Inside Sunset Scents: Designing Our Debut Fragrance Collection

COMPANY NEWS | BRAND LAUNCH

Sunset Scents: The Story, the Progress, and What Comes Next

Axiom Design’s debut consumer fragrance brand is almost here. Five signature scents. A premium, design-led vent clip built entirely in-house. Finishing trials that tested viscosity, dip time, curing, and shell geometry across dozens of iterations. And a product that challenges everything the car air freshener market thinks is acceptable.

By Mark Halliwell, Founder — Axiom Design Ltd

Article CN-11 | Series: Company News | 2,800 words | 14 min read

Sunset Scents — Axiom Design’s debut fragrance brand. Car air fresheners, reimagined. Five signature scents, each built around a real, layered fragrance profile.

Car Air Fresheners, Reimagined

Walk into any petrol station, supermarket, or car accessory shop and look at the air freshener rack.

What you’ll find is a wall of aggressively scented, plasticky products in garish packaging, built to a price point that shows in every detail. A synthetic blast of “new car” or “ocean breeze” that fades within a week and leaves behind a dangling piece of card that looks like it belongs in a budget Christmas cracker.

That is the market Sunset Scents is entering. And it is entering it from a completely different direction.

Sunset Scents is Axiom Design’s debut fragrance brand — a premium, design-led car vent clip air freshener built around five signature scents, each constructed around a real, layered fragrance profile instead of the single-note blasts that dominate the existing market. The product is designed, prototyped, and manufactured entirely in the Axiom Design workshop in Yorkshire. The packaging is produced in-house. And it is almost ready to launch.

The Problem Worth Solving

The starting point for every Axiom Design product is a problem. For Sunset Scents, the problem was hiding in plain sight: the car air freshener market is enormous, genuinely universal — virtually everyone who drives a car uses some form of it — and almost universally served by products that feel like an afterthought.

The existing market has two failure modes. At the cheap end — the fuel station rack — you get poor materials, single-note synthetic fragrances, and packaging that communicates nothing beyond low price. At the premium end, the options are limited, often overpriced for what they deliver, and still rarely bring genuine fragrance sophistication to the category.

The gap between “cheap and cheerful” and “genuinely premium” in car fragrance is real, significant, and largely unoccupied. Sunset Scents is designed to sit squarely in that gap: better than anything on the fuel station rack, more accessible than the premium niche alternatives, and defined by design and fragrance quality that the market’s current leaders don’t come close to matching.

“The brief was simple: make a car air freshener that someone would actually be proud to have in their car. Not just tolerate. Proud of. That’s a higher bar than the market currently sets — and that’s exactly the point.”

— Mark Halliwell, Founder — Axiom Design Ltd

The Product: What Sunset Scents Actually Is

Sunset Scents is a vent clip car air freshener — the clip attaches to the car’s dashboard air vent, uses the airflow to distribute fragrance through the cabin, and is designed to be removed and reattached easily without leaving marks or residue.

The product housing is designed in CAD and manufactured on the Axiom Design Bambu Labs P1S — giving complete control over the geometry, the clip mechanism, and the surface finish. The design went through multiple prototype iterations: testing the clip mechanism across different vent types, evaluating how the fragrance diffuses through the housing geometry, and refining the overall form until the product felt as premium as it looked.

The development process for Sunset Scents was — in Mark’s own words — genuinely enjoyable.

Unlike some product challenges that demand extensive troubleshooting, the Sunset Scents design process was creative, progressive, and satisfying at every stage. That energy comes through in the finished product.

The Clip Mechanism

The clip is the critical engineering element of any vent clip product. It needs to hold the freshener securely at motorway speeds, accommodate the variation in vent blade widths across different car models, and release cleanly without damaging the vent. The Sunset Scents clip mechanism was designed specifically around these requirements — tested physically on multiple vent types and refined until it performed consistently across all of them.

The Housing and Fragrance Diffusion

The housing is not just decorative. Its geometry directly affects how fragrance is distributed through the car cabin. The design of the vents, apertures, and internal space within the housing determines the fragrance throw — how far the scent travels, how evenly it distributes, and how long the fragrance profile remains consistent as the product is used.

These decisions were made in CAD, tested in prototype, and refined through physical evaluation. The result is a housing that diffuses fragrance effectively without requiring aggressive ventilation — the scent fills the cabin evenly rather than blasting from a single point.

