped market for theme park fans?
ETScent: Logistics and advance planning! Soap needs about two weeks to cure while candles can be shipped same day. Since we have introduced candles, the soap bars have not been as popular. I prefer making candles anyways, so it all works out in the end.
Thanks to Nick for his time. For more information about ETScent, be sure to check out their Etsy Shop, and follow them on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.
Interested in some candles, soaps, or other products? Use code COASTER101 to get 15% off your order! You can also visit: ETScent.com/Coaster101 and it will auto apply!
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