Element Brooklyn shows how price and performance drive refill adoption

Element Brooklyn has built a refill-centric business that couples affordability with strong product performance, resulting in a 39% repeat-purchase rate and over 800 active B2B accounts. Founder and CEO Andrew Nicol explains that price usually convinces shoppers to try refills, while the waste-reduction benefit deepens loyalty. The firm’s live impact counter shows more than 500,000 bottles kept from landfill since 2021, and its products cost about a quarter per ounce of comparable luxury brands.

Although most orders are one-off, subscriptions deliver higher lifetime value and help forecast production, with an average six-month gap between a customer’s first and second purchase. B2B clients such as hotels and gyms buy in bulk for cost and operational simplicity, returning empty drums for reuse. The company emphasizes selling fragrance, performance and value first, reserving sustainability as a secondary appeal.