Your brand has a visual identity — a logo, a color palette, typography that people recognize on sight. But what does your brand smell like? If the answer is "nothing," you’re leaving the most powerful sense in marketing completely untouched.
At DetroitWick, we create what we call a scent logo — a proprietary fragrance formula that represents your brand’s identity the way your visual logo represents your look. Each formula is developed in our scent lab in the Blanco Building in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, and once it’s finalized, your brand owns it in perpetuity. No one else can use it. It’s your intellectual property.
What DetroitWick Actually Does
DetroitWick is a scent branding studio and custom fragrance manufacturer. We do three things:
• Create original scent logos from scratch — proprietary fragrance formulas developed specifically for your brand, built around your identity and the emotional response you want customers to have.
• Reverse engineer existing scents at 99% accuracy — if there’s a fragrance you love but don’t own, we can deconstruct it, match it, and then modify it to create something uniquely yours.
• Manufacture the products that carry your scent — candles, diffusers, room sprays, wax melts, corporate gifts, packaging inserts, and more. All hand-poured in Detroit with a proprietary ultra-smooth wax blend, phthalate/paraben/sulfate-free fragrance, and 100% cotton wicks.
Everything happens under one roof. Formula development, production, packaging — the entire chain lives in the Blanco Building. That’s rare in this industry. Most scent branding companies outsource manufacturing. We don’t.
The 99% Reverse Engineering Capability
This is one of the most common ways a project starts. A client comes to us with a scent they love — a candle from a hotel, a competitor’s product, a fragrance they encountered somewhere and can’t get out of their head — and says: "I want my brand to smell like this."
We can reverse engineer virtually any fragrance at 99% accuracy. But we don’t stop at a copy. The whole point is to take what you love about a reference scent and modify it into something that belongs to you. The final formula isn’t a replica — it’s a proprietary composition inspired by a starting point but owned entirely by your brand.
That distinction matters. A replica is someone else’s work. A scent logo is yours.
What a Scent Logo Becomes
A scent logo isn’t a single product. It’s a formula — and that formula translates into anything DetroitWick manufactures:
• Private label candles in custom vessels with your branding and packaging
• Commercial scent diffusion systems for lobbies, retail spaces, and offices
• Reed diffusers and room sprays
• Wax melts, car fresheners, and incense
• Personal fragrance and scented packaging inserts
• Corporate gifts and event takeaways
• Scented business cards
One formula. Every touchpoint. The scent in your lobby is the same scent in the candle your client takes home, which is the same scent in the gift box you send at the holidays. That consistency is what transforms a fragrance into a brand asset.
Who DetroitWick Has Done This For
DetroitWick has created custom scent logos and branded products for national and Detroit-based brands including:
• Shinola — Hand-poured candles and room sprays for the Shinola Hotel and retail line
• StockX — Custom scent products for the global sneaker and streetwear marketplace
• Detroit Vs Everybody — Branded scent products for the iconic Detroit lifestyle brand
• TRUFF — Collaboration with the premium hot sauce brand
• Wachler Diamonds — Limited edition Tennis Club candle in a premium smoked glass vessel
• Sachse Construction — Custom gifting for the annual golf outing, which has raised over $2M for Detroit youth programs
• Delta Air Lines — Co-branded Trip Wipes on Delta flights (Trip Wipes is a DetroitWick brand, 14M+ units sold)
From global marketplaces to local Detroit businesses — the common thread is brands that wanted to be remembered through more than what people see.
Where It All Happens
Everything DetroitWick creates comes from the Blanco Building at 2564 Michigan Ave in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, directly across from Michigan Central Station. The two-story space houses the scent lab, candle manufacturing facility, creative studio, gallery, and event space.
The Blanco Building is one of the only spaces in the country where the entire scent branding process — from fragrance development to candle pouring to finished product — happens under one roof. It also hosts private candle pour experiences, corporate events, and brand activations.
Founded by Doug Schwartz — a Detroit native who started by making candles from recycled champagne bottles and pivoted to scent branding when brands kept asking for custom fragrances — DetroitWick has grown from a single workspace in Eastern Market to a full-service scent branding studio serving brands nationwide.
Your Brand Has a Look. It’s Time It Had a Smell.
If your brand has a physical presence — a hotel, a retail space, an office, an event, a product — it should have a scent. Not a generic fragrance. A proprietary formula that’s as intentional as your logo and as ownable as your trademark.
DetroitWick creates scent logos for brands nationwide from our scent lab in Detroit’s Corktown. Contact us to start the conversation, or visit the Blanco Building at 2564 Michigan Ave, Detroit, MI 48216.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is a scent logo?
A: A scent logo is a proprietary fragrance formula designed to represent a brand’s identity — the olfactory equivalent of a visual logo. DetroitWick develops custom scent logos that brands own in perpetuity and deploy across candles, diffusers, room sprays, packaging, corporate gifts, and commercial spaces.
Q: Can DetroitWick reverse engineer an existing scent?
A: Yes. DetroitWick can reverse engineer virtually any existing fragrance at 99% accuracy and then modify it to create a unique formula your brand owns. The final product is not a copy — it’s a proprietary composition inspired by a reference scent but belonging entirely to you.
Q: What products can DetroitWick manufacture from a scent logo formula?
A: A single scent logo formula can be manufactured into candles, reed diffusers, room sprays, wax melts, car fresheners, incense, personal fragrance, scent diffuser oils, packaging inserts, corporate gifts, and scented business cards.
Q: Does my brand own the scent formula?
A: Yes. Once a DetroitWick scent logo formula is finalized, the brand owns it in perpetuity. It is your intellectual property. No other brand can use the same formula.
Q: What brands has DetroitWick worked with?
A: DetroitWick has created custom scent logos for Shinola, StockX, Detroit Vs Everybody, TRUFF, Sachse Construction, Wachler Diamonds, and many other national and Detroit-based brands. DetroitWick also created Trip Wipes, which sold over 14 million units and secured a co-branded partnership with Delta Air Lines.
Q: Where is DetroitWick located?
A: DetroitWick operates from the Blanco Building at 2564 Michigan Ave in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, directly across from Michigan Central Station. The space houses the scent lab, manufacturing facility, gallery, and event space.
Q: Does DetroitWick work with brands outside of Detroit?
A: Yes. DetroitWick develops scent logos and manufactures branded products for brands nationwide. All products are manufactured at the Corktown facility and shipped directly.