The Finishing Trials: Where the Real Problem Solving Happened

Product design is the part people see. Finishing is the part that determines how the product actually feels in the hand — the tactile quality, the surface character, the sense of premium construction that no amount of good geometry alone can deliver. For Sunset Scents, getting the finish right was a process of systematic, hands-on experimentation that involved far more variables than most product development accounts acknowledge.

The goal was a surface finish that communicated premium quality immediately — something that felt deliberate and considered, not like a raw 3D print. Achieving that required working through a series of finishing applications and dialling in multiple interdependent variables until the results were consistent enough to run in production.

The Variables

Dip coating is not a single operation. Every aspect of the process affects the result — and the variables interact with each other in ways that make isolated testing insufficient. At Axiom Design, the finishing development for Sunset Scents worked through all of the following systematically:

Finishing Variables Tested During Development

Viscosity: The thickness of the coating compound directly affects how it behaves on the part. Too thin and it runs off before curing, leaving an uneven film. Too thick and it builds up in corners and drip points, creating inconsistent coverage. Multiple viscosity grades were tested to find the working range that produced even, controlled deposition across the housing geometry.

Temperature: Both the compound temperature and the ambient workshop temperature affect viscosity and cure behaviour. Cold conditions thicken the compound and slow curing. Warmer conditions lower viscosity and accelerate cure. Temperature was controlled and documented as a fixed variable once the optimal working range was established.

Dip time: The duration of immersion determines how much compound is picked up by the part. Too brief and coverage is insufficient. Too long and excess material builds at the drip point. Dip time was tested across a range and calibrated against viscosity — the two variables working together to produce the target film thickness.

Retraction speed: How quickly the part is withdrawn from the compound determines the final drip profile. A slow, controlled retraction allows excess material to shed evenly. Too fast and the coating drags, producing surface irregularities. The retraction speed was standardised once a consistent result was achieved.

Curing time: Different compounds cure at different rates, and partial cure versus full cure produces different surface characteristics. Curing time was evaluated against the finished surface quality — hardness, flexibility, adhesion, and tactile feel — until the optimal cure point was established and locked into the production protocol.

The Shell Geometry Problem

The geometry of the housing itself introduced a specific challenge that required CAD intervention to resolve. Certain geometric features — internal corners, undercuts, and surfaces with complex curvature — behaved differently during dipping and curing than flat or convex surfaces. The compound would pool in recesses, run from convex surfaces too quickly, and cure unevenly across transitions between different feature types.

 

The solution was iterative: identify the problem geometries in the physical dip test, return to CAD, modify the affected features — adjusting radii, draft angles, and surface transitions — and print a new prototype for re-testing. This cycle ran multiple times before the geometry was optimised for consistent coating behaviour across the entire housing surface.

This is exactly the kind of problem that only becomes visible when you are physically making the product. No simulation captures the behaviour of a liquid compound on a complex 3D geometry under real workshop conditions. The only way to solve it is to dip the part, observe what happens, and iterate.

Drip Control and Consistency

One of the most visible finishing challenges was drip management — controlling where excess compound collects as the part is retracted and begins to cure. A drip in the wrong location on a production part is a defect. Achieving consistent drip behaviour across every unit in a batch required the combination of controlled viscosity, calibrated retraction speed, and a consistent drip-off point engineered into the housing geometry.

The drip point — the lowest feature of the part during retraction, where residual compound naturally collects — was deliberately designed in CAD to be a location where a small amount of material build-up is either invisible or acceptable in the finished product. This is design for manufacture applied to the finishing process: not fighting the physics of the coating operation, but designing around them.

“The finishing trials were the most technically demanding part of the Sunset Scents development. Not because any single variable was impossible to control — but because all of them interact. You can’t solve viscosity in isolation. You have to dial in the whole system together.”

— Mark Halliwell, Axiom Design Ltd

The Result

After multiple rounds of testing — different compounds, different temperatures, different dip times and retraction speeds, multiple geometry revisions — the finishing protocol for Sunset Scents is locked. The production process now runs with documented, fixed parameters: a specific compound at a specific viscosity, at a controlled temperature, with a calibrated dip time and retraction speed, followed by a defined cure period.

The result is a surface finish that is consistent across every unit in a batch — the same tactile quality, the same visual character, the same premium feel — produced reliably and repeatedly from a single operator following a defined process. That is what manufacturing discipline looks like in practice.

Five Signature Scents — Not Five Generic Options

The fragrance range is the heart of the Sunset Scents proposition. Five signature scents, each built around a real, layered fragrance profile — top notes, heart notes, and base notes — rather than the single-note blasts that dominate the budget market.

