The Perfumer's Guide to the STORIES Bougie Parfumée — Every Ingredient, Explained

There is a question we are asked more than any other about our candles.

What is actually in them?

It is the right question. Most home fragrance brands do not answer it — not properly. You get a name. Bergamot and Sandalwood. Rose and Oud. A two-word descriptor that tells you nothing about the quality of the raw material, its origin, its character, or why it was chosen above the hundreds of alternatives a perfumer has available.

We want to answer it properly.

What follows is a complete guide to every ingredient inside the STORIES Nº.01 and Nº.02 Bougie Parfumée trios — six candles in total, each one built like a fine fragrance around a distinct layer of the scent pyramid.

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Before the Notes: How Our Candles Are Built

Every STORIES Bougie Parfumée is hand-poured in small batches in the UK, using a sustainably sourced blend of rapeseed, coconut, and soy wax. The wick is 100% natural cotton — free from lead and added impurities. The vessel is refillable matte black glass, designed to last indefinitely.

Vegan. Cruelty-free. GMO-free. Palm-free.

Each candle contains up to twelve perfumery notes — not fragrance oil blended to a recipe, but individual raw materials sourced and composed with the discipline of a Grasse perfumeur. Nearly 98% of our production waste is recycled, and carbon emissions are offset monthly through Ecologi.

This is what we mean by circular luxury.

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STORIES Nº.01 Bougie Parfumée Trio

Light. Floral. Grounded.

STORIES Nº.01 opens with organic citrus, moves through a soft floral heart carrying some of the most interesting raw materials in contemporary perfumery, and settles into a woody, resinous base drawn from ingredients with centuries of history.

Translated into three candles — STORIES Nº.01.01, STORIES Nº.01.02, and STORIES Nº.01.03 — it becomes a home fragrance system. Each candle is a chapter. Each burn reveals a different facet of the same composition.

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STORIES Nº.01.01

Top Notes  ·  Fresh. Citrus. Clean. Lightly Woody.

Bergamot  ·  Grapefruit  ·  Sandalwood  ·  Vetiver  ·  Fresh Air  ·  Dry Wood  ·  Lovage Leaf  ·  Cotton  ·  Lemon Peel  ·  Basil  ·  Cedar Leaf  ·  Linden Blossom

Bergamot — Organic, Calabria, Sicily
Bergamot is one of the foundational raw materials of fine fragrance — present in more classic perfumes than almost any other single ingredient. Ours is an organic cold-pressed oil from the bergamot fruit grown on the southern Calabrian coastline of Sicily. It is brighter, more floral, and more complex than standard bergamot. The difference is immediately apparent.

Vetiver — Organic, Haiti
Vetiver root grown in the volcanic clay soil of Haiti produces an oil with a distinctly clean, smoky quality — different from the heavier Indian vetiver used in many commercial fragrances. It is one of the great base-building materials in perfumery, used here to provide structure beneath the citrus without competing with it.

Lovage Leaf
An unusual choice for a top note candle — lovage leaf brings a green, slightly celery-like depth that prevents the citrus from reading as simple or sweet. It is an ingredient that most people cannot identify, but would immediately notice the absence of.

Linden Blossom
Honey-like, softly floral, with a clean quality that makes it a natural partner for citrus. Linden blossom extends the freshness of the composition into something more rounded and considered.

Light STORIES Nº.01.01 first thing in the morning, or when you arrive home. It opens a space.

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STORIES Nº.01.02

Heart Notes  ·  Soft Floral. Herbal. Warm. Subtly Complex.

Orange Blossom  ·  Cedarwood  ·  Jasmine  ·  Heliotrope  ·  Amber  ·  Sandalwood  ·  Celery Seed  ·  Galbanum  ·  Ambroxan  ·  Juniper Leaf  ·  Hydachieum  ·  Geranium Leaf  ·  Rose Oxide

Ambroxan
Ambroxan is derived from ambergris — historically one of the most valued raw materials in perfumery. It adds a warmth that behaves differently in every room — making this candle feel intimate and quietly unique rather than simply decorative.

Celery Seed Oil
Used by master perfumers as a substitute for oakmoss — a material now heavily restricted in modern perfumery. The green, earthy, slightly anisic quality of celery seed brings a complexity to the heart note candle that most home fragrances simply do not have.

Hydachieum
A balsamic, resinous material with depth and longevity — rarely encountered in home fragrance. It creates a bridge between the floral heart and the woody base, adding warmth and persistence without sweetness.

