Who started Scentsy?

The Scentsy story

At Scentsy, we love fragrance and how it makes us feel, how it connects us to our deepest memories and how sharing those memories connects us with one another. Those connections are at the core of what we call Scentsy magic, which is why we want to share the story of the connection that started it all!

The first whiff of magic

The Scentsy story begins at a trade show in 2004, where Orville Thompson met a sister-in-law duo with a bold creation: wickless candles and scented wax. Orville brought home a warmer and some wax to sample with his wife, Heidi. In an interview with Idaho Channel 6 News, Heidi recalled that first encounter with Scentsy products. “[Orville] asked ‘Oh my gosh, what are you baking?’ And I said, ‘It’s not baking. It’s Scentsy.’ ” The Thompsons knew they’d discovered something special, and in a true “swing for the fences” moment, bought the company.

The humble beginnings

While Scentsy may be a global leader in the fragrance industry today, things didn’t start out that way. In 2004, Heidi and Orville manufactured their first wax bars out of a shipping container stored on their farm in Meridian, Idaho. In fact, many of these original Scentsy Bars were made in the family slow cooker! So, how did Scentsy become the company it is today? It all comes back to fragrance and how it connects us.

The direct approach

Just like that first whiff of magic in their own home, Heidi and Orville knew Scentsy was best experienced by sharing it! They decided to use a direct-selling model to do just that — allowing Independent Consultants to share fragrant experiences with their customers and build connections. And that’s when things really took off.

Scentsy today

These days, Scentsy ships products all over the globe, with more than 230,000 Consultants sharing their favorite fragrances and building meaningful connections. And with more than 1,700 employees, we’re definitely not operating out of a shipping container anymore! However, not everything has changed. Scentsy is still headquartered in Meridian, Idaho, and all our wax products are still made here (although we’ve moved on from relying on slow cookers). Most importantly, our love of fragrance and the ways it connects us remains at the core of everything we do.

Heidi and Orville swung for the fences, and forever changed their lives through the magic of fragrance. If you’re interested in doing the same, become a Scentsy Consultant! Click here to learn how.