A layered fragrance profile behaves differently from a single-note scent. It evolves. The top notes hit first — fresh, immediate, attention-grabbing. The heart notes emerge as the top notes fade, defining the character of the fragrance. The base notes anchor the whole composition, providing longevity and depth. This is how fine fragrance works. It is not how most car air fresheners work.

Sunset Scents is launching with a small, curated range of signature scents. The decision to launch with five carefully chosen profiles rather than a sprawling range reflects the same design discipline that defines the product itself: fewer things, done properly, rather than many things done adequately.

The Sunset Scents Fragrance Philosophy

Top notes: The first impression — fresh, immediate, and inviting. Sets the tone without overpowering.

Heart notes: The character of the scent — the notes that define what the fragrance actually is and make it recognisable.

Base notes: The foundation — deeper, warmer notes that anchor the fragrance and provide lasting longevity in the car cabin.

The result: A scent that develops over time rather than arriving all at once and fading uniformly. A fragrance worth experiencing, not just tolerating.

The Packaging: Produced Entirely In-House

The Sunset Scents packaging is produced in the Axiom Design workshop — designed, printed, laminated, die-cut, and assembled without leaving the building (with the exception of the lamination step, which is sent to a specialist and returned).

The packaging design reflects the brand identity: warm, lifestyle-led, sunset tones with the palm tree and setting sun logo that immediately communicates warmth, escapism, and a premium sensibility that stands apart from the functional, generic packaging typical of the car freshener category.

The card component is printed on the Canon Pro 310 at commercial print quality, professionally laminated for durability and premium tactile feel, and die-cut to exact specification on the Silhouette Cameo Pro. The clear plastic element — the blister that holds and displays the product — is vacuum-formed using a mould designed in CAD and printed on the Bambu P1S.

The result is retail-ready packaging produced entirely from a single Yorkshire workshop, at a quality level that competes directly with packaging from brands spending significantly more on production.

The Development Timeline

CONCEPT

Problem identified: the car freshener market is dominated by cheap, single-note, plasticky products. A premium gap exists.

DESIGN

Product housing designed in CAD. Vent clip mechanism engineered for a secure, premium feel. Fragrance diffusion considered in the geometry.

PROTOTYPE

Multiple iterations printed on the Bambu P1S. Clip mechanism tested across different vent types. Shell geometry refined for finishing consistency.

FINISHING TRIALS

Coating compound tested across viscosity grades, temperatures, dip times, and retraction speeds. Shell geometry revised in CAD to resolve pooling and drip issues. Production protocol locked.

FRAGRANCE

Five signature scent profiles developed — layered, complex fragrances distinct from generic fuel-station alternatives.

PACKAGING

Brand identity created. Packaging designed, printed on the Canon Pro 310, laminated, die-cut on the Cameo Pro. Retail-ready.

LAUNCH

Launching via TikTok and Amazon. Countdown live on axiomdesignltd.co.uk. Wholesale to follow.

Route to Market: TikTok and Amazon

Sunset Scents launches via two channels: TikTok and Amazon. The choice reflects a clear-eyed assessment of where the target customer is and how they discover new products in this category.

TikTok

TikTok is the discovery engine for consumer products in 2025. The “TikTok made me buy it” phenomenon is well documented — and the car accessory and lifestyle product categories perform particularly well on the platform. For a premium product with a strong visual identity and a compelling brand story, TikTok is the right launch channel: reach is fast, content can be produced in-house, and the algorithm rewards authenticity over production budget.

The Sunset Scents content strategy for TikTok will be built around the product experience — the fragrance journey, the design story, the in-car lifestyle aesthetic — rather than traditional advertising formats. Show the product in context. Tell the story behind it. Let the quality speak.

Amazon

Amazon provides the conversion infrastructure. Once a potential customer has discovered Sunset Scents through TikTok, Amazon is where they buy — trusted, fast, and with the review ecosystem that builds credibility quickly for a new product entering an established category.

The combination of TikTok discovery and Amazon conversion is one of the most effective launch strategies available to a consumer product brand at this stage. It requires no retail relationships, no minimum order quantities from distributors, and no upfront shelf fees. It puts the product in front of the customer directly, with the brand story intact.

Next: Wholesale

Following the launch phase, Sunset Scents will develop wholesale relationships with appropriate retail partners — car accessory retailers, lifestyle boutiques, and gift market buyers.