Heliotrope
Almond-like, powdery, and quietly distinctive — used in perfumery since the nineteenth century. It softens the orange blossom and jasmine, preventing them from becoming either clinical or cloying.

Galbanum
A green, slightly sharp resin that adds edge and definition to the composition. The note that stops the heart from being simply pretty.

Light STORIES Nº.01.02 through the afternoon and early evening. It settles into a room slowly and becomes part of it.

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STORIES Nº.01.03

Base Notes  ·  Woody. Resinous. Fruity. Lightly Spiced.

Grapefruit  ·  Fig  ·  Black Pepper  ·  Vetiver  ·  Amber  ·  Vanilla  ·  Labdanum  ·  Cypress  ·  Oakmoss  ·  Grass  ·  Cinnamon Leaf

Labdanum
Extracted from the rock rose plant, labdanum has been used in perfumery since ancient Rome — traded on the same routes as frankincense and myrrh. It is dark, warm, and resinous, with a complexity that deepens slowly with heat. In a candle, labdanum becomes richer in the final hours of a burn.

Oakmoss
One of the oldest raw materials in perfumery — the foundation of the Chypre accord that defined twentieth-century fragrance. It brings an earthy, woody, forest-floor quality unlike anything else in the palette.

Cinnamon Leaf
Not cinnamon bark — the leaf, which is warmer, rounder, and less sharp. Spice that feels like an evening fireplace rather than a bakery.

Fig
Green, slightly milky, and slightly sharp — the fig leaf as much as the fruit. It sits above the labdanum and vanilla, adding a fruity brightness that keeps the base from becoming too dark.

Light STORIES Nº.01.03 in the evening. It lingers after the flame is out.

SHOP STORIES Nº.01 BOUGIE PARFUMÉE TRIO

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STORIES Nº.02 Bougie Parfumée Trio

Rich. Dark. Deeply enveloping.

Where Nº.01 is the fragrance of morning light and green fields, Nº.02 is the fragrance of a room that has been lived in — warm, inhabited, layered with personality. Its ingredients draw from the Oriental and woody traditions of fine perfumery: oud, frankincense, tobacco, labdanum, musk.

STORIES Nº.02.01, STORIES Nº.02.02, and STORIES Nº.02.03 are not background candles. They are a presence.

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STORIES Nº.02.01

Top Notes  ·  Dark Floral. Rich. Warm and Sweet.

Rose  ·  Honey  ·  Tobacco  ·  Cedarwood  ·  Tonka Bean  ·  Frankincense  ·  Amber  ·  Chocolate  ·  Grass  ·  Oakmoss  ·  Oud

Oud (Agarwood)
Formed in the heartwood of Aquilaria trees over decades. One of the most complex and expensive raw materials in perfumery, with a deep, woody, slightly animalic quality that cannot be replicated by any synthetic. Its presence immediately distinguishes this candle from standard home fragrance.

Tobacco Leaf
Not cigarette tobacco — the raw leaf, which in perfumery reads as warm, slightly sweet, and deeply comforting. It bridges the rose and frankincense, adding depth and maturity to the opening.

Tonka Bean
Contains coumarin — a naturally occurring compound with a vanilla-like warmth that is drier and more complex than vanilla itself. It wraps the rose and chocolate in warmth without making the composition cloying.

Frankincense (Olibanum)
Resinous, smoky, and ancient — burned as an offering for thousands of years. It provides a ceremonial quality that makes this candle feel considered rather than simply decorative.

Chocolate
The raw, slightly bitter quality of cacao that adds a dark sweetness without the associations of confectionery. Working here with rose in one of the great classic pairings of Oriental perfumery.

Light STORIES Nº.02.01 when you want a room to feel inhabited — warm, rich, and immediately present.

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STORIES Nº.02.02

Heart Notes  ·  Deep Spice. Incense. Warm and Invigorating.

Ginger  ·  Patchouli  ·  Cardamom  ·  Vetiver  ·  Honey  ·  Amber  ·  Dry Wood

Seven ingredients. Each one powerful enough to define a fragrance on its own.

Patchouli
In its finer, cleaner modern expression — patchouli is earthy, slightly sweet, and deeply grounding. One of the great base materials in fine fragrance, it gives STORIES Nº.02.02 its unusual longevity and presence.

Cardamom
Green, aromatic, slightly eucalyptus-like. It adds a clean spice that lifts the composition — the breath of the candle — preventing the incense and patchouli from becoming too dense.

