Latest / Skin Anarchy / E.314: Fragrance Friday Featuring Anecdote Candles

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E.314: Fragrance Friday Featuring Anecdote Candles · Skin Anarchy

• 0:01
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• 0:56
  SPEAKER_01: Today is Fragrance Friday, and I'm super excited because this series, as I told you guys, is going to be all about self-care fragrances and just whether that's perfumery or, you know, candles or anything that we love to use for our own self-care when it comes to scents.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: So with how a phenomenal guest with me today.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_01: I'm obsessed with this candle brand.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: They make the most amazing labels for all of their products.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm not going to rant too much, but I want to introduce you guys to the founder of Anecdote Candles, Julie Muskulka.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Welcome to the show, Julie.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to host you.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Hi, actually, likewise.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_01: Friday's my new favorite day.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, it's uh, you know, Fridays have always been my favorite day.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: And I I always associate them with like, you know, especially now we're in the summer months, um, with these like, you know, just like scents and memories, right?
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like you always have these memories that are tied with um Fridays, or at least for me at least.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: So um I'm super excited to be hosting you um for this new series.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um and I was hoping we could get started actually by you telling us about yourself and your journey and what led to this amazing candle brand.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I ask myself the same thing sometimes.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: Um, how did I get here?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um I call anecdote my accidental business because in a lot of ways it really was.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um it started as a creative side project.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: My background is in consulting.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_02: So I worked um with a few different consulting firms doing large program transformation and then with a digital agency helping companies launch new ventures.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_02: Nothing that had to do with products, fragrance, candles, retail, supply chain, anything that I do now.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_02: But um it started really as I'm always someone who likes projects.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_02: I always say like my hobbies translate into projects.
• 2:43
  SPEAKER_02: And I had a candle on my coffee table that was triggering a migraine headache.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um I get migraines, so I'm very sensitive to fragrance when I do.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_02: And this one, I always say like I can smell a banana peel three blocks away when I have a headache, and this was one of them.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I can't really explain why, other than I just became obsessed with why is this candle giving me a headache?
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: What's in a candle?
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: And I went into a very deep internet search, a lot of how-to's, a lot of blogs, etc., and learned a lot about the anatomy of a candle and what goes into fragrance.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_02: Got a starter kit and just started making candles.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_02: Didn't plan for it to be a business or anything, was really just playing around with different fragrances and formulas just to see what it was.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then slowly, oh, I'm sorry.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, I was just saying, I was saying, uh, right, because it's so crazy you're mentioning the the headache part because my mother actually has the same problem.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: And she has not like it.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna dive into this, and I want to know exactly um what you did so differently.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: But um, every time I would light a candle around her, it was like she just she hated it.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: She would get so mad at me, she's like, I can't stand it, don't do this.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_01: So that's crazy.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, my mom growing up, she gets migraines way worse than I do.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember like my sister loved Bath and Body Works, cucumber melon, who didn't back then.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: We were not allowed to bring that in the house for that same reason.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, yeah.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_02: We continue playing.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_02: So then I was making candles, don't know why.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then like I said, this really was a creative project as well.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_02: So as I was playing with formulas, they really were triggering triggering certain memories for me.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_02: And I thought, wow, this I can't tell you why, but this reminds me of mid-century modern, or this reminds me of that bougie gym class I went to where everyone had color-coordinated workout gear, which turned out to be our athleisure candle.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_02: So it again was really just a very organic thing of how this evolved.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I did a few pop-ups and some digital tests to just really start to play around with the branding.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_02: And when I started, I just had the scent names.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: So we had candle, like I had names like bottomless mimosas or athleisure.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_02: I didn't have the descriptions, which is really the whole point of the brand.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I've always been told that my humor is funny, but maybe sometimes not used in the right moment, or at least professionally, like you know, there's a time and a place.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Your humor is amazing.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I just I wonder you that because I literally, when I was reading, I remember when I was sending you my my wish list.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: I was going through the brand, and I kid you not, every single candle I was like, I feel like we have the same brain.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_01: Like, why do I feel like me and Julie think the same way?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's like the the humor is very like it's it's dry, but it's sarcastic and it's funny, and it's just it's just brilliant.