The Amazon and TikTok launch serves a dual purpose: it generates sales and it generates the social proof — reviews, UGC, engagement metrics — that makes the wholesale conversation significantly easier.

A product with an established Amazon presence, genuine customer reviews, and demonstrated TikTok traction is a very different proposition to a buyer than a new product with nothing but a sample and a price list.

Sunset Scents Within the Axiom Design Vision

Sunset Scents is not an isolated product launch. It is the first of what Axiom Design is building towards: a portfolio of distinct product brands, each one developed and manufactured in-house, each one serving a different market with the same underlying commitment to design quality and manufacturing discipline.

The website already shows what is coming. Alongside Sunset Scents, two further brands are in development at Axiom Design:

SUNSET SCENTS

Premium car air fresheners. Five signature scents. Launching now.

ALIGNIX CLEANING SOLUTIONS

Professional cleaning products. In development.

NAMEROO

Coming soon. Another Axiom Design product brand.

Each brand follows the same model: identify a market where quality is underserved, design a product that genuinely improves on what exists, manufacture it entirely in-house using Axiom Design’s production workflow, and take it to market with a brand identity that reflects the quality of the product inside the packaging.

“Sunset Scents is the first. It proves the model works — from idea to packaged product, entirely in-house, to a standard I’m genuinely proud of. Everything that comes after it builds on what this one teaches us.”

— Mark Halliwell, Axiom Design Ltd

What Comes Next

The countdown is live on the Axiom Design website. Sunset Scents is days away from launch.

The launch phase will be documented here on the blog — the TikTok strategy, the Amazon setup, the first reviews, the first sales, and the honest account of what a product launch actually looks like from a single Yorkshire workshop. The good parts and the learning parts.

If you want to be first to know when Sunset Scents goes live — sign up on the product page. And if you drive a car and you’ve ever looked at the thing hanging from your rear-view mirror and thought “there has to be something better than this” — there is. It’s almost here.

Be First to Know When Sunset Scents Launches

Sign up on the Sunset Scents product page to get the launch notification the moment it goes live. Five signature scents. One premium product. Coming very soon.

→ Join the Sunset Scents launch list → axiomdesignltd.co.uk/products/#sunset-scents

→ Follow on TikTok for launch content → @axiomdesignltd

→ Read: Behind the Scenes at Axiom Design → /blog/company-news/behind-the-scenes-axiom-design

→ Read: How We Design a Product from Idea to Reality → /blog/product-development/how-we-design-a-product

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Sunset Scents?

Sunset Scents is a premium car vent clip air freshener brand, developed and manufactured by Axiom Design Ltd in Yorkshire, UK. It launches with five signature scents, each built around a layered fragrance profile rather than the single-note approach typical of budget car fresheners.

Q: How is Sunset Scents different from other car air fresheners?

Three things set Sunset Scents apart. First, the fragrance quality — five layered scent profiles with top, heart, and base notes, rather than synthetic single-note blasts. Second, the product design — the housing and clip mechanism are engineered specifically for premium performance and aesthetic quality. Third, the manufacturing — every unit is produced in-house at Axiom Design’s Yorkshire workshop, with direct quality control at every stage.

Q: Where is Sunset Scents made?

Every Sunset Scents product is designed, prototyped, and manufactured in Axiom Design’s Yorkshire workshop. The product housing is 3D printed on the Bambu Labs P1S. The packaging is printed on a Canon Pro 310, professionally laminated, die-cut on a Silhouette Cameo Pro, and assembled by hand.

Q: Where can I buy Sunset Scents?

Sunset Scents launches on Amazon and via TikTok Shop. Sign up on the product page at axiomdesignltd.co.uk/products/#sunset-scents to be notified the moment it goes live. Wholesale availability will follow the launch phase.

Q: How many scents will Sunset Scents launch with?

Sunset Scents launches with five signature scents — a small, curated range chosen to cover the core fragrance preferences of the target market while maintaining the quality standard the brand is built on. Additional scents will be developed and added to the range following launch.

Q: Is Sunset Scents the only product brand from Axiom Design?

No. Axiom Design is building a portfolio of product brands, each serving a different market. Alongside Sunset Scents, Alignix Cleaning Solutions and Nameroo are in development. Each brand follows the same model: premium design, in-house manufacture, direct-to-consumer launch.

 

Article CN-11 | Axiom Design Ltd Content System | © 2025 Axiom Design Ltd | axiomdesignltd.co.uk