Bougie Parfumée
22 April 2025
Scented candles that reflect the tenor of R U H L. We begin with six uniquely formulated staple scents - Citronella, Focolare, Nag Champa, Petrichor, Sel de Mer, and Shea Butter; and three distinct blends that celebrate Central Park, Chelsea, and of course New York City. Small batch, craft, scented candles made with our own natural fragrance cocktails, and uniquely formulated plant based wax. Each is hand poured into reusable amber apothecary jars with repurposed steel hardware and natural cord. Designed and made in New York City.
Central Park as an urban garden, oasis, and playground, remains one of the most extraordinary wonders of the modern world. It is an ecosystem of joy, nature, and urban lifestyle that indiscriminately shares its magic with every animal, vegetable, mineral, tourist, jogger, sun bather, and bird watcher that is part of its oeuvre. The R U H L Central Park Candle celebrates the park’s spring cherry blossoms, the fresh air of the North Woods, the Sheep Meadow’s grass, and the Ramble’s leaves and moss. It’s fresh, clean, and confident.
Chelsea as a neighborhood is home to massive public housing projects, flea markets, London Terrace, the Chelsea Piers, big white box art galleries, a robust LGBTIQA+ community, and of course The Hotel Chelsea. The hotel’s recent renovation stands as a celebration of its history as the center of New York Bohemia. The R U H L Chelsea Candle is a blend of incense, wine, and candles, with a warm mingling of smoky oud, resin, and musk. It’s a familiar companion, a welcome stranger, and just enough to feel like home.
Citronella oil is a natural insect and animal repellent distilled from the leaves and stems of several species of Cymgopogon, commonly known as lemongrass. It has a zesty citrus aroma with floral hints, herbs and grass. The R U H L Citronella Candle is fresh, calming, and useful.
The Italian word ‘focolare’ is often used to describe a warm, central gathering place within a home or community. It translates to fireside or hearth, the symbol of the home, familiar and distinctive. The R U H L Focolare Candle is a calming marriage of smoke, wood, and warmth from the hearth.
Nag Champa has a powdery, earthy, calming fragrance, that is slightly floral. The core of the scent comes from the Champaca flower, contributing to its velvety aroma. Nag Champa symbolizes gold, beauty, cleansing, purification, luxury, and grace. Its use in incense spiritually represents earthly connections and a clean, safe place to meditate and relax. Its flowers have always been sacred offerings for Indian gods and are believed to promote peace and harmony. The R U H L Nag Champa Candle embodies the ideals and aroma of the incense in candle form.
Preparing a scented candle that ostensibly represents New York City is a broad task. Ours is a love letter to a city of hope, dreams, and possibility that is all at once fresh, electrifying, and romantic. The R U H L New York City Candle is an explicit blend of warm musk, smoky asphalt, savory street food, Bodega flowers, and coffee.
Petrichor evokes a sense of something being extracted or released from the earth. The term was first used by Australian scientists in 1964 to describe the unique, earthy smell after a rain. Rain water activates with bacteria, fungi, and plant oils found in soil to produce the compound geosmin. The naturally occurring, distinct ‘smell of wet earth’ is now referred to as ‘petrichor’. The R U H L Petrichor Candle captures the fleeting moment of scent that happens after a solid, warm rain - earthy, fresh, and clean.
Sel de mer refers to salt harvested from seawater, typically through evaporation in shallow pools. The process allows the salt to naturally incorporate minerals from ocean water, resulting in a distinctive flavor profile, smell, and appearance. The R U H L Sel de Mer Candle is complex, and fresh, with airy notes of mineral-rich sea salt.
The primary aroma of Shea Butter is an earthy, sweet, nutty scent, a result of the natural oils from shea nuts. It is smoky, velvety, and complex. The R U H L Shea Butter Candle embodies the soothing, healing scent found in the fatty cream.
Additional recipes are in the works, here’s a link to our first season -
R U H L Candles