• 5:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love it, you know.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: And I wanted to actually tell you because Father's Day is around the corner, um, my dad loves the dads, the dad candle about taking, you know, thank you for taking us to the airport for our certain.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_01: He absolutely died laughing when I showed that to him.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I I want you to continue, but I just wanted to say, hey, I'm on the same page as you with the humor.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I finally I always say like no one has put my humor until I put it on a candle.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_02: But um really, it was like I was almost afraid to put it on a candle.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_02: It seemed almost too aggressive.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: So I had like when I did a pop-up, I had signs of, you know, quarter life crisis is the candle, smells like all panic and no disco.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_02: And people were reacting more to the sign than the actual product label because the product label just had the name.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_02: So that's when I finally realized.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I know it sounds so simple now, but that was like, you know, this vote of confidence, like, yeah, go big, put it like this is what the people want, give it to them.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_02: And that was like a big moment for me to realize, okay, yeah, maybe my humor is not always appropriate.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, it was never inappropriate, but you know, it's not always in the right place at work.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: But it this is what the brand is all about.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: If we are designed to remind us of stories we're sharing, we have to, you know, be bold with the statements we're making.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: And once I had that insight, then I really focused on building out the brand more, you know, in terms of like the creative assets in the website and thinking about what the packaging looked like.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, I think that, you know, the the ability to put like certain things, I think that all of us think at some point, you know, in certain circumstances, to be able to sum that up into like one or two sentences, that's that's truly, you know, that's talent.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: It takes a lot of talent to do that because um, you know, like I said, some of the labels, um, you know, and some of the candles, it's just like it hits home, you know, it hits home.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's humor, but it's it's very perfectly, I feel like, you know, worded and crafted in a way that, you know, it really does evoke that feeling of, you know, going to, like you said, like your favorite workout thing, or, you know, uh, I love the grad one.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: One of our um our art lead actually just graduated and she was telling me the other day about some things and I literally referred her to your grad candle.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's you know, the one that says, Dear grad, it gets better, I promise.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like she loved that, you know, like so it's like it's evoking it, it's like the fragrance, yes, that's there, but then it's also tying it in with some memories that we all have, you know, and I and I just think that's so brilliant.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
• 8:09
  SPEAKER_02: I appreciate that.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we always try to think what is most relevant and relatable.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_02: And sometimes we get it like on the first draft, other times it takes almost 20, you know, to your point to get it in one sentence.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: It can be hard sometimes.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_01: So do you have writers or is it just you like that comes up with the phrases?
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, do you guys have a team or is it just you know?
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um in many aspects, I am the team.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we do, I usually think of most of the copy myself.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: I do um actually our wholesale account manager, we often do retail exclusives as well.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I just learned that she's worked for me for three years.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_02: I just learned that she studied journalism in college when we were working on a project.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_02: I thought, oh, great.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_02: So you can help too.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um I do test with a small group, I call it the candle committee of both customers and friends who, you know, get the brand, get some of the trends that are out there, and we test copy with them as well.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: Now, you know, I just it's interesting because the the you know, the phrases are very, very catchy, and that's why I was like, hmm, you know, I wonder how many people are behind it.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, I want to focus on the scents because oh my goodness, you have literally like this is my favorite type of like, I guess, scent range, you could say for candles.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like I I love everything that I've um, you know, tested so far.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: And mostly it's because all of the fragrances for me are like, um, I don't know if you did it on purpose, but they're very fresh, subtle, um, nothing too sweet.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: And it's always those super sweet fragrances that like really just make me nauseated.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that you went with such clean and like they're sophisticated scents, you know what I mean?
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_01: They're subtle.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: So I want you to talk to us about that.
• 9:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how was that process in terms of picking out the kind of fragrances you wanted to really incorporate and um just working that in to the to the formula?
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, very early on before that the business grew, I was just trying different scents from a distributor off the shelf.
• 10:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I got to learn, you know, I mean, it was almost like fragrance tinder, like I like this, don't like that.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I realized that there was kind there were commonalities and things um very similar to you.
