An extremely frequent comment we get from shoppers at markets is "Oh my! That really does smell exactly like {Whatever Scent They Picked Up}." Or they will gasp with the sudden rush of a memory triggered by our scent and tell us their memory story.
This is why we obsess over our scent accuracy. We aren't setting out to create a new scent, we want to recreate the scents you already love, and to do that, they have to be just right. That means we source our oils from at least 10 vendors and test all the varieties to find the notes and strength we are looking for.
A big one for me was our Honeysuckle Vines. I have incredibly strong scent association and priceless memories tied to honeysuckle. Honeysuckle grows everywhere in the South. It is heady but not suffocating. It is delicate and sweet but carries lightly in the air for quite a distance. And it is the single most disappointing scent I have come across in candles over the years. Honeysuckle candles are almost always heavy, floral mixes of all kinds of flowers, dyed yellow and labeled with a picture of a honeysuckle, or they are strangely syrupy sweet, like nectar.
When I decided I wanted to make a honeysuckle candle, I knew I would not settle for anything less that perfect. It HAD to be perfect. It actually took about 4 years of testing various oils to get it right. Our Honeysuckle Vines is a blend of 3 oils from 3 different vendors - uniquely our own, and if I may humbly say...fabulous! When I finally came up with this blend, I teared up because of the memories I carry with the scent of honeysuckles. It all came rushing back and I knew this was the blend.
I carry more Honeysuckle Vines to shows than any other scent because we keep selling out. I am so surprised how many customers have similarly strong and emotional memories tied to honeysuckle. It makes me happier than I can say to offer this scent, and the lovely memories it brings back, to my very dear customers! Happy Remembering!