Ginger
Heat without sharpness. Ginger in fine fragrance behaves very differently from ginger in food — warmer, rounder, and longer-lasting. Alongside cardamom it creates a spice accord of real complexity.

Honey
Raw honey in fine fragrance is warm, animalic, and deeply sensual. A golden thread running through the composition — softening the spice without diminishing it.

Light STORIES Nº.02.02 in a hallway, dining room, or any space you want to feel deeply atmospheric. This candle does not sit quietly in the background.

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STORIES Nº.02.03

Base Notes  ·  Musky. Earthy. Dark. Softly Sweet.

Black Pepper  ·  Pine  ·  Honey  ·  Cedarwood  ·  Frankincense  ·  Vanilla  ·  Musk  ·  Oud  ·  Fresh Air  ·  Tomato Vine  ·  Wet Earth

Tomato Vine and Wet Earth
The two ingredients that most surprise people — and the ones that make this candle completely unlike anything else on the market. Tomato vine in perfumery is green, sharp, and intensely evocative. Wet earth — petrichor — is the scent of soil after rainfall, one of the most universally recognised and emotionally resonant scents in human experience. Together they bring a naturalness to the base that prevents the musk and oud from becoming simply dark.

Pine — Russia
A cool, balsamic, northern-forest oil quite different from synthetic pine. Alongside frankincense it creates a resinous depth that feels almost meditative.

Musk
Clean, skin-like, quiet. The note you notice by its absence. It holds the entire composition together without announcing itself.

Oud
Present again in the base, creating continuity across the Nº.02 trio. It deepens as the candle burns — progressively richer in the final hours.

Light STORIES Nº.02.03 in the evening. Long after the flame is out, it leaves a trace in the room.

SHOP STORIES Nº.02 BOUGIE PARFUMÉE TRIO

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The Complete Note Reference

STORIES Nº.01.01 — Top Notes
Bergamot · Grapefruit · Sandalwood · Vetiver · Fresh Air · Dry Wood · Lovage Leaf · Cotton · Lemon Peel · Basil · Cedar Leaf · Linden Blossom

STORIES Nº.01.02 — Heart Notes
Orange Blossom · Cedarwood · Jasmine · Heliotrope · Amber · Sandalwood · Celery Seed · Galbanum · Ambroxan · Juniper Leaf · Hydachieum · Geranium Leaf · Rose Oxide

STORIES Nº.01.03 — Base Notes
Grapefruit · Fig · Black Pepper · Vetiver · Amber · Vanilla · Labdanum · Cypress · Oakmoss · Grass · Cinnamon Leaf

STORIES Nº.02.01 — Top Notes
Rose · Honey · Tobacco · Cedarwood · Tonka Bean · Frankincense · Amber · Chocolate · Grass · Oakmoss · Oud

STORIES Nº.02.02 — Heart Notes
Ginger · Patchouli · Cardamom · Vetiver · Honey · Amber · Dry Wood

STORIES Nº.02.03 — Base Notes
Black Pepper · Pine · Honey · Cedarwood · Frankincense · Vanilla · Musk · Oud · Fresh Air · Tomato Vine · Wet Earth

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Refillable by Design

Every STORIES Bougie Parfumée is built to be refilled — not replaced.

When the wax is spent, the vessel remains. The matte black glass is made to last, to sit on a shelf or windowsill as a permanent fixture, and to be returned to us or refilled at home. This is what we call circular luxury — the belief that the most considered form of consumption generates less waste, not more.

• Hand-poured in the UK in small batches
• Sustainably sourced blend of rapeseed, coconut, and soy wax
• Vegan, cruelty-free, GMO-free, palm-free
• Natural 100% cotton wick, free from lead or added impurities
• Each candle: up to 25 hours burn time
• Full trio: up to 75 hours burn time
• Nearly 98% of production waste recycled
• Carbon emissions offset monthly through Ecologi
  
  

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A Different Kind of Home Fragrance

The home fragrance industry is crowded with candles that are beautiful objects containing forgettable scents.

We are not interested in that.

Every ingredient in every STORIES Bougie Parfumée exists because a perfumer chose it above all the alternatives — for its origin, its quality, its character, and the specific role it plays in the composition. The sourcing is deliberate. The structure is intentional. The refillable vessel is a statement about the kind of objects we want in our homes and the kind of consumption we want to model.

This is the science, soul, and story of fragrance — applied to every candle we make.

EXPLORE ALL PERFUMED CANDLE TRIOS

From Tonya, with love x