• 10:14
  SPEAKER_02: So we have the same sense of humor and the same taste in fragrance.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: Um, don't like sticky, don't like floral, a lot of florals.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: And we did try to really focus on clean, fresh, um, and inviting.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_02: When the business grew, we started working with a fragrance house.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_02: And they really are the experts.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_02: So they helped really, they helped me really articulate who we are as a brand from a fragrance perspective and what works and what doesn't.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: And we've come up with some principles when we make fragrances.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, some of our customers do like sweet, but we try to add a little bit of texture or contrast to it so that it subdues, you know, makes it a little bit more subtle, for example.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: So there are ways to play with fragrance families that maybe are not your first choice, but you know, are very marketable and other customers want, and think about how can you still keep that within you know your point of view when it comes to fragrance.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean I can tell that you know, the there's a lot of thought that's gone behind the actual scents themselves because you know, um, right now I'm looking at hot mess, which everyone listening, it's a beautiful scent.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: And it's uh the label is hot mess, smells like sorry, just saw this.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: And it's rhubarb and pink pepper, and just this scent for me, I love it so much because it reminds me of like a long day at work, you know, and you come home and you just want to sit down and you're finally catching up to things.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I I don't know how you did this, Julie.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how you captured that moment, but you did, and it's like, you know, it's just such a comforting scent.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: It's just comforting, you know, it's like you take your shoes off, you take a nice shower, you sit down and read a book, and that's what this candle smells like.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, when I say that you really hit the fragrance spark, you know, on the head, nail on the head, like, yeah, you did.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_02: And like I say, I can't take all the credit because we do work with a fragrance house, but that is a really good example where um when we our fragrance house, they get stories from us.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_02: So we give them briefs of and we'll write the hot mess.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_02: It has to smell like sorry, just saw saw this.
• 12:26
  unknown: Yeah.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_02: They probably think, what are you thinking?
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we do lead with, and I always tell them, like, I'm so sorry.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, no, we love your mood boards, they're so fun.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but I I have a feeling our approach is different than maybe some other more traditional fragrance companies out there.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we'll give them mood boards and we'll say, you know, it needs to feel hectic but grounding and, you know, a little chaotic, but in a fresh and inviting way.
• 12:53
  SPEAKER_02: So rhubarb is a good example where that's a fragrance that is not kind of your traditional run-of-the-mill scent.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's a little unexpected.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_02: And that's how we kind of landed on that profile to begin with.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_02: And then we played with different variations.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: No, I mean, it it's definitely, you know, I can tell that you guys went through a whole process and I love that.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I love that there's so much thought that's gone behind this.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: I know with candles, you know, there was a time period where, and I'm sure you you noticed it too, like about a year or two ago, and I was like, everyone's coming out with candles.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_01: And it was like the same thing over and over and over again.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, I'm just gonna stop buying candles because honestly, they all just smell the same, they all have the same scent.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_01: And then I come across your brand, and this is very unique for me because I I love candles, and I think all of us do, right?
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like, how many times can you buy the same uh peony and you know, whatever like flour?
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like how many, you know, it's just or jasmine or lavender, like it just gets so redundant.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, this aspect, um, the fragrance aspect is something I really wanted us to focus on in this interview because that's, you know, this is something that I think is now emerging more where we're seeing that people are starting to realize the importance of uh scents and how, you know, what they do in their daily lives, especially with COVID, right?
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like we were all trapped inside for so long.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: So now we're like, you know, we're homebodies kind of.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_01: And it makes you realize, you know, how you like to set up your space, how you like to set up your self-care space.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love for you to comment on that a little bit, the self-care aspect of things, because I'm sure that, you know, when you create something like this, you have to be somebody who really understands that.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: So um, maybe you can share your own journey with us in terms of self-care and how that played a role.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean, I think uh self-care in the home world is interesting because if you think a few years ago, self-care, whether it was fragrance or just having your own ritual at home of, you know, turning the lights off, putting a face mask on, whatever it be maybe.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe you thought of fragrance like as part of your wardrobe, but I don't think it translated into the home just yet.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: And I think now we are seeing there's much more of an extension, obviously, where self-care does enter the home.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_02: And we find from a lot of our customers that, you know, this is the candle they burn when they're working from home all day.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: This is the candle they burn when they just got back from the gym and need to relax.
• 15:16
  SPEAKER_02: So we try to think about, you know, when we're creating candles, like what kind of mode is the customer gonna be in?
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_02: Is this are they in hosting mode?
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_02: Are they in homebody mode?
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_02: Are they in wake up, get out the door mode?
• 15:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you know, we try to think of it in that way as well.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: That makes sense.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: No, that makes a lot of sense.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I think that's the thing is like we all we all go through these emotions, like we already said, you know, and so it's it's really cool to have this.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_01: I always say, like, you know, when you're going into the self-care realm, it's nice to know that the person on the other side that's the founder, they get it, you know, they get you and they are on the same page as you.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like it's almost like, you know, you have a connection there.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: And that's so important, I feel like, from a consumer standpoint, because you know, one thing I think for me personally, I've gone through, especially after this podcast, was I hated buying products from founders I knew nothing about.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_01: Like I didn't know who it was that was making this stuff.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: And it was something for me as a consumer that was like irritating because I'm like, do they even have like the same kind of like lifestyle I do?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: Or like, you know, what do they think?
