3 Things We Love About Carroll&Chan Hong Kong's 100% Beeswax Candles
"Coming from Europe, people put a lot of care into their homes, and scents are important. The actual sensation of burning a candle, there’s something very comforting about it; it brings a sense of well-being, coziness, and friendliness compared to bright lights," Caroll&Chan Hong Kong Creative Director Liana Cafolla tells Metro.Style.
READ: Inside A Stunning Home With Spanish Revival Architectural Elements
Carroll&Chan is a Hong Kong-based brand under The Candle Company, owned and founded by Irishman Ian Carroll, who has been in the candle business in Asia for 17 years now. He and his wife Liana established Carroll&Chan about two years ago, focusing on offering 100% natural beeswax candles.
Young as the brand may be, their products have already been made available in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. And now, they have arrived in Manila, Philippines. "Ian has traveled here often. His first time in Asia, he came to the Philippines. And so, that made him want to come back here and start a business," Liana says.
READ: Inside Architects Jason And Nikki Buensalido's Art Gallery-Like Home
From Left: Event host Tessa Prieto-Valdes, Carroll&Chan Creative Director Liana Cafolla, Carroll&Chan owner and founder Ian Carroll, Coleen Garcia, and Billy Crawford at the launch of the Carroll&Chan flagship store in The Podium | Photo from Tessa Valdes (@seaprincess888)
Its flagship store in Manila is located on the third level of The Podium in Mandaluyong. With nature as its theme, Carroll&Chan's products are highlighted against a plant wall, vertical garden backdrop, complemented with warm, natural materials. One striking feature in the store is the "Scent Bar," where clients are welcome to take in and better appreciate the smell of the candles with a sniff from the beautiful glass containers.
READ: This Quaint Home Will Make You Appreciate Modern Minimalist Design More
.jpg)
.jpg)
Couple Coleen Garcia and Billy Crawford at the Carroll&Chan flagship store in The Podium
READ: EXCLUSIVE: At Home With Jessy Mendiola—A Look Inside Her Resort-Inspired Home
Here are three things we love about Carroll&Chan:
1. From hive to home—Carroll&Chan uses only 100% beeswax in all of their candles.
Candles made of beeswax are better than typical candles made of paraffin, which contains toxic compounds and chemicals. Beeswax is a natural wax produced by bees, so it's chemical-free, environmentally-friendly, safe, non-toxic, and hypo-allergenic. It's pet-friendly, too, and brand ambassadors Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia, who have dogs and cats at home, can attest to this.
Liana adds, "When we found beeswax, we had been working with lots of other waxes, and Ian started experimenting himself with beeswax. It has completely different qualities from other waxes. When it burns, it has a natural glow. It burns beautifully, and it’s completely clean." Beeswax candles are believed to be the only candles that emit negative ions that help purify and improve the air quality; they also burn brighter and are significantly longer-burning. The candles are handmade using traditional candle-making methods.
[photos]
In photos: Carroll&Chan Ginger Lily Jar Candle Php2,599.75; Carroll&Chan Ginger Lily Votive Candle Php1,099.75; Carroll&Chan Lavender Jar Candle Php2,599.75; Carroll&Chan Lavender Votive Candle Php1,099.75; and Carroll&Chan White Michelia Votive Candle Php1,099.75
2. Carroll&Chan uses sustainable wooden wicks and eco-friendly packaging.
Aligned to their brand's eco-friendly core, Carroll&Chan extends their environment-friendly initiatives to their packaging. Liana shares, "I’m the creative director so scents, designs, concepts, that’s my area. Ian is everything—he came up with the beeswax formulation, the monitoring of the quality, the idea of using recycled glass, recycled cardboard, the idea to open a store in the Philippines, the wish to be an Asian brand—these are all Ian’s dreams and visions... We really want to be Asia’s maiden eco-friendly fragrance brand. And instead of another European brand coming to Asia, we want to be the Asian brand that goes to Europe."
Another special thing about the Carroll&Chan 100% beeswax candles is that they come with wooden wicks that are sourced from a sustainable forest in the US. Aside from its sustainability, the wooden wicks also help in enhancing the ambience. "When you burn it, it makes a little crackling sound. It’s a cozy sound. It makes for a nice evening burn. And with beeswax, what you get is the entire candle burn; some candles you don’t get all the wax burning."
READ: EXCLUSIVE: A Sneak Peek Of Kat Ramnani And Christian Bautista's Sleek, Industrial New Condo
Carroll&Chan Ginger Lily Diffuser Set Php4,699.75
READ: Inside A Modern Home With A Traditional Filipino Aesthetic
3. Carroll&Chan works with Asian artists to tell a story with their Asian-inspired scents.
The brand has 25 fragrance collections, spread across a vast product range including beeswax candles, matching reed diffusers, fragrance oils, and other home fragrance accessories. These products are presented with unique and original hand-painted designs in the packaging.
"We work with different designers, and up to now, they’re all based in Hong Kong. We are hoping to work with some Filipino designers to come up with Filipino-inspired scents. Basically, we have storylines. For example, Midnight Jasmine, one of our newest ones, this is based on a story in the Silk Road which goes from China to Europe. Along the Silk Road, you have these old palaces in the middle of the deserts, lots of them are in these really strong patterned colors that stand out against the desert... When you light the candle, because it’s wrapped in transparent paper, the glow of the beeswax comes through when it’s burning so you get a lovely effect as well as the scent," Liana tells Metro.Style.
"Our bestseller in Hong Kong is White Michelia. This is another flower in the Jasmine family. Jasmine is one of the most frequently used flowers in perfumes. This flower used to be sold on the street. These old peddlers were selling it. Now it’s quite difficult to find, but it’s a real nostalgic favorite for people in Hong Kong. It grows on a tree. Tiny white flowers. And this lady (the one illustrated in the packaging) is actually selling it still near our shop. This part here is near where our shop is actually, which is near an old flower market and old stone flags are still there. These are some of the old shops that are still there. It’s very much a story of Hong Kong."
Liana says they are also looking forward to working on a Filipino-inspired scent using sampaguita.
READ: This House, Bathed In Natural Light, Is Every Inch Instagrammable And Staycation-Perfect
Carroll&Chan White Michelia Jar Candle Php2,599.75
Visit Carroll&Chan at 3/F The Podium Mall, Mandaluyong
Photographs courtesy of Carroll&Chan
Top Stories
Metro Beauty Picks Of The Week
BEAUTYMar 14, 2023