People often ask us how we come up with the scents for our candles, and the answer isn’t always straightforward. In some cases, it happens on accident (stay tuned for our post on White Tea + Thyme) and others are very calculated and intentional. One thing every scent has in common, though, is that they are all inspired by our own experiences. Memories, trips, places, and feelings are all thrown through our little candle laboratory as we try to recreate our most personal sense – smell.
Bergamot + Basil, which turned out to be our number one seller last year, was half accident, half intentional. We knew we wanted to add a fragrance that was manly – something that was missing from our lineup at the time. Andrew and I both imagined it as something heavy and dirty and ultra-masculine, but as we experimented we somehow wound up with what we have today, which is really clean and fresh, but still had that manly touch.
Before we had settled on a real name for it, it’s internal working title usually shifted between “wet man” or “freshly showered man”. And that’s precisely what it is. Bergamot + Basil is strong and clean, with touches of that fresh-out-of-the-shower man smell (without smelling like Axe bodyspray…).