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_01: And and these kind of like your brand for me is like the epitome of like defining that like emotion, you know, for me, because it's like here I am talking to you, and I, you know, we just talked about like our sense of humor and stuff.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that I think those things now, especially when you look at it from a business standpoint, they're really coming into play with the beauty industry, you know, like it's it's like people are now gravitating towards like like-minded founders, you know.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: So I would love to get your thoughts on that.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how how has that been for you in terms of feedback or anything that you've gotten?
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you know, it's funny.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: I was talking to our marketing agency about this maybe a week ago too.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_02: This is gonna sound very naive and funny, but anecdote is about two and a half years old.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, for the first year I was doing it full-time, or I was doing it while I had a full-time job.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_02: So I it took me a while to really realize that, you know, not only is this a business now, but we are a brand.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: And a brand, you know, should have a certain brand voice, brand tone, and brand promise to its customers.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: And it took me a time to really realize what our customers wanted and what they liked about us.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: And I again, you know, I know that sounds naive, but that was kind of like an aha moment for me of, oh, I have to, you know, really think about what do they want?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_02: And I always like to think our products are best when someone sees it and they think, oh my gosh, they get me, but also, oh my gosh, I can make this my own.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there has to be room for interpretation as well.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: Right, right, absolutely.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: And I, you know, speaking of of that, I wanted to ask you, like, um, do you have any future plans of like letting uh consumers submit to you um of like cool little quotes?
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: Because I feel like that would be a fun like series for anecdote to do is like a could like a you know, like a customer line where we send you like little things because I feel like there's a lot of us out there that could really jive with this kind of humor, you know?
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: And so it would be interesting to see if you guys end up doing that.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, um, you're spot on.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_02: That's actually something we have in the works.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_02: We're going through a website redesign right now, and there is a customer submission.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_02: It's called Help Write the Next Story.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we all also do post a lot of things on Instagram from time to time.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_02: We like to call it the candle game.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_02: You know, is this candle worthy?
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: What does it smell like?
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_02: And we get we're able to see a lot of trends in the responses.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um so actually, the most recent collection, you keep referencing Hot Mess, that was part of our new season, New You candle.
• 18:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um and Hot Mess was something I think everyone said it was candle-worthy 100%.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_02: No one wrote, sorry, just saw this, but that was the essence of what um all the other responses were.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: So we do like to keep a pulse on what people are feeling and thinking and craving from us.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 19:12
  SPEAKER_01: I really love that.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I can't wait to see that um that you know collection that you guys come out with.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: Another one I really love, by the way, is it's literally called homebody.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: And it's uh for everyone listening, it says, smells like invited and not going.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_01: And this is like actually what some of my favorite scents are in this bergamot and tea leaves.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_01: I love this scent in general, whether it's perfumes or anything, but this phrase is literally my life encompassed in a in one sentence.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: I am always apologizing because I'm like, I can't, no, I'm sorry, thank you for the invite.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_01: I can't do this, especially with the podcast, because everyone has events and stuff and launches, and I feel like um I'm gonna buy up all of your stock for this candle and send all of my my friends to invite me to things.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: Send each of them one of this.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: But no, I I I really love your line, Julie, and I think it's absolutely brilliant.
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: And I love what you're doing with just, you know, it's it's the combination of like, you know, writing and fragrance and memories, and just I don't know, it's just it's a beautiful culmination of so many aspects.
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I really admire that you're doing that.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: So hats off to you and your whole team.
• 20:19
  SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much.
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I actually wanted to wrap up the episode and ask you um one big question, which is really what we started with, which is, you know, what are some of the things that you really had to exclude, you know, in terms of the formula for your candles that really irritate people?
