With spring in full swing and the days warming up, Quietude is launching its latest collection dubbed Cypress Whisper.
Since its launch in July this year, Quietude Candles has focused its collections on woody, earthy scents that allow you to bring the great outdoors into the comfort of your own home. Cypress Whisper is no different, says founder Olivia Khong.
“I started working on the business in June 2020―I’ve spent over a year perfecting the branding, packaging and the performance and safety of the candle before I launched Quietude Candles,” she says.
“I incorporate a lot of what I personally love and burn at home into my collection. For those who know me, know that I love woody, earthy scents and those with spicy undertones. I just love mixing feminine and masculine notes to create gender-neutral scents that are simply warm, grounding and welcoming.”
Having spent the last 15 years in a corporate environment while dreaming of starting her own business one day, she finally decided to take a leap of faith.
“Life is just so short and uncertain, you have to do what you love at least once in your life. So that’s how Quietude Candles was born, it was launched in July 2021 and I’ve been loving what I do. I really enjoy learning and developing, I don’t think I will stop as I’ve always believed learning is growing and I am really passionate about this business.”
Wanting to fill the gap in the market for Australian made, high quality, luxury scented candles, when she created Quietude Candles, Khong had very strict non-negotiable rules―not only did they need to smell divine and look beautiful as a decorative piece, but the ingredients must be natural, vegan, sustainable and cruelty-free.
“I want people to enjoy our candles fully, with the peace of mind knowing that their candle-burning experience is clean, free from nasty additives and harmful toxic substances, so that their living spaces can remain as a toxin-free zone whilst they relax and unwind.
“We do not want to create products that are impacting the environment negatively and increasing the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are already being felt across the world, so we wanted to improve our sustainability efforts by carefully selecting the materials used in our packaging and the ingredients we use in our candles.
“It is important that our values and what we stand for as a brand are reflected from the start. It is our plan to one day become B Corp certified. Therefore, by focusing on eco-friendly and sustainability from the get-go ensures that we are one step closer in achieving this goal,” she says.
“Being eco-friendly and sustainable is very important as it means we are doing our part in giving back and paying it forward to our planet and our community.”
Indeed, giving back is very important to Khong, which is why Quietude also donates 10 per cent of its online sales to Compassion Australia.
“Having seen children living in extreme poverty first-hand was heartbreaking and makes me realise how lucky we are living in Australia. I picked Compassion Australia as it is a reputable and transparent charity organisation―they have six decades of experience in releasing children from all forms of poverty in over 25 countries. Their mission to assist vulnerable children and their families living in extreme poverty is something that is very close to my heart and addresses the issues that I care about.”
With Christmas just around the corner, Khong will be releasing limited edition candles to celebrate the festive season. For next year, Quietude will be launching its sculptural and pillar candle collections.
“We also have plans to branch out into reed diffusers in 2022, which is very exciting. We hope to eventually add bath and body products as well as homewares in the near future, so watch this space.”