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, what can you uh walk us through that?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because I think that's very important for consumers to know about.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, and it's interesting when I mentioned that I certain fragrances trigger migraines for me.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um certain fragrances can trigger headaches for different people in different ways, you know.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it's not a one-size-fit-all thing.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: I I wish it were, um, but you kind of hit the nail on the head earlier when you talked about you don't like the sticky sense.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_02: That's uh an unofficial but official term that we often use in the fragrance world.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the challenging thing with fragrance is that it's very much an art and a science.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_02: And we were work with our fragrance house to we lead more with the art of okay, no sticky scents.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_02: If it's going to be floral, let's balance that with texture.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then more on the tactical side, we do have a list of ingredients that we like to exclude with them.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_02: We make sure all of our clients, all of our products are IFRA compliant, Prop 65 compliant.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, there are a lot of companies out there now, like Sephora Clean Beauty is a good example where there are certain compounds that you exclude from the list.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_02: So it's less about, oh, this has to be this, this, and this, but more make sure it doesn't include this, this, and this.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm going to be honest, I'm great at writing.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: One sentence anecdotes on candles, telling you the ingredients and their scientific names would be like reading the back of a prescription bottle.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: But that's something we do work very closely with our fragrance house on.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, I I could imagine that would be a whole different realm.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: I asked you because I'm like, you know, I know with the whole clean beauty movement, I know there's a lot of buzz and a lot of ingredients on that list for skincare.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: But with candles, that's very intriguing that there's also a list of things you should not put in, you know, something that's uh like a product like this, you know.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd be very curious actually.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe you could follow up with me about that.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_01: If you have like a little short list, I'd be really curious to see the scientific names because I I really I'm not gonna lie, I never knew what goes into like making candles, like the actual like the wax and like you know what I mean, all the ingredients.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_02: So it was like yeah, um, yeah, and I'd be happy to send you the list.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_02: I really mean that some of the names I cannot pronounce, but we work with the fragrance house to exclude them.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_02: And um fragrance is an interesting world, it it has to do with the percentage of which of these compounds are included in them.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_02: It also has to do with um how is the fragrance being used.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: So if it's being used in some, you know, um personal care, it's you know, if you're gonna wash your hands or wash your hair, then that's they have there are different regulations or restrictions on that than something that's in the candle that not necessarily is testing your skin or touching your skin rather.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_02: Um so it's a world that we quickly try to learn as much as we can.
• 23:41
  SPEAKER_02: And this is something that I'm so grateful that we work with a fragrance house that really takes the time to educate us.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: I view them much more as a partner rather than, you know, a supplier.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_02: And they go through the process with us as well.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I love that.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I and I think that it's very important to, you know, that we're realizing, I think, as a whole community in the beauty industry, wellness industry, that you know, it's not just about you know what you put on your skin or like what you ingest, it's it's really about your whole environment and how the environment you're in is going to trigger, you know, reactions in your body, right?
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's normal.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_01: That's something that's been happening since the beginning of you know existence for human beings.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that, you know, when it comes to self-care products, like I'm a huge fan of like, you know, for example, like aromatherapy, any form of that.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, for me, it's a huge hallmark in my my day because I come home from work, you know, at the hospital and I'm like, the first thing I do is light a candle.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's the first thing because it just sets the mood.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we're doing these kind of things, it's so easy to forget that there are ingredients that could be harmful if you don't go to the right company and you know, if you're not buying from uh, you know, founders that are actually aware of this.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that you are and I love that you're, you know, really kind of paving the way.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I think, you know, candle brands really do have to kind of rethink what are we using to make our formulas and you know, what is that really emitting into the air, you know, once it's burning.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I I really like that you've you're so conscious about that, you know.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: So that's really cool.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate that.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_01: But um, I just want to say, you know, Julie, this has been so fun and I really love your brand.
• 25:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, everyone listening, please right now go check out anecdote candles.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: I promised you will fall in love.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, you, Julie, you've made the pricing so accessible for everybody, which is another thing I love because the candles actually last a really long time.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: This is like a huge factor for me because as somebody who uses, you know, candles literally every day, like I hate the ones where you burn them in like two days they're gone, you know.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like you've just done such a great job.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_01: And everything about the brand, I'm just I'm fully in love with.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: So everyone listening, check out the brand.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna tag everything in the concept art for this.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: But um, you know, thank you again, Julie.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: This has been so lovely hosting you.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you so much for having me.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_01: It was an honor.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, everyone listening, please make sure to leave us any comments or questions you might have for us or uh anecdote candles, and we'll definitely pass them along.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, so I hope you love that episode.
• 26:12
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• 26:17
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• 26:19
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• 26:34
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• 26:51
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• 26:55
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• 27:00
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• 27:05
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• 27:11
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• 27:16
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.